Rockville unofficial results in
Monique Ashton defeated fellow city councilmember Mark Pierzchala to win Rockville’s mayoral election with 58.71% of the total votes, according to the city’s unofficial results.
Joining Ashton to serve four-year terms on the City Council are Kate Fulton, Barry Jackson, incumbent David Myles, Izola (Zola) Shaw, Marissa Valeri and Adam Van Grack. Rockville voters also had four referendum questions posed to share their opinion to the council. Read the full story here.
Updated at 8:57 a.m. Nov. 8.
Gaithersburg unofficial results in
The unofficial results of Gaithersburg’s City Council elections have incumbent candidates Neil Harris and Robert Wu and newcomer Yamil Hernández as the city’s next city councilmembers. Read the full story here.
Updated at 7:11 a.m. Nov. 8
When will the results be announced?
The unofficial results for the Gaithersburg election were expected to be released between 9 and 10 p.m. but as as of the time of this update there has not been any notice yet. According to city councilmember Rob Wu, there was a higher than expected voter turnout this year.
Gaithersburg has a live stream on X, the social media site formerly called Twitter, where the results of the election will be broadcasted.
After speaking with a handful of city council and mayoral candidates, it appears that the results for the Rockville election are expected to be ready by around 2 a.m. on Nov. 8.
MoCo360 will provide an update to this story when the results are posted for each election.
Updated at 9:53 p.m.
Polls close in Gaithersburg with more than 1,400 in-person voters
At 8 p.m. the polls closed at the Activity Center at Bohrer Park with about 30 people waiting in line to cast their vote, according to Ty Hardaway the chief election judge at the polling site. He said that there were approximately 1,455 in-person voters and 905 mail-in ballots had been processed and scanned on election day.
Before election day, 151 people voted early and approximately 1,374 mail in votes were cast. On Oct. 29 the City of Gaithersburg held an early voting day. The number of ballots in the seven various drop boxes located across the city was unknown as of 8 p.m.
Updated at 9:40 p.m.
Closing scene at Rockville City Hall
As of 6:45 p.m. there were more than 25 voters waiting in line to vote. Several residents brought their families and children to the polls to vote.
Board of Supervisors of Elections had a member picking up ballots from voters in their cars. That way voters with completed mail-in ballots can skip the parking lot, almost like a drive-thru ballot drop box.
After one driver dropped off his ballot with the worker, he yelled out, “I love your mixed-use zoning plan!”
As 7 p.m. rolled around the crowd at City Hall dwindled but candidates continued to canvas and chat with residents.
Some candidates were joined by their families on the canvassing grounds. Kate Fulton was joined by her husband, son and daughter; Marissa Valeri and her son chatted with voters and passed out fliers and Adam Van Grack’s mother and son helped out on polling grounds.
Barry Jackson said that his campaign volunteers as well as canvassers with other candidates, were at the Thomas Farm Community Center as well. Voters at Thomas Farm were also able to drop off their mail-in ballots and vote in person.
Updated at 9:25 p.m.
Rockville residents come out to vote hours before polls close
As of 5:45 p.m. there were about 15 people waiting in line to vote in person at City Hall in Rockville. The line of voters appeared to be moving swiftly, while cars with slowly made their way up Vinson Street to the parking lot.
Many drivers had completed ballots already in hand and went to drop their ballots at the official City of Rockville ballot drop-box.
City Council candidates Barry Jackson, Kate Fulton, Marissa Valeri, Adam Van Grack and Paul Scott, as well as mayoral candidates, Monique Ashton and Mark Pierzchala were outside canvassing and chatting with voters.
According to Sara Taylor-Ferrell, Rockville’s City clerk, the results of the election will be announced live on Rockville 11 (the city government’s TV station) tonight. The of the announcement is unknown at this time.
Later in the night, results will be posted to the doors of City Hall and announced on social media as well, Taylor-Ferrell said.
The clerk was unable to share information about the number of ballots received as of this time. She said that once the polls close at 8 p.m., all ballots — from in-person, mail-in and drop box voting — will start being tabulated.
Updated at 6:37 p.m.
