Riverdale Park elections board recommends July 13 special election for Ward 5

The Riverdale Park elections board voted to recommend that the mayor and council schedule a special election for the Ward 5 vacancy on Sunday, July 13, and to set the candidate filing deadline 25 days before that date, on Wednesday, June 18.

Jessica, a staff member who prepared the timeline and cover memo for the council, told the board there were no candidates who filed or any write-in votes in the recent regular election and that the town code (Chapter 2, Article 2) requires a special election to be held no sooner than 30 days and no later than 45 days after a vacancy is declared. She said the mayor and council are expected to declare the vacancy on June 2 when the newly sworn council convenes.

The filing-deadline calculation reflected an interpretation discussed with the town attorney: the code language that extended the regular filing deadline to 65 days applies to regular elections only, so the town attorney recommended a 25-day deadline for a special election. "There will be no surprise that there is some ambiguity in the code," Jessica said, summarizing the attorney’s guidance.

Committee member (S3) moved that the board invite the mayor and council to set the election for a Sunday; after discussion the motion was amended to specify July 13 and was approved by voice vote. The board agreed to back-calculate administrative deadlines from that date so staff can prepare candidate-packet materials and outreach notices.

Board members discussed logistics for the special election: earlier turnout figures showed about 50 voters during a four-hour Sunday opening and roughly 150 the following Monday, and board members said Sunday had shown comparatively better turnout. Jessica said polls would be open for the same hours as the regular election, that ElecTech can print ballots within a day or two if needed, and that hand-counting could be used. The board discussed placing a temporary ballot-drop box in Ward 5 and arranging staffing shifts so members could manage the day’s duties.

Jessica read the relevant code provision on appointments if no qualified candidates file by the deadline: if the special election is canceled, the mayor must appoint a qualified person from the ward with confirmation from a majority of the remaining council members within 45 days after the vacancy declaration; if no ward resident is available after notice in a town newspaper, the mayor may appoint a qualified person at-large.

The board agreed Jessica will begin preparing public notices and mail-in ballot materials immediately and will post information in the town crier and other outreach channels even before the council acts. The board also scheduled a preparatory meeting around June 4 to review packet materials and to plan for an in-person candidate-packet review on June 18 if any packages are submitted.

Next steps: the mayor and council are scheduled to be sworn in June 2; the board plans to present its recommendation to set July 13 as the special election date and to ask the council to adopt the timeline that will produce a June 18 filing deadline. If no candidate files by June 18, the board will proceed with the appointment process described in the town code.