Rockville council accepts consultant report to update election code, directs staff to draft changes

The Rockville City Council on Sept. 8 accepted a consultantfinal report outlining options and recommendations to update the cityelection code and directed staff to begin drafting proposed code language.

The report, prepared for the council by consultant Jason Gantt of the Gantt Group, recommended reorganizing the election code into clearer sections (election administration, campaign finance and ballot measures), creating a master elections handbook, strengthening enforcement pathways for complaints, and considering options such as post-election audits, public financing tools and ranked-choice voting. The council voted to accept the report so staff can turn recommendations into draft code language for future public review and council consideration.

Why it matters: the councilacceptance starts the formal drafting process that could produce legally actionable changes ahead of the 2027 municipal elections. The consultant and several council members emphasized that acceptance does not equal adoptionand further public engagement and legal drafting are required.

Jason Gantt summarized the work and next steps during a presentation. "I'm recommending that you start with one area, don't try and tackle the whole thing at once," Gantt said, urging the council to prioritize and sequence code updates. Gantt's report proposed separate, clearer sections for campaign finance and election administration and recommended the creation of a committee including the city clerk, a BSE member and an election law attorney to guide drafting.

Councilmembers asked for clarifications on enforcement authority and timeline. Dr. Miles asked council staff to reconsider a recommendation (noted in the report) that the Board of Supervisors of Elections be given independent authority to issue penalties and hold hearings; he said he wanted further consideration before any such change. Councilmember Van Grack requested a clear outline of topics the city attorney would draft from the consultant report before the attorney invested substantial drafting time; city staff committed to provide an annotated outline and a proposed calendar within 30 days.

City Manager Jeff Michalek and City Clerk Sarah Taylor Forell confirmed the next steps: acceptance of the consultant's report, preparation of a detailed work plan and timeline by staff and the city attorney, targeted public engagement on draft language, and later work sessions with the mayor and council. Gantt told the council he believed the work could be completed early next summer with sustained effort.

A motion to accept the consultant report was made and seconded by council members. The mayor called the vote and the council approved the motion.

Looking ahead: staff will prepare a draft timeline, a draft scope and a plan for public engagement and for sequencing the new code sections. Councilmembers stressed the need to give the city clerk adequate lead time to update administrative materials and training if any changes are approved ahead of an election.