Article V. Elections, Registrations and Nominations

Section 1. Eligibility to vote.

Every resident of the Town of Easton who:

(a) is eighteen (18) years of age or older;

(b) is a citizen of the United States;

(d) is registered with the Talbot County Election Board; and

(e) is registered in accordance with the provisions of this charter is entitled to vote at a Town election. (Res. 53, passed 12/15/86, Resolution No. 6005, November 20, 2012.)

Section 2. Supervisor of Elections.

The Mayor, by and with the consent of the Council, shall appoint, for a four-year term, a person who is a registered voter of the Town to act as Supervisor of Elections. The Supervisor of Elections shall not otherwise be employed by the Town of Easton, and shall receive such compensation as the Mayor and the Council from time to time deem appropriate. The Supervisor of Elections shall have the duties and responsibilities set forth in this article and in the ordinances and Code of the Town of Easton relating to the conduct of elections and the registration of voters. (Res. 53, passed 12/15/86, Resolution No. 6005, November 20, 2012.)

Section 4. Delivery and inspection of registration list; challenges to registration list

Not later than thirty (30) days prior to an election, the Supervisor of Elections shall obtain from the Election Director of Talbot County, Maryland a complete list of registered voters eligible to cast ballots in the Town. The voters shall be listed by ward. This list shall be maintained at the Town office during normal business hours, during which said list shall be made available to any person for inspection. The Town Clerk shall provide copies of said list to any person, provided that any person receiving said list shall compensate the Town for the reasonable expenses of copying said list. Any challenges to the registration list provided by the Election Director of Talbot County, Maryland shall be filed with the Election Board of Talbot County, Maryland in accordance with said board’s procedures and applicable State law. (Res. 53, passed 12/15/86, Resolution No. 6005, November 20, 2012.)

Section 5. Election of Mayor, President of the Council, and Members of the Council.

The voters of the Town shall, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May in the year 1987 and on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May in each fourth year thereafter, elect a Mayor whose term of office shall be for four (4) years and until his or her successor is elected and qualified. The Mayor shall be elected at large from the entirety of the Town. On the first Tuesday after the first Monday of May in the year 1987 and on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May in each fourth year thereafter, the voters of the first ward and the third ward, respectively, shall elect a Council Member from each ward, whose term of office shall be for four (4) years and until his or her successor is elected and qualified. On the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May of the year 1989, the voters of the Town shall elect a President of the Town Council, and Council Members from the second and fourth wards. The Town Council President shall be elected at large from the Town of Easton, and his or her term shall be for four (4) years and until his or her successor is elected and qualified. On the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May in the year 1989 and every four (4) years thereafter, the voters of the Town who are residents of the second and fourth wards, respectively, shall each elect a Council Member to represent their ward, whose terms shall be for four (4) years and until their respective successors are elected and qualified. (Res. 53, passed 12/15/86, Resolution No. 6005, November 20, 2012.)

Section 7. Method of nomination.

All nominations for public office must be filed with the Supervisor of Elections on or before the first Monday of April in the year of an election. The manner of nominating candidates shall be as follows: every aspirant for the office of Mayor or President of the Council, or someone acting on his or her behalf, shall, on or before the last day of receiving nominations, file with the Supervisor of Elections a nomination petition for said office signed by a least thirty of the qualified voters of the Town; and, in like manner, every aspirant for the office of Council Member, who shall be a representative of a ward, or someone acting on his or her behalf, shall on or before the last day in which nominations may be filed as aforesaid, file with the Supervisor of Elections his or her nominating petition for the said office signed by at least fifteen of the qualified voters of the ward from which he or she is nominated. If it appears that a name appears more than once on a petition, it shall be counted but once; however, no name shall be disqualified or stricken from nominating petition because it appears on a petition for more than one candidate for the same office. No name shall be counted if it is demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Supervisor of Elections that the signature was not signed by the person designated, or that the person designated did not actually live in the ward designated at the time of the filing of the petition. (Res. 53, passed 12/15/86, Resolution No. 6005, November 20, 2012.)

Section 8. Vacancies among candidates.

If a candidate dies or withdraws after the deadline for filing petitions but prior to an election, the resulting vacancy may be filled by a petition containing at least one-half of the signatures necessary for filing an original petition, and said petition or petitions may be filed with the Supervisor of Elections at any time prior to the printing of the ballots. In the case of death or resignation of all candidates to an office, the Supervisor of Elections shall so advise the Council, who shall by ordinance order a special election. (Res. 53, passed 12/15/86, Resolution No. 6005, November 20, 2012.)

Section 9. Board of Canvassers - Appointment; term; vacancy.

The Mayor, upon advice and consent of the Council, shall select three registered voters of the Town, who shall act as a Board of Canvassers, to serve for two years from the date of their selection; and the Board of Canvassers shall serve without pay. In the case of death, resignation, or failure to qualify of any candidate to said Board, the Mayor and Council shall select others to fill the vacancies thus occasioned by the same manner as hereinabove provided. If it becomes necessary for the Board of Canvassers to perform any of its duties between regular meetings of the Council and there is a vacancy on said Board, the Town Clerk shall call a meeting of the Town Council by giving 24 hours' notice, to fill such vacancy or vacancies. (Res. 53, passed 12/15/86, Resolution No. 6005, November 20, 2012.)

Section 10. Board of Canvassers - Organization; powers; duties; appeal.

The Board of Canvassers shall organize by electing one of their members as President and one as Clerk, and shall have such powers and duties as Boards of Canvassers are granted under the general laws of the State of Maryland, so far as receiving returns and canvassing votes is concerned; and the same right of appeal from the Board of Canvassers to the Circuit Court for Talbot County shall be had as is provided under the election laws of the State of Maryland from the Board of Canvassers therein provided. All cases of contested election of any of the offices shall be decided by the Circuit The Court for Talbot County as is provided in cases of contested elections under the general powers set forth above, the Board of Canvassers shall have the particular powers, duties, and responsibilities set forth in this article. (Res. 53, passed 12/15/86, Resolution No. 6005, November 20, 2012.)

Section 11. Tie Votes

In the case of a tie between candidates receiving the highest number of votes in an election, a special election between the persons receiving the tie vote shall be held within 45 days after the date of the election. The special election shall be conducted in accordance with this Article V and in accordance with Chapeter 2 of the Easton Town Code. In the event of a tine in the special elecion, the winner shall be chosen by a coin flip. All incumbent council members or the incumbent mayor shall continue in office until the special election results are certified. (Res. 6100, passed February 18, 2019)