Earlier this year, approximately twelve months' worth of work came to fruition when Council voted to pass roughly 42 pages of edits and updates to the City’s election laws – Some parts were for clarifying edits, and others for significant updates to how the law works.
As shared at the time, to me, the goal was threefold: (a) to see our resident’s voting rights respected, (b) to provide an even playing field for candidates, and (c) to have an easy-to-understand set of rules that supports the best possible outcome for our City each election cycle.
I’ve summarized here the key changes, which you’ll see in play this election cycle:
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“Absentee Ballots” are now rolled up into the category of “Vote by Mail” Ballots – The gist here is that ‘vote by mail’ procedures have evolved in recent years and covers what used to be called absentee ballots. (TIP: To vote by mail for this year’s election, you’ll need to submit a completed application no later than noon on Tuesday, October 28.)
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“Provisional Ballots” and “Same Day Registration” procedures were further clarified to allow an individual who doesn’t appear on the voter register to supply qualifying information and have their vote count.
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Election Judges were provided explicit authority to request and direct the assistance of the Laurel Police Department and other law enforcement in maintaining the peaceful conduct of election days.
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The Board of Elections also now has explicit authority to identify parking areas for voters to provide unimpeded access to and from the polls.
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The steps around the recall of Elected Officials were further refined. Essentially, various types of gross misconduct in office can lead to a petition to recall, which if satisfactorily submitted, will trigger a yes/no vote by residents.
