Montgomery County voters won't get a say on capping county spending this November. The "Stop the Spend" charter amendment is officially dead for 2026 after the Board of Elections validated just 9,698 of the 14,074 petition signatures submitted by the Committee to Control MoCo Spending, falling 302 short of the 10,000 required.

The outcome affects Potomac residents and taxpayers countywide who would have decided whether to tighten the reins on how fast the county budget can grow.

County Election Director Boris Brajkovic issued the final determination Monday, Aug. 17, after completing a review of the committee's second batch of 2,524 signatures submitted July 27. Of those, only 1,699 were deemed valid, according to Bethesda Magazine. Combined with the 7,999 signatures validated from the first batch of 11,408 submitted July 21, the total fell just below the constitutional threshold.

As we reported Aug. 11, the committee faced an uphill climb after the first count left it 2,001 signatures short with only the smaller second batch remaining.

The proposed amendment would have required all 11 County Council members to vote unanimously to increase the operating budget above the regional rate of inflation. The county charter currently requires seven votes to exceed that threshold.

Fraudulent signatures blamed

The committee attributed the shortfall partly to a paid petition circulator who collected what it called a substantial number of fraudulent signatures, The Banner reported. The committee's Aug. 17 news release did not name the circulator or specify how many signatures were affected.

The committee said it is deeply disappointed but noted that thousands of county residents signed because they want elected leaders to spend taxpayer dollars more carefully.

Committee chair Mark Lautman told Bethesda Magazine on Aug. 17 that the group is considering its options. Under Maryland law, the committee has 10 days from the board's determination to seek judicial review in Montgomery County Circuit Court.

Elrich opposed the measure

County Executive Marc Elrich has been a vocal opponent. "Their proposal ignores the basic economic reality," Elrich told reporters in July, according to The Banner. "The cost of building and maintaining comprehensive public services and infrastructure has nothing to do with general inflation."

The 10,000-signature threshold is set by Maryland's Constitution (Article 11-A, §5) as sufficient to complete a charter amendment petition in any county.

What's next

The committee said it plans to begin collecting signatures again in early 2027 to place the spending-cap amendment on the 2028 ballot. Whether the group first pursues a court challenge remains unclear. The deadline to file for judicial review is Aug. 27.