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EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0581*
HOUSE BILL 581
G1 EMERGENCY BILL 6lr2032
By: Delegates R. Long and Mangione
Introduced and read first time: January 28, 2026
Assigned to: Government, Labor, and Elections
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Baltimore County – Absentee Ballots – Signature Requirements 2
FOR the purpose of prohibiting the Baltimore County Board of Elections from removing an 3
absentee ballot from a return envelope or b allot/return envelope or counting the 4
ballot unless the return envelope or ballot/return envelope is signed by the voter and, 5
except under certain circumstances, a witness and the Board verifies the voter’s 6
signature; and generally relating to absentee ballots in Baltimore County. 7
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 8
Article – Election Law 9
Section 9–303 and 9–310(a)(5) and (c) 10
Annotated Code of Maryland 11
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 12
BY adding to 13
Article – Election Law 14
Section 9–310.1 15
Annotated Code of Maryland 16
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 17
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 18
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 19
Article – Election Law 20
9–303. 21
(a) The State Board shall establish guidelines for the administration of absentee 22
voting by the local boards. 23
(b) The guidelines shall provide for: 24
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(1) the application process; 1
(2) late application for absentee ballots; 2
(3) ballot security, including storage of returned ballots; 3
(4) determining timeliness of receipt of applications and ballots, including 4
applications and ballots for overseas voters; 5
(5) the canvass process; 6
(6) notice of the canvass to candidates, political parties, campaign 7
organizations, news media, and the general public; 8
(7) observers of the process; 9
(8) review of voted ballots and envelopes for compliance with the law and 10
for machine tabulation acceptability; 11
(9) standards for disallowance of ballots during the canvass; 12
(10) storage and retention of ballots following canvass and certification; 13
[and] 14
(11) the permanent absentee ballot list; AND 15
(12) IN BALTIMORE COUNTY, VERIFICATION OF SIGN ATURES ON 16
ABSENTEE BALLOT ENVELOPES. 17
(c) The State Board shall: 18
(1) in consultation with the local boards, assess the guidelines before each 19
primary election; and 20
(2) revise the guidelines if indicated. 21
9–310. 22
(a) (5) When voted and returned to the local board, an absentee ballot shall be 23
enclosed in a ballot envelope or ballot/return envelope, on which has been printed [an oath] 24
THE APPLICABLE OATHS prescribed by the State Board. 25
(c) If an absentee ballot is sent by the Internet or facsimile transmission, the local 26
board shall provide the voter with an envelope template, the [oath] APPLICABLE OATHS 27
prescribed by the State Board, and instructions for marking and returning the absentee 28
HOUSE BILL 581 3
ballot. 1
9–310.1. 2
(A) IN THIS SECTION, “UNIFORMED SERVICES” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED 3
IN 10 U.S.C. § 101. 4
(B) THIS SECTION APPLIES ONLY IN BALTIMORE COUNTY. 5
(C) THE LOCAL BOARD MAY NOT REMOVE AN ABSENTEE BALLOT FROM THE 6
RETURN ENVELOPE OR B ALLOT/RETURN ENVELOPE OR C OUNT THE BALLOT 7
UNLESS: 8
(1) THE RETURN ENVELOPE OR BALLOT /RETURN ENVELOPE IS 9
SIGNED BY: 10
(I) THE VOTER TO WHOM THE BALLOT WAS ISSUED; AND 11
(II) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBSECTION (D) OF THIS SECTION, 12
A WITNESS OTHER THAN THE VOTER TO WHOM THE BALLOT WAS ISSUED; AND 13
(2) THE VOTER ’S SIGNATURE IS VERIF IED AS PROVIDED IN 14
SUBSECTION (E) OF THIS SECTION. 15
(D) THE WITNESS SIGNATURE REQUIREMENT UNDER SUBSECTION (C)(1)(II) 16
OF THIS SECTION DOES NOT APPLY TO AN ABSE NTEE BALLOT THAT IS VOTED AND 17
RETURNED BY: 18
(1) AN ACTIVE DUTY MEMBER OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES WHO IS 19
SERVING OVERSEAS; OR 20
(2) THE SPOUSE OR DEPENDENT OF AN ACTIVE DUTY MEMBER OF THE 21
UNIFORMED SERVICES WHO IS SERVING OVERSEAS IF THE SPOUSE OR DEPENDENT 22
LIVES OVERSEAS. 23
(E) THE LOCAL BOARD SHALL VE RIFY THE SIGNATURE O F THE VOTER ON 24
THE RETURN ENVELOPE OR BALLOT /RETURN ENVELOPE BY C OMPARING THE 25
SIGNATURE WITH THE V OTER’S REGISTRATION RECOR D IN ACCORDANCE WITH 26
REGULATIONS ADOPTED BY THE STATE BOARD. 27
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER E NACTED, That this Act is an emergency 28
measure, is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public health or safety, has 29
been passed by a yea and nay vote supported by three –fifths of all the members elected to 30
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each of the two Houses of the General A ssembly, and shall take effect from the date it is 1
enacted. 2