Absentee Ballots - Verification

SB0838

Senator Mautz

Election Law - Absentee Ballots - Signature Requirements and Verification

Hearing held; awaiting committee vote

Education, Energy, and the Environment

Prohibiting a local board of elections from removing an absentee ballot from a return envelope or ballot/return envelope or counting the ballot unless the return envelope or ballot/return envelope is signed by the voter and, except under certain circumstances, a witness and the local board verify the voter's signature; and providing that the witness signature requirement does not apply to active duty uniformed services members serving overseas or their spouses or dependents who live overseas.

Absentee Voters Lists

HB0285

Delegate Long, R.

Election Law - Voter Registration List - Absentee Voters (Absentee Ballot Transparency Act of 2025)

Hearing held; awaiting committee vote

Ways and Means

Requiring the State Board of Elections or a local board of elections, on request of a candidate, to provide the candidate with a list of registered voters who have requested an absentee ballot for an upcoming election; and requiring that the list of absentee voters provided include the e-mail address and telephone number of each voter on the list, if the information is available.

Accessible & Expedited Voting

HB0781

SB0066

Delegate Roberts

Election Law - Polling Place Procedures - Voting by Elderly Voters and Voters With Disabilities (Accessible and Expedited Voting Act of Maryland)

First Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment

Education, Energy, and the Environment

Requiring the State Board of Elections to establish guidelines for the local boards of election to implement a process to expedite voting for elderly voters and voters with disabilities at each early voting center and polling place; requiring the local boards to implement the guidelines; and requiring the training program for election judges to include instruction on the guidelines for expediting voting for elderly voters and voters with disabilities.

Accessible & Expedited Voting

SB0066

HB0781

Senator Ellis

Election Law - Polling Place Procedures - Voting by Elderly Voters and Voters With Disabilities (Accessible and Expedited Voting Act of Maryland)

Hearing held; awaiting committee vote

Education, Energy, and the Environment

Requiring the State Board of Elections to establish guidelines for the local boards of election to implement a process to accommodate and expedite voting for elderly voters and voters with disabilities at each early voting center and polling place; requiring the local boards to implement the guidelines and collect feedback on the process from elderly voters and voters with disabilities and make immediate adjustments to the process; etc.

Ballot Petition Modernization Act

HB0642

Delegate Ruth

Election Law - Registered Voter List and Petitions (Ballot Petition Modernization Act)

Hearing held; awaiting committee vote

Ways and Means

Requiring the State Board of Elections to adopt regulations for the secure storage and use of voter data from the list of registered voters and specifying procedures and requirements relating to electronic signatures; establishing and altering certain provisions governing the petition process, including provisions regarding the collection and invalidation of signatures, the use of electronic signatures, and attestations by petition circulators; etc.

Counties & Municiplities-Voting Rights

SB0342

Senator Sydnor

Voting Rights Act of 2025 - Counties and Municipal Corporations

Hearing 3/26 at 1:00 p.m.

Ways and Means

Prohibiting the imposition or application of a method for electing the governing body of a county or municipal corporation that impairs the ability of members of a protected class to elect candidates of the members' choice or influence the outcome of an election by diluting or abridging the rights of voters who are members of a protected class; and providing for the application of the Act if the a court issues a certain holding.

Curbside Voting Pilot Program

HB0317

Delegate Williams

Election Law - Curbside Voting - Pilot Program

Hearing 3/27 at 1:00 p.m.

Education, Energy, and the Environment

Establishing the Curbside Voting Pilot Program to test the viability of curbside voting in the State; establishing requirements governing curbside voting; requiring the State Board and local board to communicate with voters and the general public, including signage at curbside voting locations, that curbside voting is primarily for certain voters with disabilities; and requiring the State Board to report to the General Assembly on the implementation of the Pilot Program by September 1, 2029.

Enhanced Automatic Voter Registration

HB1113

Delegate Feldmark

Election Law - Enhanced Automatic Voter Registration System

Hearing held; awaiting committee vote

Ways and Means

Requiring the Motor Vehicle Administration to implement an enhanced automatic voter registration system on or before July 1, 2026; establishing requirements regarding the transmission of enhanced automatic voter registration information by the Administration, the processing of the voter registration information by the State Board of Elections, and the sending of notices by the State Board; authorizing the State Board to implement certain enhanced automatic voter registration at certain agencies with their consent; etc.

In-Person - Proof of Identity

HB0091

Delegate Long, R.