Gaithersburg in-person voters surpass 1,000
As of 5 p.m., Gaithersburg’s board of supervisors of elections informed candidates that the city received more than 1,000 ballots from in-person voters, according to city councilmember Neil Harris who is running for reelection. The number of mail-in ballots received by the city has not been updated.
The next update on ballots received and voter turnout will be announced at 8 p.m.
Updated at 6:20 p.m.
Rockville candidates say voters are informed, prepared
Outside Rockville City Hall on Tuesday afternoon, candidates for Rockville City Council told MoCo360 that most voters seemed decided about their vote, and many were dropping off the ballots mailed to them by the city.
“[Voters] have been very engaged, knowing that we’re going to be electing a new mayor and knowing that we’re going to be electing at a minimum five new councilmembers,” said City Council candidate Adam Van Grack. “They realize that this is an important election, and they want to get out there and they want to have their voice heard.”
City Council candidate Barry Jackson said he thinks social media has played a role in getting voters excited and informed about the election.
“People are really jazzed up to vote,” Jackson said. “Voters are coming up and asking, ‘what are you going to do to make Rockville a better place to live?’ And I’m just really excited by the community spirit.”
City Council candidate Paul Scott told MoCo360 that it was important to him to engage with voters about the issues on Election Day.
“People are concerned about safety,” Scott said about what he was hearing from voters. “Obviously, education is a big thing… there are concerns about the [housing] affordability issue, growth that’s going on in the city, being able to sustain our businesses. That’s a big concern.”
City Council candidate Marissa Valeri said she had some concerns that voters were confused on how to turn in the ballots that were mailed to voters by the city. They must be received by Election Day, not postmarked by Tuesday. Valeri said she spent Monday knocking on doors to make sure people understood, and that she’s concerned the communication from the city wasn’t adequate.
“Last night, the last door that I knocked on, I talked to a lady who was very engaged and had voted in the primaries, general elections. She still thought she had to go to her precinct location. I was like, ‘oh my gosh, no. Just go to City Hall. Drop your ballot off.”
Valeri said she spoke to a lot of young voters and first-time voters, which was “exciting,” and that it was “weird” getting to vote for herself.
Council candidate Kate Fulton said she enjoying getting to engage with both voters and candidates.
“It’s been an exciting day. I’m glad the weather is nice, I’ve had some great conversations with people on the way in, and some great collegiality with the other candidates, which is nice, particularly on Election Day,” Fulton said. “There’s a lot of excitement about Rockville’s election today.”
Current councilmember Monique Ashton, who is running for mayor, said Tuesday that she was feeling “pretty Zen” about the race.
“I have really tried to make sure I’ve been in all parts of the city throughout my entire time and getting results for our residents, whether that is fixing a pothole, or solving complicated issues like tax duplication,” Ashton said. “I’m just thrilled to be thinking not only about the big policy things, but what do people think about every single day? How do we make sure that we have a high quality of life?”
Ashton said she is a little concerned that voter turnout is lower than previous years.
“We’re a little bit farther behind in terms of total voters. We really need everyone to come out and exercise their voice, and we also need to make sure we’re getting the diversity and inclusion right,” Ashton said.
Current councilmember Mark Pierzchala is also running for mayor. He said he sees himself as the “underdog” in the race, but he still is hopeful. Pierzchala said he was “having fun” campaigning for 13 hours on Tuesday, and was prepared to stay up till 2 a.m. for results.
“I think I ran a great campaign, certainly people know what I’m about and they know my experience, which is finally greater than anybody else in the race,” Pierzchala said.
Updated at 3:22 p.m.
The basics on the Rockville election
For Rockville’s election, voters will choose a new mayor and six City Council members.
Running to take current Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton’s place are councilmembers, Monique Ashton and Mark Pierzchala. Pierzchala has served on the council for 12 years and was first elected in 2007. Ashton was first elected to council in the 2019 elections.
There are 12 candidates running for a spot on the City Council: Danniel Belay, Kate Fulton, Richard Gottfried, Harold Hodges, Barry Jackson, Ricky Mui, David Myles, Anita Neal Powell, Paul Scott, Izola Shaw, Marissa Valeri and Adam Van Grack.
