May 3, 2021 Election Information

 

Elections for the Town Council will take place on Monday May 3, 2021. Polls will be open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm. Due to the current health crisis, Election Day will look different from normal. Absentee ballots will be available to any registered voter in the Town of Cheverly, who wishes to request one. 

 

Candidates wishing to run for Town Council may download the Nominating Petition from the Town website at https://www.cheverly-md.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif401/f/uploads/nominating_petition.pdf. Candidates must also fill out the Financial Disclosure form, which may be accessed from the Town website at https://www.cheverly-md.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif401/f/uploads/financial_disclosure.pdf. Candidates for Council must be at least 21 years of age, registered to vote in the Town of Cheverly, and shall have been a resident of the Ward in which they wish to run for a period of at least six months prior to Election Day. Candidates for Council must submit their nominating petitions 45 days prior to Election Day – and should be received at Town Hall by the close of business on Friday March 19, 2021. The Board of Election Supervisors will review and approve all filing petitions in order for the candidate to appear on the ballot. Candidates wishing to be considered as a write-in candidate may submit a write-in petition, available at https://www.cheverly-md.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif401/f/uploads/council_write-in.pdf. Write-in petitions must be received at Town Hall by no later than Friday April 30, to be considered as an official write-in candidate.

 

If you are registered to vote in Prince George’s County and/or the State of Maryland, you are registered to vote in the Town of Cheverly. If you are not registered with the County or the State, you may still be eligible to vote in Town elections, based on the recent adoption of the “Non-Citizen Voting” amendment to the Town Charter. Any resident of the Town of Cheverly may register with the Town provided they meet the basic requirements for voting: a minimum of 18 years of age, have resided in the Town for no less than 30 days prior to Election Day, and have not been convicted of a crime, as defined in the Maryland Code. Those individuals interested in being enrolled in the Cheverly Voter Registry may contact the Board of Election Supervisors at chvboes@gmail.com. The deadline for registering to vote is Saturday April 3, 2021. However, the Town of Cheverly will allow for same day registration of voters and same day voting, provided the individual meets the requirements noted above.

 

In order to assist with conducting the election for Town Council, the Board of Election Supervisors is seeking volunteers to help on Election Day. Tasks will include assisting with crowd flow, sanitizing election stations, and other tasks as assigned by the Board of Election Supervisors. Lunch and dinner will be provided. If you are interested in volunteering with the Town Election, please contact John LeGloahec at legloaj@gmail.com or by emailing the Board at chvboes@gmail.com.

 

 

Absentee voting will be available to all Cheverly registered voters, who do not wish to vote in person on Election Day, scheduled for Monday May 3, 2021. Any registered voter who wishes to vote by absentee ballot may do so by downloading the absentee ballot application, available on the Town website at https://www.cheverly-md.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif401/f/uploads/absentee_ballot_application_.pdf. Please note that no reason is required for requesting an absentee ballot. Completed applications may be mailed to or dropped off at Town Hall. There will be a blue mailbox mounted outside Town Hall for the return of Absentee Ballot Applications. Once the ballots have been finalized, ballots will be mailed to those individuals who requested an absentee ballot. Ballots will also be available for pickup at Town Hall on Tuesday's or Wednesday's between the hours of 10:00 am and 3:00 pm. Additional instructions will be provided to individuals requesting absentee ballots on how to properly complete the ballot and return it to Town Hall.

 

On Election Day, voting will take place in the gym at Town Hall. At this time, there are capacity restrictions on individuals indoors and if the limited numbers are still in place, changes will be made to ensure the safety of voters, judges, and supervisors. The Board of Election Supervisors has proposed a unidirectional flow for voting in the gym. Voters will enter through the double doors in the lobby, proceed to their respective Ward table for check-in, receive their ballots, proceed to one of the election voting stations, drop their ballots in the ballot box and exit the gym via the rear doors to the left of the stage.

 

All COVID protocols will be in place, including all individuals will be required to wear masks or face coverings, maintaining social distancing – no congregating in the lobby or the gym will be allowed, and doors will be left open in the gym to allow for adequate ventilation. The pens, voting stations, and judges tables will be sanitized on a regular basis for safety. There will be appropriate spacing throughout the gymnasium.

 

Once the polls close on Election Day, the canvassing of ballots will begin. Under normal circumstances the canvassing is open to the public, however due to capacity limits, only elected officials, candidates for office and one designee will be permitted in the gym to watch the counting in person. The Board of Election Supervisors is preparing to broadcast the canvassing via Zoom and/or through the Town of Cheverly Channel (Verizon channel 35).  Additional details will be provided closer to Election Day.

 

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to reach out to the Board, our email address is chvboes@gmail.com.