The Havre de Grace mayor and city council voted 6‑0 on Oct. 20 to adopt City Charter Resolution 305, which amends sections of the city charter pertaining to municipal elections, and subsequently introduced and approved on first reading Ordinance 12‑11 to amend Chapter 61 (Elections) of the city code.

City Attorney Wachinski (identified in the record) told the council the charter resolution and related ordinance make three primary changes: clarify domicile (requiring residency within city boundaries rather than by ZIP code), authorize a process for the election supervisors to maintain and clean voter rolls, and remove the write‑in provision that currently requires space for write‑in candidates on the ballot.

Wachinski and the council explained the changes respond in part to operational constraints revealed in the last municipal election: the Harford County Board of Elections’ ability to provide machine services to the city has become limited, and the equipment now under consideration does not read write‑in entries. That limitation requires poll workers to review and tabulate write‑ins manually. The city’s Board of Election Supervisors argued this creates a loophole that could allow an unvetted candidate to avoid the existing candidate filing and ethics review process.

Council President moved to introduce the charter resolution and, after a second, the council approved it by roll call 6‑0. Council then moved to adopt Ordinance 12‑11 on first reading; roll call for the ordinance was also 6‑0. The council scheduled a public hearing on the charter resolution for Nov. 17 and a public hearing on Ordinance 12‑11 for Nov. 3.

Council members asked procedural questions about write‑ins and the ethics and candidate filing process. Council Member Boyer asked about the importance of the ethics packet and candidate vetting; Wachinski said the candidate packet and board of ethics review ensure eligibility and disclose conflicts before a person appears on the ballot. Council members indicated the draft ordinance and charter changes had been prepared with input from the Board of Election Supervisors.

Finance and staff noted the budget already includes funds to purchase the voting machines and equipment the city will need now that county assistance is limited.

What changed: If the charter resolution and ordinance clear the public hearing process and any required referendum steps, voters would no longer see a write‑in space on municipal ballots; election supervisors would have explicit authority to maintain voter rolls and the city would clarify residency requirements for ballot eligibility.

Action taken: Charter Resolution 305 adopted by roll call 6‑0; Ordinance 12‑11 introduced and adopted on first reading by roll call 6‑0. Public hearings scheduled (Charter Resolution: Nov. 17; Ordinance 12‑11 public hearing: Nov. 3).