Eyes are on Rockville as the city finalizes its first vote-by-mail election on Tuesday night.
The new system is being shadowed by multiple officials, including members of the Hyattsville Board of Elections and the homeland security coordinator for the U.S. Postal Inspections Service, City Clerk Sara Taylor-Ferrell said.
The city had received 9,200 mail-in ballots as of Tuesday — a significant increase in voter turnout from 2015, when 6,468 registered voters cast their ballots.
Mail-in ballots are due to the city by 8 p.m. on Tuesday. They can be mailed or dropped off at City Hall. Voters can also go to City Hall to fill out a ballot in person.
“So far, things are running smoothly,” Taylor-Ferrell said.
She said one hurdle has been reissuing several ballots to voters who said they misplaced the first copy or never received it in the mail.
“So, we have to cancel the original and reissue it,” Taylor-Ferrell continued. “To make sure it’s one person, one vote, one count.”
The city also ran into a snag in October when hundreds of ballots were delivered to the Ingleside at King Farm retirement community a few weeks after most other Rockville residents had received theirs.
Taylor-Ferrell said at the time that the delay happened because the city did not hear from anyone at Ingleside sooner to arrange a ballot dropoff.
The deadline for voters to register and automatically receive an online ballot was Sept. 20.
But Rockville offers same-day registration from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at City Hall. Voters need to bring a valid form of ID with their Rockville address and a copy of a utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check or other government document dated within three months of the election.
The new system increased costs for the city, but is hoped to increase voter participation, as well, as Rockville pioneers vote-by-mail in the state of Maryland. The city spent $355,650 to run this year’s race, Taylor-Ferrell said in a previous interview, which included sending out ballots to more than 43,000 registered voters.
Two candidates — Virginia Onley and incumbent Bridget Donnell Newton — are running for mayor, while 13 candidates vie for four City Council seats. Eight of the council candidates are aligned with either Onley or Donnell Newton as part of a larger local slate.
“Team Rockville” includes Onley and council candidates Cynthia Cotte Griffiths, James Hedrick, David Myles and incumbent Mark Pierzchala. The slate prioritizes affordable housing and higher-density zoning, a view echoed by many state and county representatives.
Onley has received endorsements from six state representatives: Sen. Susan Lee and Dels. Gabriel Acevero, Charlotte Crutchfield, Jheanelle Wilkins, Julie Palakovich Carr and Pamela Queen.
The opposing “Rockville Forward” slate includes Donnell Newton and council candidates Monique Ashton, Suzan Pitman, Kuan Lee, and incumbent Beryl Feinberg. The team prioritizes managed growth, dovetailing with Donnell Newton’s general opposition to new housing in the city.
The incumbent mayor has received support from four former Rockville mayors, emphasizing her concentration on local officials, she said. Feinberg has received endorsements from county officials, including State’s Attorney John McCarthy and Sheriff Darren Popkin.
Candidates Richard Gottfried, Charles Littlefield, Donald Masters, Matthew Perkins, and Brigitta Mullican are running independently. Mullican has led independent candidates in fundraising with a total of $15,899 in campaign contributions, including $1,275 in personal loans.
Bethesda Beat’s Voters’ Guide has information about all of the candidates.
