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*hb0044*
HOUSE BILL 44
G1 6lr0710
HB 816/25 – W&M (PRE–FILED) CF SB 29
By: Delegate Feldmark
Requested: August 20, 2025
Introduced and read first time: January 14, 2026
Assigned to: Government, Labor, and Elections
Committee Report: Favorable
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 28, 2026
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Election Law – Petitions and Ballot Questions – Contents, Plain Language 2
Requirement, and Procedures 3
FOR the purpose of altering the information that is required to be included on the signature 4
page of a petition seeking to place a question on the ballot and with a question on 5
the ballot; requiring that a certain summary inc luded on the signature page of a 6
petition seeking to place a question on the ballot and a certain statement about a 7
question on the ballot be written in plain language; altering the deadline by which 8
ballot questions must be prepared and certified; requiri ng the State Board of 9
Elections to make certain information regarding a ballot question available for a 10
public comment period; requiring the State Board and each applicable local board of 11
elections to post certain information relating to certain ballot que stions for at least 12
a certain period of time before the general election; and generally relating to petitions 13
and ballot questions. 14
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 15
Article – Election Law 16
Section 6–103(b), 6–201(c) and (d), 7–103(b) and (c), 7–105, and 9–207 17
Annotated Code of Maryland 18
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 19
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 20
Article – Election Law 21
Section 6–201(a) 22
2 HOUSE BILL 44
Annotated Code of Maryland 1
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 2
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 3
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 4
Article – Election Law 5
6–103. 6
(b) (1) The State Board shall: 7
(i) prepare guidelines and instructions relating to the petition 8
process; and 9
(ii) design and arrange to have sample forms available to the public 10
conforming to this title for each purpose for which a petition is authorized by law. 11
(2) WHEN PREPARING GUIDEL INES AND INSTRUCTION S FOR 12
COMPLIANCE WITH THE PLAIN LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT OF § 6–201(C)(2)(II) OF 13
THIS TITLE, THE STATE BOARD SHALL: 14
(I) CONSIDER ANY GENERAL LY ACCEPTED GUIDELIN ES 15
REGARDING COMPLIANCE WITH THE FEDERAL PLAIN WRITING ACT OF 2010; AND 16
(II) PROHIBIT THE USE OF THE PASSIVE VOICE, LEGAL JARGON, 17
AND DOUBLE NEGATIVES. 18
(3) The guidelines, instructions, and forms shall be provided to the public, 19
on request, without charge. 20
6–201. 21
(a) A petition shall contain: 22
(1) an information page; and 23
(2) signature pages containing not less than the total number of signatures 24
required by law to be filed. 25
(c) Each signature page shall contain: 26
(1) a description of the subject and purpose of the petition, conforming to 27
the requirements of regulations; 28
(2) if the petition seeks to place a question on the ballot[, either]: 29
HOUSE BILL 44 3
(i) A BRIEF TITLE THAT D ESCRIBES THE TOPIC , GOAL, OR 1
OUTCOME OF THE BALLOT QUESTION; 2
(II) 1. a fair and accurate summary of the substantive provisions 3
of the proposal WRITTEN IN PLAIN, CLEAR LANGUAGE THAT: 4
A. A VOTER CAN EASILY UNDERSTAND; 5
B. DOES NOT EXPLAIN THE LEGAL MECHANISM 6
PROVIDING FOR THE POLICY CHANGE; AND 7
C. DOES NOT CONTAIN LEG AL JARGON OR USE DOU BLE 8
NEGATIVES OR THE PASSIVE VOICE; or 9
[(ii)] 2. the full text of the proposal; AND 10
(III) A BR IEF STATEMENT EXPLAI NING WHAT THE PRACTI CAL 11
OUTCOME OF EACH VOTING CHOICE WOULD BE; 12
(3) a statement, to which each signer subscribes, that: 13
(i) the signer supports the purpose of that petition process; and 14
(ii) based on the signer’s information and belief, the signer is a 15
registered voter in the county specified on the page and is eligible to have his or her 16
signature counted; 17
(4) spaces for signatures and the required information relating to the 18
signers; 19
(5) a space for the name of the cou nty in which each of the signers of that 20
page is a registered voter; 21
(6) a space for the required affidavit made and executed by the circulator; 22
and 23
(7) any other information required by regulation. 24
(d) If the petition seeks to place a question on the ballot and the sponsor elects to 25
print a summary of the proposal on each signature page as provided in subsection [(c)(2)(i)] 26
(C)(2)(II)1 of this section: 27
(1) the circulator shall have the full text of the proposal present at the time 28
and place that each signature is affixed to the page; and 29
4 HOUSE BILL 44
(2) the signature page shall state that the full text is available from the 1
