Subject
title
Work Session on City Election Reform #2
end
Department
City Clerk/Director of Council Operations Office
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Mayor and Council have a facilitated discussion with the election consultant, Gant Group, and provide input on the following:
1. Does the Mayor and Council agree with the proposed high focus areas? (The high focus areas will be the subject of in-depth research, issue analyses, and the consultant will provide recommendations and approaches for the Mayor and Council to consider as part of the final report.)
a. Election Code
b. Campaign Finance
c. Board of Supervisors of Election (BSE)
d. Enforcement and Education
2. Does the Mayor and Council agree with the proposed lower focus areas? (The lower focus areas will not be the subject of in-depth research, issue analyses, or have recommended options for Mayor and Council consideration as part of the final report.)
a. Technology
b. Public Funding of Campaigns
c. Ranked Choice Voting
d. Ballot Measures
Discussion
On Monday, May 19, 2024, the Mayor and Council held their first work session on city election reform. The discussion was facilitated by Jason Gant, the election consultant, where members of the body provided feedback on various aspects of City of Rockville elections and election code that should be subject to reform, e.g., the financing of campaigns, campaigning practices, and enforcement of election code violations, among other things. Following this initial discussion with the Mayor and Council, the consultant held two public engagement sessions (June 5th and June 7th) to solicit community feedback on city election reform.
Following the two community engagement sessions, the Gant Group reviewed and combined all the comments from the community, BSE, Mayor and Council, and staff. Below is an excerpt of the summary of the general comments from the engagement activities. The complete list is attached to this report as Attachment 1.
Election Process
• City needs to utilize County and State resources
• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are needed
• People love mail-in voting
• Protect election workers
• Make ballots more ADA accessible
Election Laws
• Completely rewrite the entire election code
• Need to be simple and easily understood
• No changes should be made during the election season
• Differentiate between general municipal election infractions and election code infractions
Board of Supervisors of Elections
• The number of BSE members should be increased
• BSE should be more independent
• Authority should be limited
• Stipend for BSE members
Campaign Finance
• City’s campaign needs to mirror state campaign laws
• Define what a PAC is
• Require more disclaimers
• Define what a campaign activity is
• Violations need a 48-hour turnaround
Mayor and Council History
This is the second work session with the election consultant on City election reform. The first work session was held on May 19, 2025.
Public Notification and Engagement
There were two community engagement sessions. The first session was held on Thursday,
June 5, 2025, 7 - 9 pm, and the second session was held on Saturday, June 7, 9-12 pm. Approximately thirty (30) people attended the first session and twenty-five (25) the second session. If members of the community were unable to attend either session, they were also encouraged to submit their comments to the City Clerk/Director of Council Operations by close of business on June 9, and twenty-six (26) written comments were received.
Boards and Commissions Review
The consultant met with the Board of Supervisors of Elections (BSE) on April 24, 2025, where the board members provided input.
Next Steps
Following this work session, should the Mayor and Council affirm the proposed high and lower focus areas, the consultant will commence in-depth research and analyses and draft the final report with recommendations. The final report, inclusive of the recommendations, will be presented to the Mayor and Council on July 21, 2025.