Annapolitans for a Better Community (ABC), local advocacy group has been collecting petitions, city-wide from registered voters, to give voters the opportunity to show their support of two items at the November 4, 2025, General Election. The petitions propose to:
(1)LOWER from 10% to 2% the assessment rate of increase for the Homestead Property Tax Credit for owner-occupied homes.
(2) ALLOW Nonpartisan voters to cast ballots in Primary elections. Currently, only those registered as Democrat or Republican may vote in Primary elections.
By late July, ABC had collected several thousand of the required signatures to place these two items on the ballot. Through the month of August, ABC will continue to circulate the petitions and collect signatures. To be successful in reaching the threshold quantity of “10% of Registered voters with not less than 250 per ward”, it is our intention to submit them on/before September 2, 2025.
ABC is currently distributing petitions through mailings to registered voters and by neighborhood volunteers. You can also go to the ABC website at ABCAnnapolis.org and read, download, print and sign the petition (don’t forget to have it “witnessed”) for each household’s registered voter. Once completed, the petition should be mailed to:
ABC, PO Box 15, Annapolis, MD 21401.
While the City’s Board of Supervisors of Elections (BOSE) has authority for managing the City’s elections, and has declared July 28, 2025 as the deadline for submitting petitions to appear on the November 4, 2025, General Election ballot, ABC believes the City Council’s approval of ordinance O-19-24 on October 14, 2024 removed the previous date requirement for submitting petitions. The City made this change but failed to set a petition submission deadline. When we inquired about the required deadline we were referred to the online election calendar. This calendar relies on the repealed law for deadlines.
ABC does not accept this as the legal deadline and will continue seeking valid petitions through September 2, 2025, to place citizen-driven measures on the November 4, 2025, General Election ballot. This reflects a fundamental aspect of democracy and adhering to th rule of law that the City fails to acknowledge. In a July 28, 2025, letter request to the BOSE and the City Attorney, ABC pointed out the lack of a Code-specified deadline for submission and requested a meeting to resolve the issue amicably. We were denied any opportunity for further discussion. The City confirmed “July 28, 2025”, as the required deadline submission date, despite th City Code’s omission of a due date.
Through the month of August, ABC will continue to circulate the petitions and collect signatures. If we are successful in reaching the threshold quantity of “10% of Registered voters with not less than 250 per ward”, it is our intention to submit them on/before September 2, 2025. If the City DENIES accepting these petitions, which would negate the will of thousands of registered voters, it is our intention to seek relief in Circuit Court through legal action.
For the present, we encourage those registered voters who have NOT yet signed and submitted petitions to visit our website: ABCAnnapolis.org to read, download, print, sign and mail BOTH petitions to: ABC, PO Box 15, Annapolis MD 21401, as soon as possible. The City has refused to be reasonable in solving a problem which THEY created. If you believe, as we do, that our interest in (1) REDUCING the rate of increase of assessments for the Homestead Property Tax Credit; and, (2) that almost 7,000 Nonpartisan voters should be allowed to vote in Primary elections, PLEASE join with us by signing our petitions today.