Elections - In-Person Voting - Proof of Identity

Hearing held; awaiting committee vote

Ways and Means

Requiring an election judge to establish a voter's identity by requiring the voter to present a valid government-issued photo identification or a valid nongovernment-issued photo identification, and a current bill, statement, or check that states the voter's name and address as proof of identity; requiring a voter to vote a provisional ballot if the voter is unable to provide certain proof of identity; and prohibiting a person from knowingly and willfully voting or attempting to vote under a false form of identification.

In-Person - Proof of Identity

HB0115

Delegate Long, R.

Election Law - Polling Places - Establishing Voter Identity (Voter Privacy Act of 2025)

Hearing held; awaiting committee vote

Ways and Means

Authorizing a voter to establish the voter's identity at the request of an election judge at a polling place by presenting the voter's registration card, a valid Maryland driver's license, or any identification card that contains a photograph of the voter and is issued by a political subdivision of the State, the State, the federal government, or any unit of a political subdivision of the State, the State, or the federal government.

Local Election Boards - Open Meetings

HB0412

SB0337

Delegate Korman

Elections - Local Boards of Elections - Open Meeting Requirements (Local Boards of Elections Transparency Act)

First Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment

Education, Energy, and the Environment

Requiring each local board of elections to make available on its website each open meeting agenda, a summary of any finalized documents, certain written testimony, and other materials on which the board will be voting; requiring each local board to provide live video streaming of each open meeting and to maintain a complete and unedited archived video recording of each open meeting for 5 years; requiring the State Board of Elections to adopt regulations to ensure that the streaming requirements are met in a certain manner; etc.

Local Election Boards - Open Meetings

SB0337

HB0412

Senator Kagan

Elections - Local Boards of Elections - Open Meeting Requirements (Local Boards of Elections Transparency Act)

Hearing 3/26 at 1:00 p.m.

Ways and Means

Requiring each local board of elections to make available on its website each open meeting agenda, a summary of any finalized documents, certain written testimony, and other materials on which the board will be voting; requiring each local board to provide live video streaming of each open meeting and to maintain a complete and unedited archived video recording of each open meeting for 5 years; requiring the State Board of Elections to adopt regulations to ensure that the streaming requirements are met in a certain manner; etc.

Mail-in Ballot Accessibility

HB1097

SB0929

Delegate Feldmark

Workgroup on Mail-In Ballot Accessibility

Hearing held; awaiting committee vote

Ways and Means

Establishing the Workgroup on Mail-In Ballot Accessibility to examine current processes in the State relating to mail-in ballot return, assessing the impact on voters with disabilities, collect information about current practices for accessible alternatives to paper mail-in ballot return, and evaluate the alternatives for individuals with disabilities; and requiring the Workgroup to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 31, 2025.

Mail-in Ballot Accessibility

SB0929

HB1097

Senator Brooks

Workgroup on Mail-In Ballot Accessibility

Hearing 3/26 at 1:00 p.m.

Ways and Means

Establishing the Workgroup on Mail-In Ballot Accessibility to examine current processes in the State relating to mail-in ballot return, including the administrative time and costs, ballot return rates, and security issues, collect information about current practices in other jurisdictions, and evaluate the alternatives for individuals with disabilities; and requiring the Workgroup to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 31, 2025.

Party Affiliation at Primary Early Voting

HB1280

Delegate Qi

Election Law - Affiliating With a Party and Voting - Unaffiliated Voters

Hearing held; awaiting committee vote

Ways and Means

Authorizing unaffiliated voters to request to affiliate with a political party at an early voting center during a primary election and vote a ballot for the voter's preferred political party.

Pretrial Detainees - Absentee Ballots

HB0253

SB0991

Delegate Harris

Election Law - Pretrial Detainees - Absentee Ballots

Hearing held; awaiting committee vote

Ways and Means

Requiring the State Board of Elections or the local boards of elections to automatically send an absentee ballot to each registered voter in pretrial detention in a correctional facility without the voter having to submit an absentee ballot application.

Pretrial Detainees - Absentee Ballots

SB0991

HB0253

Senator Watson

Election Law - Pretrial Detainees - Absentee Ballots

First Reading Senate Rules

Rules

Requiring the State Board of Elections or the local boards of elections to automatically send an absentee ballot to each registered voter in pretrial detention in a correctional facility without the voter having to submit an absentee ballot application.

Ranked Choice Voting

HB0215

SB0383

Delegate Fair

Elections - Ranked-Choice Voting in Contests for Presidential Nomination and Certification of Election-Supporting Technology

Hearing held; awaiting committee vote

Ways and Means

Authorizing the State Board of Elections, beginning with the 2028 statewide primary election, to use ranked-choice voting to conduct a contest for the nomination by a political party of a candidate for the office of President of the United States; requiring the State Board to adopt regulations for the review, certification, and decertification of election-supporting technology and to periodically review and evaluate election-supporting technology; etc.

