Baltimore County Question C — Charter Amendment: Inspector General Appointment Board
Ballot measure · November 3, 2026
Results: the official election results site. Counts are unofficial until certified.
- What it does
- The Inspector General provides oversight of County government by investigating fraud, waste, and abuse. This Charter Amendment establishes an Inspector General Appointment Board; provides for the appointment of members to the Appointment Board; provides authority for the Inspector General Appointment Board to appoint or reappoint the Inspector General and, if necessary, remove the Inspector General for cause. It replaces the current process under which the County Executive appoints or reappoints the Inspector General, and the County Council confirms the appointment. It provides for a residency requirement for the Inspector General. The Inspector General Appointment Board will consist of seven (7) members, with the County Council and County Executive each selecting one member, and the Chair of the Ethics Commission electing the other five (5) members, each of whom must be from specific judicial, accounting, fraud examination or academic professions. There are also several requirements for members relating to potential ethical conflicts between their service on the Inspector General Appointment Board and their employment or business involvement with the County; candidacy for elected office or involvement in campaign finances; registration as a lobbyist; or criminal convictions. This would amend Section 1014 of the Baltimore County Charter and add Section 1014.1 to the Baltimore County Charter. A vote FOR the amendment transfers the authority to appoint or reappoint and remove the Inspector General from the County Executive to an Inspector General Appointment Board to be established. A vote AGAINST the amendment keeps the current process, in which the County Executive appoints or reappoints, the Inspector General and the County Council confirms the appointment.
- A YES vote means
- A new seven-member Inspector General Appointment Board would appoint, reappoint and remove for cause Baltimore County's Inspector General, who would have to meet a residency requirement.
- A NO vote means
- The County Executive would keep appointing or reappointing the Inspector General, with County Council confirmation.
- Needed to pass
- A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
- Left–right lean
- Not a left–right issue: a procedural or local question that liberals and conservatives don't typically split on (AI read of the official ballot summary).
Background
Under the current Charter, the County Executive appoints or reappoints the Inspector General with confirmation by the County Council. Bill 50-25, introduced July 7, 2025 by Councilmembers Patoka and Marks, would give that power, and the power to remove the Inspector General for cause, to an Inspector General Appointment Board.
Under the bill, the board would include one member appointed by the County Executive, one appointed by a majority of the County Council, and five selected by the director of the Ethics Commission: a former or retired judge, a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, a member of the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants, a faculty member at a college or university in Baltimore County, and a faculty member at an historically Black college or university in the Baltimore region or a Maryland law school.
As amended, the bill requires the Inspector General to live in the Baltimore–Columbia–Towson metropolitan area during their tenure. According to the Council's legislation record, two amendments were adopted 6–1 (Councilman Jones opposed) and the bill passed as amended 7–0.
Next elections here
Also on Baltimore County ballots
- Baltimore County Question A — Charter Amendment: Baltimore County Farmland Preservation Act (URDL)
- Baltimore County Question B — Charter Amendment: Department of Agriculture – Establishment of Department
- Baltimore County Question D — Charter Amendment: Charter Review Commission – Membership
- Baltimore County Question E — Charter Amendment: Board of Recreation and Parks – Membership and Duties
- Baltimore County Question F — Bond Issue: Refuse Disposal Borrowing
- Baltimore County Question G — Bond Issue: Community College Borrowing
- Baltimore County Question H — Bond Issue: Public Works Borrowing
- Baltimore County Question I — Bond Issue: Parks, Preservation and Greenways Borrowing
- Baltimore County Question J — Bond Issue: School Borrowing
- Baltimore County Question K — Bond Issue: Agricultural and Rural Land Preservation Borrowing
- Baltimore County Question L — Bond Issue: Community Improvement Project Borrowing
- Baltimore County Question M — Bond Issue: Waterway Improvement Program Borrowing
- Baltimore County Question N — Bond Issue: Operational Buildings Borrowing
Quick answers
- What does a YES vote on Baltimore County Question C mean?
- A new seven-member Inspector General Appointment Board would appoint, reappoint and remove for cause Baltimore County's Inspector General, who would have to meet a residency requirement.
- What does a NO vote on Baltimore County Question C mean?
- The County Executive would keep appointing or reappointing the Inspector General, with County Council confirmation.
- How many votes does Baltimore County Question C need to pass?
- A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
- Should I vote yes or no on Baltimore County Question C?
- SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.
- When is the vote?
- The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.
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