Rockville’s Charter Review Commission is scheduled to present a report this month that outlines recommendations about the makeup of the Mayor and Council, how the city conducts elections, operations of the city’s Board of Supervisors of Elections, and how to increase voter turnout.
The commission is scheduled to present its report during the Mayor and Council meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 21.
In 2021, the Mayor and Council appointed 11 commissioners to review the city charter, with a focus on examining city elections.
The report, which the commission submitted to Mayor and Council on Sept. 30, can be found at www.rockvillemd.gov/Charter-Review-Commission. It is the result of over 40 public meetings of the commission and an online questionnaire that earlier this year asked city residents for ideas about how to increase voter turnout, update the city’s election process and engage more communities.
About 70% of registered voters in Rockville did not vote in the city’s 2019 election. The next city election is in November 2023.
Every decade or so, the Charter Review Commission examines ways to update the charter so that it best serves all residents. The charter is a legal document like a constitution. It outlines how the city is organized, runs elections, levies taxes, adopts ordinances, provides services and more. It can be found at www.rockvillemd.gov/124/City-Code-Charter.