After months of campaigning and city council forums, Greenbelt residents had the opportunity to vote in person on Tuesday, November 2, for the 2021 to 2023 Greenbelt City Council.
The five precinct locations in town – the Community Center, Springhill Lake Recreation Center, the Greenbelt Police Department, Greenbriar Community Building and Schrom Hills Park – opened to voters at 7 a.m. Individual candidate signs lined the streets near the precinct locations, and “vote here” signs were posted along walkways.
In 2019, according to the City of Greenbelt, 1,713 Greenbelters voted in person, while 467 people opted for early and absentee voting. This year, some Greenbelters experienced issues with mail-in voting, with some receiving their ballots late last week.
“There was a problem with the vendor. They didn’t have the right list or they didn’t have a complete list,” said Judith Davis, city council candidate. “But I know that anybody that comes in [to vote], they’ve been trying to rectify that. They were saying that they can’t vote, but now they are making sure that they can.”
This year’s in-person voting numbers may also be affected by Covid-19 precautions and overcast weather, but for some Greenbelters, voting in person is a consistent part of their election year routine.
“I think a lot of people voted early or tried to do mail-in voting,” said Silke Pope, city council candidate. “But there’s some people who vote on voting day, and that’s their tradition and I think that’s wonderful.”
This year’s ballot included voting for seven out of the 10 candidates running for council, as well as the potential of establishing a commission to develop reparations proposals for African American and Native American Greenbelt residents.
The establishment of a referendum committee would allow Greenbelters to contribute to a national conversation at a local level.
“Local elections lead to bigger elections. In order to get what you want in the larger election, you have to start small,” said Greenbelt voter Linda Mobley.
As city council candidates await election results, current Mayor and City Council Candidate Colin Byrd hopes the new city council can continue to work together to better Greenbelt.
“I hope the city council can work together collaboratively, positively and with good faith,” said Byrd. “I think there needs to be more good faith collaboration and I want to make sure there is more of that going forward.”
The 2021 to 2023 Greenbelt City Council will be announced Tuesday night, shortly after voting ends at 8 p.m.
Shannon Clark is a University of Maryland journalism student reporting for the News Review.