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Martin's Additions election committee tightens voter roll, ramps candidate outreach ahead of March 21 filing
Summary
The Martin's Additions Election Committee reviewed outreach results, confirmed roughly 633 voters after verification work, agreed to rent a PO box for returned ballots, and preapproved a small software purchase to help process confirmations before the March 21 nomination deadline.
The Martin's Additions Election Committee met remotely and spent the bulk of its session finalizing voter‑roll verification and candidate recruitment steps ahead of the March 21 filing deadline.
Committee chair Marty said the group has rolled out a "nudge a neighbor" campaign and a recent text message push; outreach lead Logan reported the effort produced about 20 SMS responses and an overall tally of 633 confirmed voters after removing duplicates. "From all the calling people and everything, so far, we have 633 confirmed voters," Logan said, summarizing his canvass and follow‑up work.
The committee identified roughly nine households that still need confirmation and agreed to give outreach staff one more business day for calls, emails and texts before mailing the legally required 21‑day notice letters to people whose status remains unverified. Chair Marty explained that the notices are required by the committee's regulations and give recipients 21 days to respond before removal from the roll.
The meeting also addressed a data‑integrity problem discovered during the review: Logan flagged at least two confirmed cases where minors had appeared on last year's voter roll. "Those four kids are coming off the voter roll this year because they're not eligible to vote," Marty said, and the committee asked staff to adjust office‑list protocols so the office list contains adults only.
On logistics, the committee agreed by consensus to rent a post‑office box near Chevy Chase to receive returned ballots and prevent live ballots from being handled by village office staff. Marty described this as an administrative fix after the vendor failed to notify the committee about returned mail in a prior cycle.
Members also discussed postal tracking on return envelopes. The committee reported it has arranged for a letter‑tracking system to put tracking codes on return envelopes so the group can trace ballots through the postal network; that tracking is being implemented in coordination with the mailing vendor.
On procurement and records, members agreed to preapprove the purchase of an inbox‑to‑PDF tool (estimated up to $50) to compile confirmation emails and records. The motion to preapprove the purchase passed by voice vote; the committee asked staff to route the expense through the Martin's Additions account and notify the committee.
Process for candidates: the committee reviewed the March 21 filing mechanics. Prospective candidates must submit a candidate statement (up to 1,000 words) and a conflict‑of‑interest form by 6 p.m. on March 21, with a 30‑minute email grace period and 24 hours to supply any missing paperwork. The committee will confirm accepted filings by email on March 22 so the staff can produce the election information packet and ballot mailings.
Votes at a glance • Minutes (February meeting): approved (motion carried by voice vote). • Preapproval of inbox‑to‑PDF software (up to $50): approved by voice vote. • Motion to adjourn: approved by voice vote.
Next steps and follow‑up: Logan will text the outstanding households and provide a final list of addresses that require 21‑day notices; the chair will draft the stand‑alone 10‑day filing reminder to run on or about March 11; and members volunteered to draft weekly wrap‑ups to publicize the filing deadline. The committee is expected to meet in early April to finalize the certified voter roll before sending it to the mailing vendor for ballot production.
