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Program Description

  Election Operations

The Election Operations program consists of three independent sections that ensure that both early voting and Election Day are successful. These sections are Polling Place Management, Election Judge Recruitment, and Training and Outreach.

The Polling Place Management section is responsible for leasing early voting locations and Election Day polling places; assigning all Montgomery County voters to Election Day polling places that are in the same or an adjacent precinct to the voter's home address; ensuring each polling place complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and other State and Federal requirements; ensuring all polling places have adequate ballots and supplies; and providing the Board of Elections with information about the cost of facilities, the accessibility of voting sites, and other criteria.

The timeline of Montgomery County's election process is dictated by the Maryland State Election Calendar and begins with the establishment of early voting centers and Election Day polling places. As Polling Place Management is preparing the supplies and equipment necessary to facilitate an election, other sections within Election Operations are preparing Election Judges, and providing voter outreach to the public.

Election Judge Recruitment and Training is responsible for the recruitment of registered Maryland voters to serve as Election Judges during early voting and Election Day. This section also provides training, assigns Election Judges to sites, and provides payment to each volunteer. Recruitment of volunteers is done year-round utilizing a variety of methods, with increased effort and focus in the six months preceding an election. A database of interested volunteers is managed by the section to maintain the efficiency of the selection process.

Training for all election workers is required by State law and is necessary for successful operations on Election Day. The training program includes both on-line and in-person class instruction throughout the County over a period of approximately 12 weeks. Each precinct team includes volunteers that are registered in different political parties, have various levels of experience, and have bilingual language capabilities. Following each election, the Election Judge Recruitment and Training staff completes payroll processing and conducts a thorough precinct performance review and audit.

Montgomery County is required under Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act to provide voting information in Spanish as well as English, and the Outreach section is responsible for meeting the cultural and linguistic needs of Montgomery County voters. This section is responsible for working with community groups and providing direct assistance to eligible residents, including those who are unregistered, for whom English is a second language, who have special needs or disabilities, who are homeless, or who live in underserved communities. Montgomery County is a nationally recognized leader in providing effective voter outreach through voter-focused planning and community engagement. A key asset for the Outreach section is its national award-winning Future Vote Initiative that has recruited over 48,000 students to participate in elections since 2004. The initiative has also recruited nearly 11,000 students that are at least 16 years old to serve as Election Judges.

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Program Contacts

Contact Lisa Merino of the Montgomery County Board of Elections at 240-777-8562 or Hamza Ahmed of the Office of Management and Budget at 240-777-2783 for more information regarding this department's operating budget.

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Program Performance Measures

Program Performance MeasuresActual FY23Actual FY24Estimated FY25Target FY26Target FY27
Number of designated polling place equivalents per election 1343344344344344
Percent of polling places opening on time100%99.7%100%100%100%
Percent of voters rating Election Day polling place as well organized95%98%95%95%95%
Number of in-person training sessions for election workers247248250240250
Tax dollars saved by leveraging Future Vote students earning Student Learning (SSL) hours 2$29,072$44,008$60,408$41,046$56,460
Recruitment and Training: Number of election workers who served at polling places during early voting and Election Day2,7913,1904,1003,9004,000
Number of election judges trained per Trainer FTE400438563540549
Percent of no-show election workers on Election Day3.0%7.6%3.0%3.0%3.0%
1  Figures include both polling places and each day of voting at an early voting site, which is listed separately as a ''polling place equivalent'' for purposes of staffing.
2  This performance measure is based on the number of Future Vote students who assist at the polling places without monetary compensation. The data is captured through the internal tracking of Future Vote assignments. The increase in reported and projected tax dollars saved reflects the increase in the election workers' stipend, the increased number of Future Vote Students, and a more comprehensive calculation that also includes students' assistance throughout the polling place setup and operation on Election Day.
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Program Budget Changes

FY26 Recommended ChangesExpendituresFTEs
FY25 Approved550432222.53
Multi-program adjustments, including negotiated compensation changes, employee benefit changes, changes due to staff turnover, reorganizations, and other budget changes affecting multiple programs.-1232140-2.00
FY26 Recommended427218220.53