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*hb0050*
HOUSE BILL 50
G1, P5 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 6lr0733
HB 174/25 – W&M (PRE–FILED) CF SB 5
By: Delegate Foley
Requested: August 25, 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 31, 2026
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
General Assembly – Special Election to Fill a Vacancy in Office 2
FOR the purpose of requiring that a special election be held at the same time as the regular 3
statewide primary and general elections that are held in the second year of a term 4
to fill a vacancy in the office of Delegate or Senator in the General Assembly if the 5
vacancy occurs on or before a certain date. 6
BY proposing an amendment to the Maryland Constitution 7
Article III – Legislative Department 8
Section 13 9
BY proposing an amendment to the Maryland Constitution 10
Article XVII – Quadrennial Elections 11
Section 2 12
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 13
(Three–fifths of all the members elected to each of the two Houses concurring), That it be 14
proposed that the Maryland Constitution read as follows: 15
Article III – Legislative Department 16
13. 17
(a) (1) In case of death, disqualification, resignation, refusal to act, expulsion, 18
2 HOUSE BILL 50
or removal from the county or city for which [he] THE INDIVIDUAL shall have been elected, 1
of any [person] INDIVIDUAL who shall have been chosen as a Delegate or Senator, or in 2
case of a tie between two or more such qualified [persons] INDIVIDUALS, the Governor 3
shall appoint [a person ] AN INDIVIDUAL to fill such vacancy from [a person ] AN 4
INDIVIDUAL whose name shall be submitted to [him] THE GOVERNOR in writing, within 5
[thirty] 30 days after the occurrence of the vacancy, by the Central Committee of the 6
political party, if any, with which the Delegate or Senator, so vacating, had been affiliated, 7
at the time of the last e lection or appointment of the vacating Senator or Delegate, in the 8
County or District from which [he or she] THE VACATING SENATOR OR DELEGATE was 9
appointed or elected, provided that the appointee shall be of the same political party, if any, 10
as was that of the Delegate or Senator, whose office is to be filled, at the time of the last 11
election or appointment of the vacating Delegate or Senator, and it shall be the duty of the 12
Governor to make said appointment within [fifteen] 15 days after the submission the reof 13
to [him] THE GOVERNOR. 14
(2) If a name is not submitted by the Central Committee within [thirty] 30 15
days after the occurrence of the vacancy, the Governor within another period of [fifteen] 15 16
days shall appoint [a person ] AN INDIVIDUAL , who shall be affiliated with the same 17
political party, if any as was that of the Delegate or Senator, whose office is to be filled, at 18
the time of the last election or appointment of the vacating Delegate or Senator, and who 19
is otherwise properly qualified to hold the office of Delegate or Senator in the District or 20
County. 21
(3) In the event there is no Central Committee in the County or District 22
from which said vacancy is to be filled, the Governor shall within [fifteen] 15 days after the 23
occurrence of such vacancy appoint [a person] AN INDIVIDUAL, from the same political 24
party, if any, as that of the vacating Delegate or Senator, at the time of the last election or 25
appointment of the vacating Senator or Delegate, who is otherwise properly qualified to 26
hold the office of Delegate or Senator in such District or County. 27
[(4) In every case when any person is so appointed by the Governor, his 28
appointment shall be deemed to be for the unexpired term of the person whose office has 29
become vacant.] 30
(b) In addition, and i n submitting a name to the Governor to fill a vacancy in a 31
Legislative or Delegate district, as the case may be, in any of the [twenty–three] 23 32
counties of Maryland, the Central Committee or committees shall follow these provisions: 33
(1) If the vacancy occurs in a district having the same boundaries as a 34
