Category: Election Page 1 of 11

Voters will see something new at the polls in this fall’s General Election in College Park. The City is partnering with ElectionGuard on their third trial of new election technology that lets every voter confirm that their ballot was counted and provides independent verification that the election results are correct.

How does ElectionGuard Work?

ElectionGuard runs alongside an existing voting system. Voters mark paper ballots as usual. When the ballot is scanned, ElectionGuard encrypts the ballot and prints a confirmation code for the voter to use to verify that their ballot is included in the final count. All of the encrypted ballots are used to create a snapshot of the in person votes for the election. This snapshot is then used to check the results of the election without revealing how any individual voted.

Who are the Election Guardians and what do they do?

Election Guardians are trusted, independent members of the community who help set up ElectionGuard. They have a special role in creating the cryptographic locks that secure the election:

• Before the election, Guardians create a special lock and key. The lock is loaded on Before the election, Guardians create a special lock and key. The lock is loaded on the ballot scanners to encrypt all of the bathe ballot scanners to encrypt all of the ballots for the election.
• During the election, Guardians each keep their part of the key secure. Having a During the election, Guardians each keep their part of the key secure. Having a small group of Guardians means that no one person can unlock the election on small group of Guardians means that no one person can unlock the election on their own.
• When it’s time to count the ballots, Guardians return to unlock When it’s time to count the ballots, Guardians return to unlock the election. They bring their keys back to the election office to unlock the tally and create the They bring their keys back to the election office to unlock the tally and create the ElectionGuard record.

It is a simple but critical role to ensure that no single person can access election results. With several people acting as Guardians, they add independent security to the ElectionGuard lock and key process.  Guardians do not replace the City’s appointed Board of Election Supervisors, who are still in charge of running the election.

ElectionGuard Public Information Session
You are invited to a public information session on Wednesday, September 27, to learn more about how ElectionGuard works and how it will be used in the upcoming College Park election:

• Meet the election vendors
• Take part in a mock election
• Run a challenge ballot
• Test the voting equipment

ElectionGuard Public Information Session
Wednesday, September 27 7:00 p.m.
College Park City Hall
7401 Baltimore Avenue

Parking is free in levels 3-5 of the Downtown Parking Garage, located at 7308 Yale Avenue.

Accessible Voting

For those who cannot hand mark a ballot with a pen , the City is using the Hart InterCivic Verity Touch Writer as the ballot marking device to support accessible voting. The Verity Touch Writer has accessible features that allow the voter to make their selections through an electronic interface, and to print a marked ballot when complete. Once Touch Writer prints a ballot, the voter will cast the ballot through the scanner. We will offer hands on demonstrations of the Touch Writer at the September 27 information session.

For more information, to ask questions of the vendors, and to try the equipment, please come to the Information Session on September 27 at City Hall.

The City is recruiting Election Judges/Poll Workers for the City’s upcoming General Election. Applicants must be able to attend mandatory training and work at least one of the three polling days (see attached application for details). Preference will be given to individuals with prior experience as a local election judge, and those who can work multiple days.

Applicants must be a registered Maryland voter, at least 18 years old, and have no affiliation with a candidate in the election. Bi-lingual individuals are encouraged to apply.

If you are interested, please complete the attached application and return it to election@collegeparkmd.gov by Monday, October 2.

Click here for the: Election Judge Application

On Tuesday, May 16, I was sworn in as Mayor of College Park, leaving a vacancy on the City Council from District 1.

By the City Charter, the vacancy may be filled by appointment within 30 days (by June 15) by a majority vote of the Council. The appointed term will end in December when the next Mayor and Council are sworn in.

Residents interested in applying to fill the Council vacancy must be 18 years old as of June 13, a citizen of the United States, current registered voters in the City, and have lived there for at least one year. The applicant does not need to be a resident of District 1 to be considered but, if appointed, will represent District 1 on the City Council. District 1 is shown in blue on the map below and includes the neighborhoods of Sunnyside, Hollywood, Cherry Hill, Daniels Park and Autoville.

Information about the responsibility of the City Council is located in Article III of the City Charter: https://ecode360.com/12119206 and Chapter 62, Section 4 of the City Code: https://ecode360.com/9897014. The City Council meets on Tuesday evenings in the Council Chambers of City Hall. Councilmembers are expected to attend meetings in person except under certain circumstances. Council members are paid $7,000 per year.

If you are interested in being considered to fill the vacant Council seat, please submit a letter of interest with the following information:

1. Your name, address, contact information, and a statement asserting that you meet the above-mentioned qualifications.

2. Information about yourself. This could include your occupation, education, professional background, and community involvement. You may attach a resume.

3. Briefly describe why you should be considered to fill the vacancy.

Letters should be submitted by June 1 at noon in one of the following ways:

• By email to cityclerkoffice@collegeparkmd.gov with the subject line “Council Vacancy Application.”
• Mail or hand delivery to Janeen S. Miller, City Clerk, City of College Park, 7401 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 201, College Park, Maryland, 20740.

For more information, please call Ms. Miller at 240-487-3501.

[City of College Park]

Today, the City’s Board of Election Supervisors counted a few more mail-in votes through postal services.

Based on the counts, the certified election results are as follows:

• Bryan Haddad – 19 votes
• S.M. Fazlul Kabir* – 1,008 votes
• Catherine Hope Kennedy – 469 votes
• Denise C. Mitchell – 354 votes

There were 14,263 registered voters as of April 18, 2023.

This afternoon, the City announced the Preliminary Results of the Special Election for Office of Mayor.

This count includes ballots from Early voting, Election Day, and mail-in ballots received.  These results will be updated on Friday, May 12, to include ballots that will be collected from the Post Office box on Friday at noon.

Ballots that were postmarked by 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 6, may be counted.

There are approximately 51 ballots issued by mail or in person that have not been returned.

Election signs of four candidates running in the 2023 special mayoral election. [photo credit: The Diamondback]

So far, 629 voters voted at the City Hall, 866 voted at Davis Hall last Tuesday, and 406 voted by absentee ballots.

We hope to get the initial results next Thursday. The Board of Elections Supervisors want to wait a few days for the absentee ballots to come in. Last Saturday was the last day to drop absentee ballots by mail.

The final results will be announced at 3 pm this Friday, May 12.

For the past 65 days, I’ve crisscrossed neighborhoods throughout College Park, from Sunnyside in the north to Calvert Hills in the south, from College Park Woods on the west to College Park Estates & Yarrows on the east. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to meet with many new neighbors and reconnect with the old ones.

I listened to residents’ issues on the campaign trail and tried to find solutions.

I’ve been asked about my accomplishments and my vision for College Park.

As you’ll be hitting the poll on election day, please look at what I’ve done for College Park and what I plan to do.

My vision of College Park involves leadership in building community, improving residents’ quality of life, smart economic development, enhanced education, implementing aging-in-place for seniors, solid actions on environmental sustainability, and bringing affordable housing options and transportation choices. Please learn more about my vision by clicking the “Issues and Platform” link below.

I hope to see you at the poll! Thank you for voting!