City election board looking at vacancy process, more participation for unaffiliated voters

Frederick’s Board of Supervisors of Elections is looking at changes to how City Council vacancies are filled and how unaffiliated voters can participate in city primary elections. The board’s new members met Wednesday and identified vacancy rules and unaffiliated voter participation as top priorities as city charter discussions prepare to ramp up. One concern is that the current vacancy process was left over from before Frederick switched to a district-based council system, and it led to Republican Joe Adkins being certified to the council after Democrat Scott Lasher resigned for health reasons and later died. The board is also considering ways to involve unaffiliated voters more directly, including possible nonpartisan municipal elections or open primaries, with recommendations expected after discussions continue.