Mission Statement

The mission of the Board of Elections is to register voters, conduct elections, assist persons seeking elective office with candidate filings and campaign fund reports, assist citizens seeking to place questions on the ballot, and preserve election data.

Budget Overview

The total recommended FY20 Operating Budget for the Montgomery County Board of Elections is $8,130,984, an increase of $57,562 or 0.71 percent from the FY19 Approved Budget of $8,073,422. Personnel Costs comprise 53.11 percent of the budget for 29 full-time position(s) and two part-time position(s), and a total of 56.35 FTEs. Total FTEs may include seasonal or temporary positions and may also reflect workforce charged to or from other departments or funds. Operating Expenses account for the remaining 46.89 percent of the FY20 budget.

County Priority Outcomes

While this program area supports all eight of the County Result Areas, the following are emphasized:

• Thriving Youth and Families
• Effective, Sustainable Government

Department Performance Measures

Performance measures for this department are included below (where applicable), with multi-program measures displayed at the front of this section and program-specific measures shown with the relevant program. The FY19 estimates reflect funding based on the FY19 approved budget. The FY20 and FY21 figures are performance targets based on the FY20 recommended budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY21.

Accomplishments

• RECORD TURNOUT GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION - In FY19, more than 400,000 voters cast ballots in the Gubernatorial General Election - shattering the previous record of 308,429 voters who turned out for a gubernatorial general election in 2006.
• HAND RECOUNT OF PAPER BALLOTS - In FY19, the Board and staff conducted two hand recounts in the Democratic primary for County Executive and in the Democratic primary for the House of Delegates in Legislative District 16. During the recount, staff created new procedures and set precedents for how recounts will likely be conducted using paper ballots in the future.
• EXPANDED OUTREACH TO ENLIST 16 YEAR OLD ELECTION JUDGES - The Board expanded its award-winning Future Vote Program and leveraged a new state law allowing 16 year old students the choice of either Student Service Learning Hours or a paid stipend as an Election Judge. The Board's staff visited every high school to recruit and engage a record number of students in the program.

Innovations and Productivity Improvements

• FASTER INTAKE OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS - Coordination of incoming absentee ballots was streamlined and an increased number of staff were assigned to perform data entry, improving the customer experience for voters seeking information on the status of their ballot.
• FASTER PAYMENT TO ELECTION JUDGES - Streamlining procedures and shifting staff resources, the turnaround time for processing payroll decreased from six to five weeks in the 2018 Gubernatorial Election. Election Judges received their stipend payments a week earlier.

Collaboration and Partnerships

Program Descriptions

  Voter Registration Services

The Voter Registration Services program provides clerical and administrative support to register new voters, maintains the currency of information in the official registry, and provides clerical and administrative support to process requests for absentee ballots. The Federal Help America Vote Act mandated the establishment of a statewide voter registration database...

  Election Operations

The Election Operations program provides administrative, clerical, and technical support for the conduct of local, state, and federal elections. The Election Operations program assists individuals seeking elective office with candidate filings; delineates and maintains accurate precinct boundaries; prepares and produces various district and precinct maps; administers the results of redistricting;...

  Administration

The Administration program of the Board of Elections includes budget development; fiscal control; administration of personnel and contractual issues; procurement; program planning and evaluation; and coordination and cooperation with Federal, State, and local government agencies, elected officials, and political organizations. This includes ensuring that the requirements of Section 203 of...