State and county elections officials tell Annapolis committee joining state ballot would cut city costs but reduce flexibility

Anne Arundel County and Maryland State Board of Elections officials briefed the Annapolis Standing Rules Committee on March 5 about the administrative relationship, costs and choices the city faces for running its municipal elections.

David Garris, director of the Anne Arundel County Board of Elections, described a shift from informal cooperation to formal memorandum-of-understanding arrangements and said the county treated municipal elections as a vendor relationship when support is requested. He said the 2025 municipal cycle cost roughly $76,000 for equipment use and about $150,000 for county staff hours and services, for a combined county/state support cost of roughly $220,000.

Jared Demarinis, state administrator of elections, told the committee the state owns the voting equipment and that municipalities must work through the State Board to lease or use it. He cautioned that specialized options such as ranked-choice tabulation would require separate procurement and vendor support because the state and county systems are not set up to tabulate those results for off-cycle municipal elections.

Officials outlined options for 2029 and earlier: remain off-cycle and rent equipment and hire supplemental staff; run an all-mail election using a vendor and the city's voter extract; or join the state ballot, which would fold the city's race into a statewide calendar and reduce direct city costs at the expense of some local control. Presenters noted notice and calendaring thresholds (discussed as several months to as much as 9—18 months depending on the path) and suggested the city weigh fiscal savings against loss of local independence.

Officials also discussed voter-roll accuracy and ballot tracking: the county and state use change-of-address records, MVA data, ERIC and post-dispatch scanning and text notifications to reduce duplicate mailings and increase confidence that mail ballots reach intended recipients. They recommended drop boxes as a mitigation for USPS delivery variability.

Committee members asked about timelines, staffing and whether adding more board members or hiring more staff could help the city administer elections independently. Officials recommended planning now for 2029 choices and consulting with the state and county on notice and procurement timelines.