CITY OF TAKOMA PARK ELECTION 2011

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ELECTION RESULTS NOW AVAILABLE!

 

Everything You Need to Know about the November 8, 2011 City Election


Shortcuts for City of Takoma Park Election 2011

For additional information about any facet of the election, contact the City Clerk’s Office at Clerk@takomagov.org or by calling 301-891-7267 or 301-891-7214.

 
 

Late Absentee Ballots / In-Person "Absentee Voting"

Beginning Nov. 2 and continuing until Nov. 7, voters may apply in person and vote by absentee ballot. Voters may vote at the City Clerk's Office at 7500 Maple Ave. at the following times:

Wednesday, Nov. 2: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 3: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 4: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 5: 12 noon – 3 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 7: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.


If an applicant cannot apply and vote in person, he or she may designate in the application a registered voter of the City to act as agent in picking up and delivering the ballot (candidates and those representing candidates, either formally or informally, may not act as agents). The application must be completed and filed with the City Clerk prior to issuance of a ballot to the agent. As with regular absentee voting, a ballot cannot be issued until the voter's eligibility has been established, and the ballot must be returned to the City Clerk prior to the closing of the polls on Election Day.

 
 

Sample Ballots

Use the links below to download a sample ballot for each ward. All ballots available as PDF.

 
 

How to Fill Out Takoma Park's Ballot

Use the link below for instructions on how to fill out your ballot on November 8, 2011.

If you wish to verify your vote after the election, a verification card will be provided at the voting booth where you may write down the verification number, located at the bottom right of your ballot, and the confirmation codes, which will appear on the ballot once you have filled the oval next to the candidate(s) you have selected. Use the link below to see a sample verification card.

 
 

Nominating Caucus

Nominations of Candidates for Mayor and City Council to be accepted on October 4

The Nominating Caucus will convene at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 4, to accept nominations of candidates for Mayor and City Council for the November 8, 2011 City of Takoma Park Election.

The meeting will take place in the Takoma Park Community Center Auditorium, 7500 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, MD.

While open to the public, only registered voters of the City may participate in the meeting.

Nominations of candidates for Mayor shall be made on motion by any qualified voter of the City, and if such nomination is seconded by a qualified voter of the City, the person so nominated shall be considered a candidate.

Nomination of each candidate for Councilmember shall be made on motion of any qualified voter of her/his ward, and if such nomination is seconded by a qualified voter of his/her ward, the person so nominated shall be considered a candidate. Any nominated candidate may decline a nomination during the nomination meeting. A person may only accept a nomination of one City office. The name of each eligible person nominated for the office of Mayor and Councilmember shall be placed upon the official ballot unless he/she shall file a declination with the City Clerk within three (3) days after his/her nomination. Any person nominated as a candidate must meet the qualifications of the office for which she/he is nominated.

Documents & Links for City of Takoma Park Election 2011

 
 

2011 Election Calendar

  • Tuesday, October 4, 7:30 p.m. - Nominating Caucus
  • Friday, October 7, 5 p.m. - Deadline for candidates nominated at Caucus to withdraw
  • Monday, October 10 - Voter registration cut-off date
  • Tuesday, November 1, 4 p.m. - Last day to make application for regular absentee ballot
  • Wednesday, November 2 - Late absentee voting (and on-site voting by absentee ballot) begins
  • Friday, November 4, 5 p.m. - Any write-in candidate for Mayor or Council Member who wishes to be pre-registered as a write-in candidate and to have his/her name posted in the voting booth for the purpose of identifying him/her as a candidate for office, must file his/her name with the City Clerk by this deadline.
  • Tuesday, November 8, ELECTION DAY, Polls open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Community Center. Absentee ballots must be received by the City Clerk prior to the closing of the polls.
  • Wednesday, November 9, 7:30 p.m. - Special meeting of the City Council to receive the certification of the election results.
  • Monday, November 21, 7:30 p.m. - Inauguration - Mayor and Councilmembers take office
 
 

The Next City of Takoma Park election is November 8, 2011. Are you eligible to vote?

United States Citizen Voters

Voters registered with the Montgomery County Board of Elections at an address in the City of Takoma Park are eligible to vote in City of Takoma Park elections. If you are already registered, you do not need to do anything further.

If you are not registered, but wish to vote in the November 8 City of Takoma Park election, or need to file a change of address, complete a State of Maryland voter registration form and submit it to the Montgomery County Board of Elections no later than October 10, 2011.

Non-Citizen Voters

Residents of the City of Takoma Park who are not citizens of the United States are eligible to vote in City of Takoma Park elections. If you are already registered with the Takoma Park City Clerk’s Office, you do not need to do anything further.

If you are not registered, but wish to vote in the November 8 City of Takoma Park election, or need to file a change of address, complete a City of Takoma Park non-citizen voter registration form and submit it to the Takoma Park City Clerk’s Office no later than October 10, 2011.