circulator. 2
7–103. 3
(b) Each question shall appear on the ballot containing the following information: 4
(1) a question number or letter as determined under subsection (d) of this 5
section; 6
(2) a brief designation of the type or source of the question; 7
(3) a brief [descriptive] title in boldface type THAT DESCRIBES THE 8
TOPIC, GOAL, OR OUTCOME OF THE BALLOT QUESTION; 9
(4) a condensed statement [of the purpose of the question ] DESCRIBING 10
THE CHANGE IN POLICY TO BE ADOPTED IN PLAIN AND CLEAR LANGUAGE THAT: 11
(I) A VOTER CAN EASILY UNDERSTAND; 12
(II) DOES NOT EXPLAIN THE LEGAL MECHANISM PROV IDING 13
FOR THE POLICY CHANGE; AND 14
(III) DOES NOT CONTAIN LEG AL JARGON OR USE DOU BLE 15
NEGATIVES OR THE PASSIVE VOICE; [and] 16
(5) the voting choices that the voter has; AND 17
(6) A BRIEF STATEMENT EX PLAINING WHAT THE PR ACTICAL 18
OUTCOME OF EACH VOTING CHOICE WOULD BE. 19
(c) (1) [The] ON OR BEFORE JULY 1 IMMEDIATELY PRECEDIN G A 20
GENERAL ELECTION, THE Secretary of State shall prepare and certify to the State Board[, 21
not later than the 95th day before the general election, ] the information required under 22
subsection (b) of this section, for all statewide ballot questions and all questions relating to 23
an enactment of the General Assembly which is petitioned to referendum. 24
(2) [The] ON OR BEFORE JULY 1 IMMEDIATELY PRECEDIN G A 25
GENERAL ELECTION, THE State Board shall prepare and certify to the appropriate local 26
board[, not later than the 105th day before the general election,] the information required 27
under subsection (b) of this section for all questions that have been referred to the voters of 28
one county or part of one county pursuant to an enactment of the General Assembly. 29
(3) (i) [The] ON OR BEFORE JULY 1 IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING A 30
GENERAL ELECTION, THE county attorney of the appropriate county shall prepare and 31
HOUSE BILL 44 5
certify to the State Board [, not later than the 95th day before the general elec tion,] the 1
information required under subsection (b) of this section for each question to be voted on in 2
a single county or part of a county, except a question covered by paragraph (1) or paragraph 3
(2) of this subsection. 4
(ii) If the information required under subsection (b) of this section 5
has not been timely certified under subparagraph (i) of this paragraph, the clerk of the 6
circuit court for the jurisdiction shall prepare and certify that information to the State 7
Board not later than the first Friday in August. 8
(4) (i) [The] ON OR BEFORE JULY 1 IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING A 9
GENERAL ELECTION, THE municipal attorney of the appropriate municipal corporation 10
shall prepare and certify to the State Board[, not later than the 95th day before the general 11
election,] the information required under subsection (b) of this section for each question to 12
be voted on in the municipal corporation, except a question covered by paragraphs (1) 13
through (3) of this subsection. 14
(ii) If the information required under s ubsection (b) of this section 15
has not been timely certified under subparagraph (i) of this paragraph, the clerk of the 16
circuit court for the county in which the municipal corporation is located shall prepare and 17
certify that information to the State Board not later than the first Friday in August. 18
(5) (I) THE STATE BOARD SHALL MAKE THE INFORMATION 19
SUBMITTED IN ACCORDA NCE WITH THIS SUBSEC TION AVAILABLE TO TH E PUBLIC 20
FOR A 15–DAY COMMENT PERIOD. 21
(II) ON OR BEFORE THE FOUR TH DAY IMMEDIATELY 22
FOLLOWING THE END OF THE COMMENT PERIOD REQUIRED UNDER SUBPARAGRAPH 23
(I) OF THIS PARAGRAPH, THE PERSON REQUIRED TO PREPARE A QUESTION UNDER 24
PARAGRAPH (1), (2), (3), OR (4) OF THIS SUBSECTION SHALL: 25
1. REVIEW THE COMMENTS RECEIVED DURING THE 26
COMMENT PERIOD AND MAKE ANY NECESSARY CHANGES TO THE QUESTION; AND 27
2. SUBMIT THE CERTIFIED PLAIN TEXT OF THE 28
QUESTION TO THE STATE BOARD FOR PUBLICATION ON ITS WEBSITE UNDER § 9–207 29
OF THIS ARTICLE. 30
(6) The information required under subsection (b) of this section for a 31
question that is being placed on the ballot by petition may be prepared before the petition 32
is certified under § 6–208 of this article. 33
7–105. 34
6 HOUSE BILL 44
(a) A local board shall provide notice of each question to be submitted statewide 1
and each question to be submitted to the voters of the county, by: 2
(1) specimen ballot mailed at least 1 week before any early voting period 3
before the general election; or 4
(2) publication or dissemination by mass communication during the 3 5
weeks immediately preceding the gene ral election at which a question will appear on the 6
ballot. 7
(b) (1) For any question submitted under Article XIV or Article XVI of the 8
Maryland Constitution, the notice required by subsection (a) of this section shall contain 9
