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next town council meeting

Monday, March 10—8:00 p.m.

Glen Echo Town Hall

Contact the clerk-treasurer to add an item to the agenda

Text Box: the word “permanent” be deleted from number (2) and that number (3) be deleted in its entirety. According to this change, a non-citizen voter would not be required to produce a green card in order to vote in town elections but would be required to be a “lawful resident of the United States.”. Council member Matney suggested striking the requirement that a person be “a lawful resident of the United States” to vote in Glen Echo elections. Mayor Beers stated that to be a lawful resident of Glen Echo a person must be a lawful resident of the U.S. Mayor Beers noted that this would prevent people who are in the U.S. on a tourist visa from voting in a town election, but would not prevent people such as World Bank employees or students from voting. Council member Matney asked what “legally resident” meant and Mayor Beers responded that it meant U.S. citizens and persons legally authorized to reside in the U.S. and not illegal aliens. She noted that this is consistent with the Town of Somerset Charter. Council member Matney also asked how the town would make the determination that someone is “legally resident” in the Town. Mayor Beers responded that the person would be asked to sign a statement under penalty of perjury and it would be up to the board of supervisors of elections to request further proof if necessary. Town resident Carlotta Anderson has written two letters to the Council on this subject, expressing the view that “it is in no way in the interests of the town to determine what kind of ‘legal’ status any resident here has nor whether they have a ‘present intention to move away,’ as Norman Knopf suggested. Many people move here and stay only a year or two. She said, “Let’s keep the law simple; let’s keep the charter we have; and let’s make sure we follow its provisions.” She noted that amending the Charter will incur costs and is unnecessary. Mayor Beers responded that it is necessary to change the Charter because it currently allows people to register to vote on the day of an election. Mrs. Anderson asked why the Town would care if someone was an illegal alien. Mayor Beers responded that the right to vote is a fundamental right of citizenship. If there were no requirements for eligibility, people could move around and vote as often as they wanted. Council member Matney noted that in Glen Echo people are only voting for who will lead a small local community. Glen Echo doesn’t have a police force and has only one half time employee. We should not confuse our policies with those in operation at the federal or state level, he said. Mrs. Anderson suggested that the Town ask people to sign the statement that they are “legally resident” in the U.S. but do nothing else. Mayor Beers proposed that there be a closing date for voter registration, especially if the qualification for being a resident is loose, and suggested the fourth Monday prior to an

Text Box: election. Council member Matney suggested that the closing date be the second Monday before an election because this would be consistent with Section 501(a) of the Charter, which requires voters to have resided in the town for thirty days preceding any town election. Mayor Beers pointed out that the person who caused the controversy during the last election had walked in and registered on the spot, which is permitted in the current charter. The issue was tabled until the next meeting. Mayor Beers said she would find out how other jurisdictions enforce their registration statements signed under penalty of perjury.