Special fund for fair elections.
Baltimore City Charter, Article I, § 15
in effect§ 15. Special fund for fair elections.
(a) Authorization.
(1) By Ordinance, the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore may establish a continuing, nonlapsing fund for purposes of encouraging fair elections by administering a public financing option for political campaigns for Baltimore City elected offices.
(2) These purposes include:
(i) providing direct funding to candidates for public office who meet certain qualifications;
(ii) providing technical assistance and training to individuals seeking to make use of public campaign funding;
(iii) publicizing the availability of public campaign funding; and
(iv) administering a public campaign funding program.
(b) Baltimore City Fair Election Fund Commission.
(1) The fund is administered by the Baltimore City Fair Election Fund Commission, and no funds may be dispersed from the fund without authorization by that Commission.
(2) The Baltimore City Fair Election Fund Commission consists of 11 members, including:
(i) 2 members appointed by the Mayor;
(ii) 3 members representing organizations focused on government reform, appointed by the Mayor;
(iii) 1 member representing an organization advocating for the interests of City business owners, appointed by the Mayor; and
(iv) 5 members appointed by the President of the City Council.
(3) Each member of the Commission must:
(i) be a resident of the City of Baltimore;
(ii) not be a candidate for public office;
(iii) not be a lobbyist required to register with the City;
(iv) not be the chair or treasurer for an open campaign account;
(v) be a registered voter; and
(vi) be confirmed by the City Council.
(4) The term of a member of the Commission is:
(i) for the members of the initial Commission appointed by the President of the City Council, 6 years beginning on May 1, 2019;
(ii) for all other members of the initial Commission, 4 years beginning on May 1, 2019; and
(iii) for all members appointed to a full term after May 1, 2019, 4 years from the expiration of their predecessor’s appointment.
(5) A vacancy arising during a term shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment and shall be filled for the remainder of the predecessor’s term.
(6) The Commission shall elect a Chairperson and a Vice Chairperson from its members.
(7) A Commission member shall not receive compensation for service on the Commission, but may be reimbursed for reasonable and necessary expenses as provided in the Ordinance of Estimates.
(c) Revenue sources.
The fund established under this section may consist of:
(1) money appropriated to the fund in the annual Ordinances of Estimates;
(2) grants or donations made to the fund; and
(3) proceeds from fines, fees, surcharges, or other revenues dedicated to the fund by Ordinance.
(d) Continuing nature of fund.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Charter, unspent portions of the fund established under this section:
(1) remain in the fund, to be used exclusively for their ordained purposes;
(2) do not revert to the general revenues of the City; and
(3) their appropriations do not lapse.
(e) Implementation.
By Ordinance, the Mayor and City Council shall provide for the oversight, governance, and administration of the Fair Election Fund, including:
(1) qualifications of candidates eligible for funding from the Fund;
(2) methods and criteria for allocating available funds among eligible programs or candidates; and
(3) the establishment of any other legislative or administrative rules, regulations, or standards, consistent with this section, governing the Fund, its operations, and programs, services, and candidates funded by it.
(Res. 18-009, ratified Nov. 6, 2018.)
Source: City of Baltimore Department of Legislative Reference, City of Baltimore Law Library (codes.baltimorecity.gov; Open Law Library bulk XML)URL: https://codes.baltimorecity.gov/us/md/cities/baltimore/charter/I/15Fetched: 10/25/2026