By KRISSI HUMBARD — Hyattsville wants to make it easy for residents to vote. Over the years, the voting age was lowered to 16, council voted to allow non-citizens to vote in city elections, and this year, city staff is hosting pop-up voting polls to attempt to reach more residents.
The city will host one more pop-up poll on Friday, May 3, from 8 a.m.-noon outside Vigilante Coffee Company, enabling city residents to register to vote and vote in the ongoing municipal election.
Hyattsville became the first city in the state to offer such convenience for voters when it hosted pop-up polls across the city on May 1. In total, three residents registered to vote at the pop-up polls and 53 residents cast ballots, according to a City of Hyattsville press release. Polls were hosted at the city’s two metro stations during commuter hours, and outside the restaurants at the Shoppes at Arts District at lunchtime.
“We are proud to be leading the state in voter engagement,” said Hyattsville City Clerk Laura Reams. “I am thrilled by the response we got from residents on Wednesday and excited to help more of them participate in our democracy [Friday].”
The city will also hold early voting on Saturday, May 4, before the final day of the election takes place on May 7. All five of the city’s wards have contested elections, as does the position for mayor.
For more information on the residents running for election, see the HL&T candidate guide or watch the replay of the 2019 Candidate Forum.
For more information about voting in the city election, take a look at the HL&T voting guide.