county, the Central Committee of the county shall submit the name of a resident of the 35
district. 36
(2) If the vacancy occurs in a district which has boundaries comprising a 37
portion of one county, the Ce ntral Committee of that county shall submit the name of a 38
resident of the district. 39
HOUSE BILL 50 3
(3) If the vacancy occurs in a district which has boundaries comprising a 1
portion or all of two or more counties, the Central Committee of each county involved shall 2
have one vote for submitting the name of a resident of the district; and if there is a tie vote 3
between or among the Central Committees, the list of names there proposed shall be 4
submitted to the Governor, and [he] THE GOVERNOR shall make the appointment from 5
the list. 6
(C) (1) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION , 7
AN INDIVIDUAL APPOIN TED UNDER THIS SECTI ON SHALL SERVE UNTIL A 8
SUCCESSOR IS ELECTED UNDER PARAGRAPH (3) OF THIS SUBSECTION TO FILL THE 9
REMAINDER OF THE TERM. 10
(2) AN INDIVIDUAL APPOINTED UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL SERVE 11
FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE TERM IF THE VACANCY OCCURS AFTER THE DATE THAT 12
IS 55 DAYS BEFORE THE DEADLINE FOR FILING CERTIFICATES OF CANDIDACY FOR 13
THE REGULAR STATEWIDE ELECTION THAT IS H ELD IN THE SECOND YE AR OF THE 14
TERM. 15
(3) IF THE VACANCY OCCURS ON OR BEFORE THE DAT E THAT IS 55 16
DAYS BEFORE THE DEAD LINE FOR FILING CERT IFICATES OF CANDIDACY FOR THE 17
REGULAR STATEWIDE ELECTION THAT IS HELD IN THE SECOND YEAR OF THE TERM, 18
THE GOVERNOR SHALL ISSUE A PROCLAMATION IMMED IATELY AFTER THE 19
OCCURRENCE OF THE VA CANCY DECLARING THAT A SPECIAL PRIMARY EL ECTION 20
AND A SPECIAL GENERA L ELECTION SHALL BE HELD AT THE SAME TIM E AS THE 21
REGULAR STATEWIDE PR IMARY ELECTION AND R EGULAR STATEWIDE GEN ERAL 22
ELECTION THAT ARE HELD IN THE SECOND YEAR OF THE TERM. 23
Article XVII – Quadrennial Elections 24
2. 25
(A) Except [for a special election that may be authorized to fill a vacancy in a 26
County Council or a vacancy in the office of chief executive officer or County Executive, 27
under Article XI–A, Section 3 of the Constitution] AS PROVIDED IN SUBSECTION (B) OF 28
THIS SECTION, elections by qualified voters for State and county officers shall be held on 29
the Tuesday next after the first Monday of November, in the year [nineteen hundred and 30
twenty–six] 1926, and on the same day in every fourth year thereafter. 31
(B) THIS SECTION DOES NOT APPLY TO A SPECIAL ELECTION: 32
(1) TO FILL A VACANCY IN A COUNTY COUNCIL OR A VACANCY IN THE 33
OFFICE OF CHIEF EXEC UTIVE OFFICER OR COUNTY EXECUTIVE UNDER ARTICLE 34
XI–A, § 3 OF THE CONSTITUTION; OR 35
4 HOUSE BILL 50
(2) TO FILL A VACANCY IN THE OFFICE OF DELEGATE OR SENATOR IN 1
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY UNDER ARTICLE III, § 13(C) OF THE CONSTITUTION. 2
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the General Assembly 3
determines that the amendment to the Maryland Constitution proposed by Section 1 of this 4
Act affects multiple jurisdictions and that the provisions of Article XIV, § 1 of the Maryland 5
Constitution concerning local approval of constitutional amendments do not apply. 6
SECTION 3. AND B E IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the amendment to the 7
Maryland Constitution proposed by Section 1 of this Act shall be submitted to the qualified 8
voters of the State at the next general election to be held in November 2026 for adoption or 9
rejection in accordance with Article XIV of the Maryland Constitution. At that general 10
election, the vote on the proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be by ballot, and on 11
each ballot there shall be printed the words “For the Constitutional Amendment” and 12
“Against the Constitutional Amendment”, as now provided by law. Immediately after the 13
election, all returns shall be made to the Governor of the vote for and against the proposed 14
amendment, as directed by Article XIV of the Maryland Constitution, and further 15
proceedings held in accordance with Article XIV. 16
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.