The Town’s 2026 election is Tuesday, May 5. Town residents will select three candidates in the 2026 election, each to serve on the Council for a 2-year term. The terms of Rich Brancato, Barney Rush, and Quynh Tran expire in May.
Balloting will be undertaken by mail and drop box only. At least 2 weeks before the election, the Town’s election service provider will mail a ballot, a ballot envelope, and a return envelope to each eligible voter. In order for a resident’s vote to be counted, return envelopes must either be mailed by May 5 and received by May 12 or placed in the drop box outside the Town Hall by 5 p.m. on May 5.
CANDIDATE ELIGIBILITYTo be eligible for office, a candidate must be a citizen of the United States; be at least 16 years old; have resided in the Town for at least one year immediately preceding the election; and be a registered voter of the State of Maryland in Montgomery County. (Prospective voters who are at least 16 years old may register to vote with the state although they may not vote in state or federal elections until age 18.)
CANDIDATE NOMINATING PROCEDURESTo be designated as a candidate on the printed ballot, a resident must submit a nominating petition to the Town office before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, the 3rd Tuesday preceding the election. A candidate for office is not required to use this form but must submit a petition containing the same information on the Town’s form in order for the individual’s name to be placed on the ballot. The nominating petition must show the consent of the individual to become a candidate and hold office, and it must be supported by five qualified voters of the Town other than the candidate.
Nominators may indicate their support by sending an email to the Town office. The email should state, “I hereby nominate (name) of (address) as a candidate for the Town Council of the Town of Chevy Chase.” All nominating emails must contain the name and address of the nominator. The Election Board shall verify the qualifications of the nominees and the documentation submitted to support nominating petitions after 5 p.m. on April 14. Nominating petitions are public documents and are subject to public inspection.
WRITE-IN CANDIDATESTo be qualified for election, a write-in candidate must submit a certificate of candidacy to the Town office before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28, the 7th calendar day preceding the election. A Town resident seeking election to the Town Council as a write-in candidate must use the Town’s official certificate of candidacy, which is available on the Town website. The printed ballot will include blank spaces to add write-in candidates.
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE A candidate for office is required to submit a financial disclosure statement to the Town office at the time the candidate submits either a nominating petition or a certificate of candidacy. The financial disclosure form is available on the Town website. Financial disclosure statements are public documents and are subject to public inspection.
CANDIDATES’ EVENTThe candidates will be invited to participate in an event with the community prior to the election. Details on the event will be included in the Election issue of the Forecast newsletter, which will be mailed to all residents at least 2 weeks before the election.
NOTICE OF CANDIDATESInformation about the nominated candidates will be mailed to all households at least 2 weeks before the election. Notice of the filing of a certificate of candidacy for a write-in candidate will be publicly announced within 24 hours of the filing.
VOTING ELIGIBILITY To be eligible to vote, residents who are U.S. citizens must be at least 16 years of age; have resided in the Town for at least 30 days immediately preceding the election; and be a registered voter of the State of Maryland in Montgomery County. Residents who are not U.S. citizens must be legally authorized to reside in the United States; be at least 16 years old; have resided in the Town for at least 30 days immediately preceding the election; and be registered to vote with the Town. A voter registration form for non-U.S. citizen residents is available here.
ELECTION RESULTS & ELECTIONS BOARDElection results will be announced after 5 p.m. on May 12, and the new Council will meet on May 13. Current Elections Board members are Grant Davies, Chair; Kirk Renaud; and Karen Elkins. Please email questions to townoffice@townofchevchase.org.