General Registration Information – November 8, 2011 City of Takoma Park Election

To vote in the election on November 8, a voter must be a qualified voter of the City of Takoma Park and must have resided within the corporate limits of the City of Takoma Park for 30 days immediately preceding the election. The voter registration cut-off date is October 10, 2011. Changes of address must also be filed by this date. Voter registration forms or change of address forms are available from the Takoma Park City Clerk’s Office.

For more information, please contact the City Clerk’s Office at 301-891-7267 or send an email.

 
 

Any Registered Voter May Vote by Absentee Ballot

Regular Absentee Ballot. Registered voters may request an application for a regular absentee ballot from the City Clerk. Applications are now being accepted. Completed applications must be filed with the Clerk not later than seven days prior to the election (4 p.m., November 1). Upon verification of a voter’s eligibility, an absentee ballot will be issued—either by mail or in person. The completed ballot must be received by the Clerk prior to the closing of the polls at 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Late Absentee Ballot Requests and On-Site “Absentee” Voting. Beginning November 1 and continuing through November 7, on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., voters may apply in person for a late absentee ballot and may vote on site if they wish. If the applicant cannot apply and vote in person, he or she may designate in the application a registered voter of the City to act as agent in picking up and delivering the ballot (candidates and their families may not act as agents). The application must be completed and filed with the City Clerk prior to issuance of a ballot to the agent. As with regular absentee voting, a ballot cannot be issued until the voter’s eligibility has been established, and the ballot must be returned to the City Clerk prior to the closing of the polls on Election Day.

 
 

Election Day

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 is Election Day. The election will be held at the Takoma Park Community Center – Sam Abbott Citizens’ Center, 7500 Maple Avenue. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

City elections are nonpartisan, and no party labels will be displayed on the ballot. Write-in votes are permitted in city elections. A voter may write-in the name of any [candidate] person for the office of Mayor or Councilmember in the method provided by the City Clerk on election day.

 
 

Information for Candidates

Candidates for Mayor or Councilmember who wish to have their names placed on the ballot for the November 8, 2011 election must receive a nomination and a second at the Nominating Caucus on October 4.

Candidates for the office of Mayor must have resided in the city for at least six months immediately preceding his/her election, and must be a qualified voter of the city. The Mayor must maintain principal residence in the city during his/her term of office. If the Mayor changes his/her principal residence from the city, the Mayor’s term shall be immediately terminated and the vacancy shall be filled as provided in Section 308 of the City Charter. The Mayor is prohibited from holding other publicly elective offices during his/her term of office, and is prohibited from serving on any city board, commission, or other body that has authority to adjudicate or otherwise resolve disputes.

Candidates for the office of Councilmember shall have resided in the city (and ward from which they are elected) for at least six months immediately preceding their election and shall be qualified voters of the city. The Councilmembers shall maintain their principal residence in the city and in their ward during their term of office. If a Councilmember changes his/her principal residence from the city or from the ward from which the Councilmember was elected, the Councilmember’s term shall be immediately terminated and the vacancy shall be filled as provided in Section 308 of the City Charter. The Councilmembers are prohibited from holding other publicly elected offices during their term of office, and are prohibited from serving on any city board, commission, or other body that has authority to adjudicate or otherwise resolve disputes.

 
 

Write-In Candidates in the Election

Any write-in candidate for Mayor or Councilmember who wishes to be pre-registered as a write-in candidate and to have her/his name posted in the voting booth for the purpose of identifying her/him as a candidate for office, must file her/his name with the City Clerk by 5 p.m. on the Friday prior to the election.

Any person nominated or presenting herself/himself as a write-in candidate must meet the qualifications of the office for which s/he is nominated. A person whose name appears on the ballot may not register as a write-in candidate, and a person may only register as a write-in candidate for one office in any election.

 
 

Instant Runoff Voting in City Elections

The City Council amended the City Charter in 2006 to adopt an instant runoff voting system for elections. Voters will have the opportunity to rank candidates by order of choice. The candidate receiving a majority of votes for Mayor shall be declared elected. The candidate for Council receiving a majority of votes in each ward shall be declared elected.

The first choice marked on each ballot shall be counted initially as one vote. If any candidate receives a majority of the first choices, that candidate shall be declared elected.

If no candidate receives a majority of first choices, the judges of election shall conduct an instant runoff consisting of additional rounds of ballot counting. In every round of counting, each ballot is counted as one vote for that ballot’s highest ranked advancing candidate. “Advancing candidate” means a candidate for that office who has not been eliminated. A candidate receiving a majority of valid votes in a round shall be declared elected.

 
 

Scantegrity Verified Voting

Again this year, the Board of Elections is working with Scantegrity to provide voters the opportunity to verify online that their votes were counted.

When marking their ballot, voters will receive a confirmation code that they can write down, take home, and check online to make sure their votes were counted. The confirmation number does not say how the voter voted, and the vote remains private. What it does say, however, is that the vote is included in the final tally and that the scanner read the vote correctly. The system is paper-based and works like an optical scan voting system, making it easy to use. The only difference is that when voting, voters will see a confirmation number instead of a completely black mark. Writing down and checking the confirmation number is optional.

More information about Scantegrity can be found at https://scantegrity.org/learnmore.php