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Takoma Park elections board warns vote-by-mail strains staff; suggests staffing and process changes
Summary
The Board of Elections told the council that heavy use of vote-by-mail and drop boxes has increased staff time and volunteer dependence, and recommended evaluating staffing, equipment and possibly the election cycle to reduce sustainability risks.
Takoma Park’s Board of Elections told the City Council Wednesday that the shift to vote-by-mail and holding city elections in even years has increased turnout but also created significant operational burdens for a largely volunteer-run office.
"Vote by mail makes the job of running an election... extremely time consuming," Joe Goldman, a board member, told the council, describing signature verification, ballot tracking and additional checks that accompany mailed ballots.
The board said turnout has remained high since 2020, a year in which Takoma Park both aligned municipal contests with the federal election calendar and adopted widespread mail…
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