City of Glenarden to proceed with May 5 election after two election-board resignations; council debates notice and mail ballots

The City of Glenarden will proceed with its municipal election on May 5 and make candidate packets available the next business day, City Attorney Karpinski told the council at an emergency meeting called to discuss the election timetable.

The council convened the emergency session after two members of the Board of Supervisors of Elections resigned. City officials instructed staff to publish candidate materials and coordinate with the board and county election officials so ballots and absentee voting can be prepared on an accelerated schedule.

Karpinski, the city attorney, said the governor's earlier executive order that had allowed municipalities flexibility on election dates has expired and “the charter sets the date of the election,” so the city’s “best plan moving forward is to proceed as if the election will ... occur on May 5,” with packets available “tomorrow, first thing in the morning.” He outlined a proposed schedule: packets available immediately, packets due April 7 by 5:00 p.m., and absentee ballots to be available around April 10, with ballots printed as candidates are certified.

Several council members urged more time and wider public notice. Councilman Fareed said the accelerated schedule “is not giving notice to the full city,” arguing that making packets available with only days to collect the required 15 signatures would favor incumbents and politically connected residents. Councilor Leferi and Councilwoman Jones also urged broader outreach, saying the city saw higher engagement when mail-in voting was available and that rushed notice could permanently disenfranchise potential voters or candidates.

Other council members urged moving forward on the charter date. Councilman Herring said the city has held May elections historically and that the city can complete the process within the existing timetable, noting past elections have been conducted with short campaigns. He expressed concern about costs if the city attempts a full vote-by-mail program, saying the last all-mail election cost “over almost $50,000, I think it was.”

Former board chair Richard Bridal Montgomery, who resigned from the Board of Supervisors of Elections, told the council he stepped down because the current timetable is unfair to residents and prospective candidates. “That is why I resigned from the Board of Elections,” Montgomery said, adding that the board was not appointed on the schedule required by the charter and therefore lacked the time to prepare and notify the city adequately.

Council President Curtis directed staff to continue coordinating with the board of elections, municipal staff (including Mr. Simpson) and Prince George’s County election liaisons to implement the May 5 schedule, identify a new board chair, secure a drop box or vendor for ballots if needed, and begin printing absentee ballots as soon as candidates are certified.

Council members and staff discussed specifics raised in the meeting: the charter’s requirement that the municipal election occur the first Monday in May and that Section 704 provides for absentee voting; the expired executive order signed by Governor Hogan that had previously allowed date flexibility; a 15-signature requirement for candidate petitions; an April 7 packet deadline and an April 10 estimated availability date for absentee ballots; and the practical need to secure ballot printing and, if desired, a drop box (one council member reported a cost quote of about $2,500 for a drop box).

No formal vote to change the election date was taken. Instead, the council’s direction to proceed with the May 5 election and to coordinate logistics with staff and the Board of Supervisors of Elections was recorded as the operative outcome of the emergency meeting.

The meeting record shows contention between members who said the timeline disadvantages prospective candidates and homebound voters and those who said the city has historically managed short campaign timelines and should adhere to the charter date. Council President Curtis said staff will report back on logistic steps needed to implement the May 5 timeline. The council opened the meeting to citizen comment but adjourned shortly afterward.