City Elections Notice
Read about the changes planned for this year’s election!
When:
The City of College Park will hold its municipal election for the office of Mayor and all eight district Councilmembers on Sunday, November 7, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. at the College Park Community Center. The Mayor and Council decided to hold the City’s General Election on Sunday this year in an effort to increase voter turnout. Voters who typically work Monday through Friday often find it hard to get to the polls on a weekday and may find a Sunday election more convenient.
Where:
Rather than having multiple polling locations on Election Day, voters from all districts will vote at the College Park Community Center this year. The City is mindful of health concerns about group gatherings due to COVID, so for everyone’s safety, there will be only one polling location. The Community Center is large enough to keep voters and pollworkers safe and is centrally located in the City.
How:
Voting will take place in person at the College Park Community Center or by absentee ballot. The City plans to mail absentee ballot applications to all registered voters in September. 1. Applications will also be available on the City’s website at www.collegeparkmd.gov and City offices.The applications and ballots may be returned to a secure ballot drop box or through the US Mail.
Running for Office
This fall, College Park voters will elect the Mayor, who is elected at-large, and eight district Councilmembers, two from each of the four Council districts in the City.
College Park uses a petition process to qualify candidates. Candidates for the office of Mayor must collect the signatures of 20 qualified voters from each Council district. Candidates for the office of Councilmember must collect 25 signatures from the qualified voters in their district.
At the time of taking office, which will be December 14, 2021, the Mayor and each Councilmember must be 18 years old. To qualify as a candidate, the individual must be a citizen of the United States, a current registered voter in the City, and must have been domiciled in their respective district (for a Councilmember candidate), or in the City (for a Mayoral candidate) for at least one year immediately preceding the date of qualification.
The Mayor must continuously reside in the City for the full two-year term. Each Councilmember must continuously reside in their respective district for the full two-year term.
Candidacy packets with the petition forms and other required paperwork will be available on August 1, 2021 from the City website, or from City offices with advance notice. Forms must be submitted by Wednesday, September 15.
For more information about voting in the City, or running for office, please contact the City Clerk, Janeen S. Miller, at 240-487-3501 or jsmiller@collegeparkmd.gov.