Voter Registration

In order to be eligible to vote in a City Election, you MUST be registered to vote with Prince George’s County Board of Elections at your current address in College Park. If you have moved since the last time you voted, you must change your address with the Prince George’s County Board of Elections.

The next City Election will be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2019.

Voter registration for City elections is handled by the Prince George's County Board of Elections. To check your registration status, call the Prince George’s County Board of Elections at 301-341-7300, or visit the Maryland State Board of Elections website.

Voter Registration Forms are available at any City building, Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration office or:
Click here for a Maryland Voter Registration Application (English)
Click here for a Maryland Voter Registration Application (en español )

The College Park City Council meets on Tuesday nights in the Council Chambers at City Hall. The Mayor receives $10,500 per year as salary, and each Councilmember receives $7,000 per year as salary.

Any qualified person interested in running for Mayor shall file a petition containing the request of at least 80 persons, consisting of not less than 20 qualified voters from each of the four Council Districts. Any qualified person interested in running for Councilmember from a district shall file a petition containing the request of at least 25 qualified voters from that district.

Candidacy petitions and other qualifying forms are due by Friday, September 22 at 4:00 p.m.

For more information about voting in the City, or running for office, please contact the City Clerk, Janeen S. Miller, at 240-487-3501 or jsmiller@collegeparkmd.gov, or the Chief of the Board of Election Supervisors, Jack Robson, at boeschief@collegeparkmd.gov.

Qualifications

At the time of taking office (December 12, 2017), the Mayor and each member of the Council must be 18 years old, and must be a citizen of the United States and a current registered voter in the City, so registered for at least one year immediately preceding the date of election. Elected officers shall continuously reside in the City during their term of office and each Councilmember must reside in their respective district.

Procedures

Candidacy packets including petitions and other relevant forms will be available beginning on August 1, 2017 from our website or from the City Clerk’s Office at 4500 Knox Road.

Rules pertaining to Campaign Finance Reports are found in Section 34-15 of the City Code. Click HERE for specific detail pertaining to allowable and prohibited contributions and expenditures.

Reports and Deadlines:

Initial Campaign Finance Report: Due no earlier than October 3, 2017 and no later than 4:00 p.m., October 18, 2017.
Pre-Election Campaign Finance Report: Due on Sunday, October 29, 2017 or Monday, October 30, 2017, no later than 4:00 p.m.
Post-Election and/or Final Campaign Finance Report: Must be filed after the election, but no later than 4:00 p.m. on November 21, 2017.
Subsequent Campaign Finance Report(s): If there is a balance in the account in the Post-Election report, a Subsequent Campaign Finance Report must be filed the following July 1, and every July 1 thereafter, by 4:00 p.m. until the campaign has a zero balance.

Three formats:

For your convenience, Campaign Finance Reports are available in three formats:

How to File

Electronic Filing of Campaign Finance Reports can be pre-arranged by completing and submitting the “Authorization of Electronic Filing/Campaign Finance Reports” form by the filing deadline. If Electronic Filing has been pre-arranged, these reports must be submitted by email from the authorized e-mail address to: election@collegeparkmd.gov.

Campaign Finance Reports not authorized for electronic filing should be submitted to the City Clerk’s office, 4500 Knox Road, College Park, Maryland 20740. Campaign Finance Reports may be submitted to the Clerk’s office by fax (301-699-8029) only in order to meet a deadline, but the original of the form must be submitted by the close of the next business day.

No other election forms may be submitted by email.

Instructions on how to complete Campaign Finance Reports are included on the form itself. If you have questions, please contact the Chief of the Board of Election Supervisors. Once submitted, forms will be reviewed by the BOES. If there are any questions or errors, you will be contacted.

Approved Campaign Finance Reports will be posted on the City’s website.

State Reporting Requirements

In accordance with the requirements of the Annotated Code of Maryland, candidates for elected office are required to submit filed campaign finance reports to the State Board of Elections within 10 days of the date the report is due to the City. The state law reads:

“If a municipality requires candidates in a municipal election to file campaign finance reports, within 10 days after the filing deadline, each candidate in the municipal election shall submit to the State Board of Elections a copy of the campaign finance report that was filed by the candidate.”

You may submit your report to the State Board of Elections at:
Jared Demarinis
Director of Candidacy and Campaign Finance
151 West Street, Suite 200
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-269-2840 x 2853
Jared.demarinis@maryland.gov

FAQ

How do I close out an account if there are funds remaining?
Surplus funds may be disbursed as follows:

Returned to the contributors on a pro rata basis
Paid to the City treasury
Donated to a charitable organization

Your Campaign Finance Report must properly reflect the disposition of funds.

Do I Need a Treasurer?
Everyone must designate a Treasurer. However, if you do not accept donations (other than volunteer campaign help) from anyone other than yourself and your spouse, you may appoint yourself as your own Treasurer. If you will be accepting money or anything of value from anyone else, you must appoint an independent Treasurer.

OVERVIEW

Voter Registration

RUNNING FOR OFFICE

Qualifications

Procedures

Campaign Finance Report Information

Reports and Deadlines:

Three formats:

State Reporting Requirements

City Election History

City Voter Statistics