SEPTEMBER 2019
ELECTION UPDATE
Voting Centers!
Early Voting
Absentee Voting
Registering to Vote
Running for Office
Apply to be an Election Judge
Advisory Questions on the City Ballot this Fall
City Elections Tuesday, November 5, 2019 – Polls open from 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
This fall the qualified voters of the City will elect the Mayor and City Council. All seats are up for election. Voters will benefit from some new initiatives this year to making voting easier than ever.
Voting Centers
On November 5, voters may choose to vote at the voting center most convenient to them, regardless of the district in which they live. Each voting center will be supplied with ballots from all districts. The voting centers will be located at:
- Davis Hall, 9217 51st Avenue.
- Ritchie Coliseum, 7675 Baltimore Avenue – Parking enforcement will be relaxed on Election Day in the area immediately surrounding Ritchie.
- Stamp Student Union, 3972 Campus Drive – Follow the parking attendant’s directions to park for free in the Stamp Union Garage while voting. Free parking is limited and will be monitored.
If voting on Election Day is inconvenient, please consider one of these other options:
Early Voting – Sunday, October 27, 2019
Early Voting will be available to qualified voters on Sunday, October 27, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. at the College Park Community Center, 5051 Pierce Avenue, College Park (across from the Paint Branch Elementary School).
Absentee Voting: August 1 – October 29, 2019
Qualified voters who are unable to Early Vote or vote on Election Day may apply for an Absentee Ballot. Between August 1 and October 29, 2019 an application for an absentee ballot may be downloaded from our website or picked up at any City building.Completed applications must be received by the City no later than 4:00 p.m. on October 29.Absentee ballots will be mailed on or after October 14.
Are you registered to vote?
Of course, before you can vote in the City’s election this fall, you must be registered to vote at your current address and with your current name.Voter registration is handled by the Prince George’s County Board of Elections.If you are already registered to vote at your current City address, you are automatically registered to vote in the City Election.If you have moved or changed your name since the last election, you must update your voter registration information. Here’s how:
Here’s how:
- Voter Registration Forms are available at any City building or any Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration office
- On-Line: tinyurl.com/onlinevoterregistration
- By Mail or in-person: Prince George's County Board of Elections, 1100 Mercantile Lane, Suite 115A, Largo, MD 20774
You must register no later than October 8, 2019 to vote in the City’s election.
To check your registration status, call the Prince George’s County Board of Elections at 301-341-4300, or visit voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/VoterSearch.
Would you Like to Run for Office?
The 2019 Election Handbook with candidacy information and the necessary forms is now posted on the City’s website, here. The deadline for completed forms is September 20, 2019.
Apply to be an Election Judge
The City is recruiting for election judges.
Qualified judges must be:
- A registered voter in the state of Maryland
- Able to work the entire day on Tuesday, November 5, 6:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
- Able to attend mandatory training for four hours on Saturday, October 26
In addition, some Judges will:
- Work the evening of Monday, November 4, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. for poll set up
- Work on Sunday, October 27 for Early Voting
Preference will be given to individuals who have recently worked County, State or City elections. Bi-lingual applicants are encouraged to apply!
Interested? Please complete the application on our website at collegeparkmd.gov/elections.
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, or Chief of the Board of Election Supervisors, Jack Robson, at boeschief@collegeparkmd.gov.
Advisory Questions on the City Ballot this Fall
At the polls this fall, College Park voters will be asked to weigh-in on the length of the term of office for City elected officials: Should the Mayor and Councilmembers continue to serve two-year terms, or should they serve for four years? Last November the Mayor and Council created a Charter Review Commission to study the matter. The Charter Review Commission was asked to solicit resident input on the matter and conduct other research to inform a report that discusses the benefits and concerns associated with changing the length of the elected terms. Their report was completed in May and is posted on the City’s website, here. The Mayor and Council encourage voters to review the report of the Charter Review Commission to become familiar with the matter before going to the polls this fall.
The November ballot will contain the following questions:
The Mayor and Council of the City of College Park currently serve two-year terms. They are seeking your input on two questions: 1) Should there be two- or four-year terms? and 2) If the terms are four years, should they run concurrently (resulting in an election for all City elected officials every four years), or should they be staggered (resulting in an election every two years for one Council seat from each district, and every four years for the Mayor)? Even if you do not support it, if a four-year term were enacted in the future by the Mayor and Council, would you prefer concurrent or staggered terms?
Vote for One:
Q1: I support two-year terms for Mayor and City Council
Q2: I support four-year terms for Mayor and City Council
If City Council terms were changed to four-years:
Vote for One:
Q3: I would prefer staggered terms for the City Council
Q4: I would prefer concurrent terms for the City Council
If you have any questions on this matter, please feel free to contact your City Councilmember or the City Clerk, Janeen S. Miller, at 240-487-3501 or jsmiller@collegeparkmd.gov.