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EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0565*
HOUSE BILL 565
F3, G1 6lr2339
By: Delegate J. Long
Introduced and read first time: January 28, 2026
Assigned to: Government, Labor, and Elections
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
County Boards of Education – Elections – District Voting 2
(Fair Representation Act) 3
FOR the purpose of requiring an election of members of certain county boards of education 4
to represent a specific district to be decided by a plurality of the votes cast within 5
that district; and generally relating to county boards of education elections. 6
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 7
Article – Education 8
Section 3 –301(a), 3 –4A–01(a), 3 –601(b), 3 –901(b), 3 –10A–01(a) and (c)(1), and 9
3–1101(e)(1) 10
Annotated Code of Maryland 11
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 12
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 13
Article – Education 14
Section 3 –301(d), 3–4A–01(b), 3 –601(d)(1), 3 –901(f)(2), 3 –10A–01(b), and 15
3–1101(e)(2) 16
Annotated Code of Maryland 17
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 18
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 19
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 20
Article – Education 21
3–301. 22
(a) The Calvert County Board consists of five voting members and one nonvoting 23
student member. 24
2 HOUSE BILL 565
(d) Of the five voting members of the county board: 1
(1) One shall be elected from each of the three county commissioner 2
districts BY A PLURALITY OF THE VOTES CAST WITHIN THAT DISTRICT; and 3
(2) Two shall be elected from the county at large. 4
3–4A–01. 5
(a) The Cecil County Board consists of six members as follows: 6
(1) One voting member elected from each of the five commissioner districts; 7
and 8
(2) One nonvoting student member. 9
(b) The five voting members of the county board shall be elected [at]: 10
(1) AT a general election as required by subsection (c) of this section; AND 11
(2) BY A PLURALITY OF THE VOTES CAST WITHIN EACH RESPECTIVE 12
COMMISSIONER DISTRICT. 13
3–601. 14
(b) The Garrett County Board consists of: 15
(1) One elected member from each county commissioner district; 16
(2) Two elected members from the county at large; and 17
(3) One nonvoting student member. 18
(d) (1) Elected members of the board shall be elected [at]: 19
(I) AT a general election as required by subsection (e) of this section; 20
AND 21
(II) FOR THE MEMBERS ELECT ED FROM EACH COUNTY 22
COMMISSIONER DISTRIC T, BY A PLURALITY OF TH E VOTES CAST WITHIN THAT 23
COMMISSIONER DISTRICT. 24
3–901. 25
(b) The Montgomery County Board consists of: 26
HOUSE BILL 565 3
(1) 5 elected members, each of whom resides in a different board of 1
education district; 2
(2) 2 elected members who may reside anywhere in the county; and 3
(3) 1 student member. 4
(f) (2) (I) [Elected] THE ELECTED members of the county board WHO 5
MAY RESIDE ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTY shall be elected by the voters of the entire 6
county. 7
(II) THE ELECTED MEMBERS F ROM EACH OF THE BOAR D OF 8
EDUCATION DISTRICTS SHALL BE ELECTED BY A PLURALITY OF TH E VOTES CAST 9
WITHIN THAT BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT. 10
3–10A–01. 11
(a) The Queen Anne’s County Board consists of: 12
(1) Five voting, nonpartisan, elected members; and 13
(2) One nonvoting student representative from each public high s chool in 14
the county. 15
(b) The five voting, nonpartisan, elected members shall be elected [by the voters 16
of the entire county] at a general election in accordance with subsection (c) of this section 17
AS FOLLOWS: 18
(1) FOR THE MEMBER ELECTE D FROM THE COUNTY AT LARGE , BY 19
THE VOTERS OF THE ENTIRE COUNTY; AND 20
(2) FOR THE MEMBERS ELECTED FROM EACH OF THE FOUR COUNTY 21
COMMISSIONER DISTRIC TS, BY A PLURALITY OF TH E VOTES CAST WITHIN THAT 22
DISTRICT. 23
(c) (1) (i) One voting member shall reside in and be elected fro m each of 24
the four county commissioner districts; and 25
(ii) One member shall reside in the county and be elected from the 26
county at large. 27
3–1101. 28
(e) (1) The St. Mary’s County Board consists of five voting members who shall 29
be elected as follows: 30
4 HOUSE BILL 565
(i) One member shall be elected from the county at large; and 1
(ii) One member shall be elected from each of the four commissioner 2
districts. 3
(2) Voting members of the county board shall be elected: 4
(i) At a general election as required by this section; and 5
(ii) 1. [On] FOR THE MEMBER ELECTED FROM THE COUNTY 6
AT LARGE, ON a general countywide ticket; AND 7
2. FOR THE MEMBERS ELECT ED FROM EACH OF THE 8
FOUR COMMISSIONER DI STRICTS, BY A PLURALITY OF TH E VOTES CAST WITHIN 9
THAT DISTRICT. 10
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act: 11
(1) shall be applicable to the elections for county boards of education in 12
which members are elected from individual districts held in 2028 and all subsequent 13
elections; and 14
(2) may not be construed to affect the tenure of an elected member of a 15
county board of education who is elected from an individual district serving in office before 16
the beginning of the next regular full term of office that begins after the effective date of 17
this Act. 18
SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 19
October 1, 2026. 20