Ranked Choice Voting

SB0383

HB0215

Senator Kagan

Elections - Ranked-Choice Voting in Contests for Presidential Nomination and Certification of Election-Supporting Technology

Hearing held; awaiting committee vote

Education, Energy, and the Environment

Authorizing the State Board of Elections, beginning with the 2028 statewide primary election, to use ranked-choice voting to conduct a contest for the nomination by a political party of a candidate for the office of President of the United States; requiring the State Board to adopt regulations for the review, certification, and decertification of election-supporting technology and to periodically review and evaluate election-supporting technology; etc.

Special Elections

HB0075

SB0262

Chair, Ways and Means Committee

Election Law - Special Elections

First Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment

Education, Energy, and the Environment

Altering requirements for scheduling special elections to fill vacancies in a county council or in the office of chief executive officer or county executive; requiring the State Administrator to conduct a special election in accordance with State law and regulations if the State Administrator determines a conflict exists between State law and regulations and a county charter or other county law relating to the conduct of a special election; etc.

Special Elections

SB0262

HB0075

Chair, Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee

Election Law - Special Elections

Hearing held; awaiting committee vote

Ways and Means

Altering requirements for scheduling special elections to fill vacancies in a county council or in the office of chief executive officer or county executive; requiring the State Administrator to conduct a special election in accordance with State law and regulations if the State Administrator determines a conflict exists between State law and regulations and a county charter or other county law relating to the conduct of a special election; etc.

Statewide Voter Registration-Postage

HB0624

SB0323

Delegate Wells

Election Law - Statewide Voter Registration Application - Prepaid Postage

Hearing held; awaiting committee vote

Ways and Means

Requiring that a statewide voter registration application include a return envelope or envelope template with prepaid postage that an applicant may use to return the application to the State Board of Elections; and requiring return envelopes or envelope templates to be preprinted with the address of the State Board for purposes of returning the statewide voter registration application.

Statewide Voter Registration-Postage

SB0323

HB0624

Senator Kagan

Election Law - Statewide Voter Registration Application - Prepaid Postage

Hearing held; awaiting committee vote

Education, Energy, and the Environment

Requiring that a statewide voter registration application include a return envelope or envelope template with prepaid postage that an applicant may use to return the application to the State Board of Elections; requiring a statewide voter registration application to be accompanied by certain instructions for postage; and requiring the return envelopes or envelope templates to be preprinted with the address of the State Board for purposes of the returning the statewide voter registration application.

Student Voting

HB0052

Delegate Vogel

Election Law - Voting Age - Board of Education Elections (Your School, Your Voice Act)

Hearing held; awaiting committee vote

Ways and Means

Authorizing the General Assembly to provide by suitable enactment the authority of a county to lower the age at which an individual may vote in an election for members of an elected county board of education; authorizing a county to enact a local law that allows an individual who is at least 16 years old to vote in an election for members of an elected county board of education; submitting the amendment to the Maryland Constitution to the qualified voters of the State for adoption or rejection; etc.

Use of Fraud to Influence Voting

HB0525

SB0361

Delegate Feldmark

Election Law - Influence on a Voter's Voting Decision By Use of Fraud - Prohibition

Subcommittee Voting session 3/11 at 12:30 p.m.

Ways and Means

Prohibiting a person from using fraud to influence or attempt to influence a voter's voting decision; providing that fraud includes the use of synthetic media; and defining 'synthetic media' as an image, an audio recording, or a video recording that has been intentionally created or manipulated with the use of generative artificial intelligence or other digital technology to create a realistic but false image, audio recording, or video recording.

Use of Fraud to Influence Voting

SB0361

HB0525

Senator Hester

Election Law - Influence on a Voter's Voting Decision By Use of Fraud - Prohibition

Hearing 3/26 at 1:00 p.m.

Ways and Means

Prohibiting a person from using fraud to influence or attempt to influence a voter's voting decision; and providing that fraud includes the use of synthetic media.

Voter Registration - Minors

HB0153

Delegate Fair

Election Law - Voter Registration - Age and Notification to Minors

Hearing 4/02 at 1:00 p.m.

Education, Energy, and the Environment

Altering, from 16 years old to 15 years and 9 months old, the age at which an individual may register to vote; requiring that a voter notification card sent to an individual under the age of 18 years include information regarding when the individual will be eligible to vote; and requiring the election director in the county where a registered voter under the age of 18 years becomes eligible to vote under a certain provision of law to send a certain notice to the voter.