Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Elections topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Harford County elections director urges Havre de Grace to remove county‑consultation language from elections ordinance
Summary
At a public hearing on Ordinance 12‑11, Harford County Board of Elections Director Stephanie Taylor told the council the county cannot be bound to municipal canvass duties and asked the city to remove language making the county a consulted party; she urged clear lines between county and city election responsibilities.
At a public hearing Monday night, Stephanie Taylor, director of the Harford County Board of Elections, told the Havre de Grace City Council that proposed changes in Ordinance 12‑11 would inappropriately bind county election staff to municipal responsibilities.
Taylor said Maryland election law requires the county to provide a paper precinct register for municipal elections but does not obligate the county to carry out city canvasses or shoulder routine municipal election duties. "This law is not a new law," Taylor said, "the Harford County Board of Elections is required to do for municipal elections is to provide at no cost a paper precinct register." She added, "I choose not to do that. I think it is our civic duty to support our municipalities," but warned the county cannot be contractually required to perform duties beyond state law.
Taylor asked the council to remove two specific references to the county board from the draft ordinance: the phrase adding the city's board of election supervisors "in consultation with the Harford County Board of Elections" in Section 61.7 (voting method) and text in Section 61.11 that would make canvass results "pending the review of board of election supervisors and/or Harford County Board of Elections." "It is not our responsibility to canvass the ballots," Taylor said, adding her office assists when possible but cannot be bound by charter language that would create a municipal obligation.
Council members did not vote on Ordinance 12‑11 at the meeting; the public hearing was offered as the first step in the legislative process. Taylor also said the county will not charge for some routine supplies and assistance she prefers to offer pro bono, but cautioned that state staffing and overlapping election schedules can sometimes prevent county support.
What happens next: the council will consider the testimony and may amend language in Ordinance 12‑11 to reflect the Harford County Board of Elections' role as an advisor rather than a mandated actor.