Additionally, Rockville residents will vote on four referenda questions: lowering the voting age to 16; permitting residents who are noncitizens to vote; setting term limits for mayor and City Council; and creating representative districts.
The City of Rockville is holding a vote-by-mail election this year and completed ballots must be returned to the city by 8 p.m. in person at City Hall if they were not already mailed in, in order to be counted.
Lakeforest Mall redevelopment and public safety are on voters’ minds
As of 1 p.m. the Gaithersburg board of supervisors of elections counted 533 in-person ballots. There was no update to the number of mail-in ballots that had been received and scanned. Ty Hardaway, the chief election judge at the polling site, said that the next update will come out at 5 p.m.
Oher issues that voters brought to the polls with them are affordable housing and rent control, environmental issues, as well as crime and public safety.
Richard McKinney, who lives in Old Towne neighborhood told MoCo360 that there have been numerous safety incidents in his area and the apartment building he lives in. He recalled incidents in which people who were not residents entered the building, tire thieves and even arson as a few incidents that left him concerned.
Like other voters MoCo360 spoke to, McKinney enjoys living in Gaithersburg and wants to see it improve not just in safety but also in economic development
McKinney noted the city’s plans to redevelop Lakeforest Mall and said that “the city has to make it viable.” He added that he hopes to see the city and developers take a mixed-use approach with sufficient housing and retail options.
Savannah Watkins, a voter who moved to Gaithersburg in April said environmental issues were really important to her this election season as well as rent control and education. This July the County Council passed a rent stabilization bill which the cities of Gaithersburg and Rockville are exempt from.
Updated at 2:12 p.m.
Check-in terminal briefly slows down voter line
As of noon, the line for in-person voting extended down the length of a hallway in the Activity Center next to the gymnasium where voters cast their ballots. At the time, about 40 people stood in line waiting to vote.
Chairs were put out for seniors to sit on while waiting and some voters appeared to walk away from the line and leave the polling center after seeing the length of the line.
According to Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman, there is only one voter check-in terminal at the polls, which has resulted in the longer wait.
There is only one polling location for Gaithersburg residents to vote in person as well as an official ballot drop box outside of the activity center for mail-in ballots.
Updated at 1:58 p.m.
Voters talk services, crime, transparency
As of 10 a.m., 192 Gaithersburg residents had voted in person and 905 mail-in ballots had been processed and scanned, according to Ty Hardaway, the chief election judge at the polling site. According to the city, Gaithersburg’s population is estimated to be 71,760 people as of July 2023.
Some issues that are on the mind of voters as they vote for candidates are building a new senior center, transparency within the City Council and looking for a council member that will listen and work closely with residents.
Resident Mary Hoferek stood outside of the polling center at the Activity Center in Bohrer Park to chat with voters about the need for a new senior center in Gaithersburg and gather signatures for a petition.
Hoferek said that the Benjamin Gaither Center has had issues with water leaks and has outgrown its current space.
Another resident, Raouf Kechrid, told MoCo360, “My main concern is that we need City Council to be stronger, respond to the requests of local homeowners’ associations and have more transparency in city government.”
Benjamin Johnson said he has been happy in Gaithersburg since he began living in the area in 2015. He noted that there has been no crime on the block that he lives on but has noticed a recent uptick in the city.
He said that while at the polls he was looking to vote for someone who was more of a public servant than a leader and hoped to see more community engagement from the city council in the future.
The basics on Gaithersburg election
Tuesday is Election Day in Gaithersburg, the final day for residents to cast their ballots for three City Council Members.
Six candidates are running for the City Council. Incumbents Neil Harris and Robert Wu, are facing off with newcomers Yamil Hernández, Daniel Lukomsky, Shanika Whitehurst and Omodamola Williams.
While five council members usually serve on the Gaithersburg City Council, currently there are only four members. In June, former council member Ryan Spiegel was selected by the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee to fill a vacant seat in District 17 of the Maryland General Assembly House of Delegates, leaving one seat open.
According to the city, the council runs as a “city manager style” of government. The mayor is elected to a four-year term and leads the City Council. The council consists of five members that are elected at-large and serve staggered four-year terms.
Candidates have said key issues for the city include affordable housing, economic development and public safety.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.