Government Operations Committee Meeting – February 20, 2025: Voter Qualifications Ordinance Review
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Government Operations Committee Meeting
Date: February 20, 2025
Time: 2:00 P.M.
Location: City Hall, Frederick, Maryland
The Government Operations Committee met to approve prior meeting minutes and conduct a single substantive review: a proposed ordinance concerning voter registration qualifications for city elections. The committee voted 2–1 to forward the ordinance to the full City Council.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes (January 23, 2025) – Moved by Councilmember Russell, seconded by Councilmember Kazimchak. Unanimously approved.
- Approval of Minutes (February 6, 2025) – Moved and seconded; motion carried without dissent.
Discussion Items
- Review of Proposed Ordinance Regarding Voter Qualifications
City Attorney Rachel Nesson presented the ordinance, which clarifies voter registration procedures for city elections. A key change was a stylistic re‑organization: the prohibition on registering during the window 30 days before to 10 days after a city election was moved from within the main registration paragraph into a separate subsection.
Councilmember Russell expressed concern that the new structure could confuse readers, as the first paragraph states registration is open “any time the office is open” without immediately noting the exception. She preferred keeping the restriction in the same paragraph for plain‑language clarity.
City Attorney Nesson explained the change follows state drafting style but offered to revert if the committee preferred the original wording. Councilmember Kazimchak remarked that the new wording is clear. No other councilmembers raised issues.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were offered during the meeting. (The agenda noted e‑comment and in‑person comment opportunities were available.)
Key Outcomes
- Motion to Forward Ordinance – Councilmember Kazimchak moved to forward the ordinance as presented; seconded by Councilmember Shockford.
Vote: 2 in favor (Councilmembers Kazimchak and Shockford), 1 opposed (Councilmember Russell).
The ordinance will proceed to the full City Council for further consideration.
Meeting Transcript
Call to order the government operations committee meeting for Thursday, February 20th. Let us stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Good afternoon, everyone. We have on our agenda the approval of minutes for our January 23rd, 2025 committee meeting. Move for approval. Second. It has been motioned by all councilmember Russell. Second by Councilmember Kazimchak. All in favor. Motion carries. Approval minutes for February 6th, 2025 committee meeting. Is there a motion? Move for approval. Second. Motion carries. We have one item on our agenda for this afternoon, and that is review of proposed ordinance regarding voter qualifications. This item would be sent by City Attorney Rachel Nesson. Thank you very much. So in addition to registering with the Frederick County Board of Elections, um, as has always been the case. Any questions for our city attorney yes, please. Um, not so much a question as I guess a stylistic change that you made that separates um the prohibition of registering 30 days before ten days after a city election. You took it out of the first the whole paragraph. And it the way that it reads when you've done that, the way that it reads is the first paragraph tells me that I can register any time the office is open. But then the second two says, but you can't register in this within this window. And it just to me to having it work. Everything's coming out mumbled. I do have my hearing aids in, so I don't know that it's too close. I think it might be too close. Okay. Is that better? Yes. Okay. No, I just in reading the ordinance. You you made a stylistic change, splitting out the exclusion of uh being able to register in the in thirty days before ten days after. So there's a window where you can't register, and it was taken out of the main paragraph that says when you can register any time it's open. To me, like if I read the first one, uh it just the continuity there, it it seemed better to me to just keep it included in that first paragraph, that's all. It says the same thing basically. It just the first one says any time, and if I didn't read any further, I wouldn't know that second part. That's that's my only comment. You're talking about in section one, Councilmember Russell, and uh section three? Is that is that what you're referencing? It says accept as otherwise provided in paragraph two, so you have to read paragraph two for that exception. But I think I understand what you're saying. You would prefer it to be all in one paragraph instead of separate it out like that. To me that makes to me that makes more sense, but you know, it doesn't have to be, it just seems plainer. So what would that read? This just for clarification. How would that read? Um, city attorney if if I understand councilmember Russell correctly, I think she's saying she prefers it the way it is in the existing code, which which would say um that you can register or change your registration any time the office is open and accepting voter registration except 30 days before or 10 days after. The way I changed it is more in keeping with I think the style that we typically use, which is modeled after the state's legislative drafting guide, um, instead of having an exception at the end of a sentence like that, but I I'm not married to it either if you think it's clearer the other way.
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