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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 balloting. Board members said both changes likely contributed to higher participation but that the two changes happened simultaneously, making it hard to isolate the effect of either.
Why it matters: Board members warned the increased workload creates sustainability risks for a small jurisdiction that relies heavily on volunteers and a limited staff. They recommended the council consider options including increased staffing, better equipment, clearer ballot and mail timing guidance for candidates, and a review of whether moving to a four‑year election cycle could reduce recurring operational strain.
Board members also answered questions about drop-box design — council members had reported voter confusion related to the box appearance — and the board said some visual elements (a protective flap and padlocks) made boxes appear locked; the state is revising drop-box design.
The board noted that even when voters use drop boxes, the administrative burden of mail-in systems (signature checks, scanning, verifying and multiple counts) means that per‑ballot staff time can be greater than for in‑person voting. They said a substantial portion of ballots are processed before election day but that the remaining ballots require several days of shift work after Election Day to complete tabulation and verification.
On ranked-choice voting and local features (16‑year-old voting, noncitizen voting), the board said integrating with county/state systems would be complex and likely require legislative or contractual changes; doing so would also force Takoma Park to conform to state deadlines and systems, which could eliminate some local features the city currently offers.
Next steps: The board will provide more cost and staffing estimates as the council considers longer-term adjustments. Council members and staff discussed options to reduce costs and voter confusion while preserving local voting options.
No council action was taken at the meeting.