the information specified in § 7–103(b) of this title and a brief statement, prepared in clear 10
and concise language, devoid of technical and legal terms to the extent practicable, 11
summarizing the question. 12
(2) The statement required under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be: 13
(i) prepared by the Department of Legislative Services; 14
(ii) approved by the Attorney General; and 15
(iii) submitted to the State Board by the first Monday in August. 16
(3) The statement required under paragraph (1) of this subsection is 17
sufficient if it is: 18
(i) contained in an enactment by the General Assembly, and the 19
enactment clearly specifies that the statement is to be used on the ballot; or 20
(ii) consistent with some other process mandated by the Maryland 21
Constitution. 22
(c) The State Board shall adopt regulations governing notice of questions to 23
appear on the ballot, including the use and content of specimen ballots and the publication 24
or dissemination of notice by mass communication. 25
(d) (1) The complete text of a question sha ll be posted or available for public 26
inspection in the office of the State Board and each applicable local board for 65 days prior 27
to the general election. 28
(2) Copies of the complete text of all statewide questions shall be furnished 29
by the State Board to the local boards in quantities as determined by the State Board, 30
including quantities sufficient to provide one copy of each for posting in each polling place 31
and in each local board office. 32
HOUSE BILL 44 7
(3) An individual may receive without charge a copy of the complete text of 1
all constitutional amendments and questions from a local board, either in person, by mail, 2
or electronically. 3
(E) THE STATE BOARD AND EACH APPLICABLE LOCAL BOARD SHALL POST 4
IN A MANNER WIDELY ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC FOR AT LEAST 90 DAYS BEFORE 5
THE GENERAL ELECTION: 6
(1) THE COMPLETE TEXT OF: 7
(I) FOR A QUESTION RELAT ING TO THE CREATION OR 8
ADOPTION OF A NEW CONSTITUTION, THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTION; 9
(II) FOR AN AMENDMENT UND ER ARTICLE XIV OF THE 10
MARYLAND CONSTITUTION, THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE MARYLAND 11
CONSTITUTION; 12
(III) FOR AN ENACTMENT OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 13
REFERRED IN ACCORDAN CE WITH ARTICLE XVI OF THE MARYLAND 14
CONSTITUTION, THE ENACTMENT; 15
(IV) FOR A PROPOSED COUNT Y CHARTER OR AMENDME NT TO A 16
COUNTY CHARTER UNDER ARTICLE XI–A OF THE MARYLAND CONSTITUTION: 17
1. THE PROPOSED CHARTER; OR 18
2. THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO A COUNTY CHARTER; 19
(V) FOR AN ENACTMENT OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 20
REFERRING A QUESTION TO THE VOTERS, THE ENACTMENT; AND 21
(VI) FOR A CHARTER COUNTY ENACTMENT IN ACCORDANCE 22
WITH § 9–205 OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ARTICLE OR A CODE COU NTY 23
ENACTMENT IN ACCORDA NCE WITH §§ 9–310 THROUGH 9–313 OF THE LOCAL 24
GOVERNMENT ARTICLE, THE PROPOSED ENACTMENT; AND 25
(2) FOR EACH QUESTION PO STED UNDER ITEM (1)(II), (III), (IV), (V), 26
OR (VI) OF THIS SUBSECTION , A LINK TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OR COUNTY 27
WEBPAGE FOR THE APPLICABLE LEGISLATION. 28
9–207. 29
(a) The State Board shall certify and publicly display the content and 30
arrangement of each ballot: 31
8 HOUSE BILL 44
(1) for a primary election, at least 64 days before the election; 1
(2) for a general election, at least 64 days before the election; 2
(3) for a special primary election, at least 55 days before the election; and 3
(4) for a special general election, not later than a date specified in the 4
Governor’s proclamation. 5
(b) The Supreme Court of Maryland, on petition of the State Board, may establish 6
a later date in extraordinary circumstances. 7
(c) The State Board shall publicly display the content and arrangement of each 8
certified ballot on its website. 9
(d) Except pursuant to a court order under § 9–209 of this subtitle, or as provided 10
in § 9–208 of this subtitle, the content and arrangement of the ballot may not be modified 11
after the second day of the public display. 12
(e) Unless a delay is required by court order, the State Board may begin to print 13
the ballots after certification and 3 days of public display and correct any noted errors. 14
(F) THE CERTIFICATION OF A BALLOT UNDER THIS SECTION THAT 15
INCLUDES A QUESTION MAY NOT BE CONSTRUED TO BE A CERTIFICATIO N OF THE 16
BALLOT LANGUAGE REQUIRED TO BE INCLUDED ON THE BALLOT UNDER § 7–103 OF 17
THIS ARTICLE , INCLUDING THE PLAIN LANGUAGE CONDENSED S TATEMENT 18
REQUIRED UNDER § 7–103(B)(4) OF THIS ARTICLE. 19
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect June 20
1, 2026. 21
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.