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*sb0241*
SENATE BILL 241
G1 6lr2278
CF HB 115
By: Senator Augustine Senators Augustine, Brooks, Harris, and Watson
Introduced and read first time: January 15, 2026
Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
Senate action: Adopted
Read second time: February 21, 2026
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Election Law – Individuals Released From State Correctional Facilities – 2
Automatic Restoration of Voter Registration 3
FOR the purpose of requiring, on or before a certain date, the State Board of Elections and 4
the Department of Public Safety and Correct ional Services to jointly develop and 5
implement certain procedures and a certain electronic transmission process for the 6
restoration of voter registration for individuals released from incarceration at a State 7
correctional facility; requiring the Departmen t of Public Safety and Correctional 8
Services to transmit a certain list of individuals released from incarceration at a 9
State correctional facility to the State Board of Elections in a certain manner; 10
requiring the State Board to automatically promptly restore the voter registration of 11
certain individuals released from State correctional facilities who were registered to 12
vote in the State before being incarcerated; prohibiting certain information 13
regarding voters registered through the Department the voter registration agency 14
through which a formerly incarcerated voter has registered from being disclosed 15
under the Public Information Act to the public; and generally relating to automatic 16
restoration of voter registration for individuals released from Stat e correctional 17
facilities. 18
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 19
Article – Correctional Services 20
Section 1–101(a), (f), and (q) and 2–601 21
Annotated Code of Maryland 22
(2025 Replacement Volume) 23
2 SENATE BILL 241
BY adding to 1
Article – Election Law 2
Section 3–203.1 3
Annotated Code of Maryland 4
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 5
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 6
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 7
Article – Correctional Services 8
1–101. 9
(a) In this article the following words have the meanings indicated. 10
(f) “Department” means the Department of Public Safety and Correctional 11
Services. 12
(q) (1) “State correctional facility” means a correctional facility that is 13
operated by the State. 14
(2) “State correctional facility” includes: 15
(i) the Patuxent Institution; 16
(ii) the Baltimore City Detention Center; and 17
(iii) the centralized booking facility in Baltimore City that is operated 18
by the Division of Pretrial Detention and Services in the Department of P ublic Safety and 19
Correctional Services. 20
2–601. 21
The Department shall: 22
(1) provide each individual who is released from a correctional facility with 23
a voter registration application and documentation with the individual’s discharge papers 24
that informs the individual that the individual’s voting rights have been restored; 25
(2) display a sign in each parole and probation office, in a conspicuous 26
location where notices to the public are customarily posted, indicating that any individual 27
who is no longer incarcerated has the right to vote; and 28
(3) post a notice, in a conspicuous location on the Department’s website, 29
indicating that any individual who is no longer incarcerated has the right to vote. 30
Article – Election Law 31
SENATE BILL 241 3
3–203.1. 1
(A) IN THIS SECTION, “STATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY” HAS THE MEANING 2
STATED IN § 1–101 OF THE CORRECTIONAL SERVICES ARTICLE. 3
(B) ON OR BEFORE JANUARY 1, 2028, THE STATE BOARD AND THE 4
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND CORRECTIONAL SERVICES JOINTLY SHALL 5
DEVELOP AND IMPLEMEN T P ROCEDURES AND AN ELE CTRONIC TRANSMISSION 6
PROCESS THAT COMPLY WITH THIS SECTION FO R THE RESTORATION OF VOTER 7
REGISTRATION FOR IND IVIDUALS RELEASED FR OM INCARCERATION AT A STATE 8
CORRECTIONAL FACILITY. 9
(B) (C) ON A WEEKLY MONTHLY BASIS, THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC 10
SAFETY AND CORRECTIONAL SERVICES SHALL ELECTR ONICALLY TRANSMIT TO 11
THE STATE BOARD A LIST THAT INC LUDES THE NAME AND NEW RESIDEN TIAL 12
ADDRESS OF FOLLOWING INFORMATION FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL WHO WAS RELEASED 13
FROM INCARCERATION AT A STATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY IN THE IMMEDIATELY 14
PRECEDING WEEK MONTH: 15
(1) THE INDIVIDUAL’S FULL NAME; 16
(2) THE INDIVIDUAL’S DATE OF BIRTH; 17
(3) THE LAST FOUR DIGITS OF THE INDIVIDUAL’S SOCIAL SECURITY 18
NUMBER, DRIVER’S LICENSE NUMBER , OR STATE–ISSUED IDENTIFICATION CA RD 19
NUMBER; 20
(4) THE DATE THE INDIVID UAL WAS RELEASED FRO M 21
INCARCERATION; AND 22
(5) THE INDIVIDUAL’S NEW RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 23
(C) (D) ON RECEIPT OF THE LIS T UNDER SUBSECTION (B) (C) OF THIS 24
SECTION, THE STATE BOARD SHALL IDENTIFY EACH INDIVIDUAL ON THE LIST WHO 25
WAS REGISTERED TO VO TE IN THE STATE BEFORE BEING IN CARCERATED AND 26
WHOSE NEW RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS IS LOCATED IN THE STATE. 27
(D) (E) THE STATE BOARD SHALL AUTOMATICALLY PROMPTLY RESTORE 28
THE VOTER REGISTRATION OF EACH INDIVIDUA L IDENTIFIED UNDER S UBSECTION 29
(C) (D) OF THIS SECTION AT T HE INDIVIDUAL’S NEW RESIDENTIAL AD DRESS AND 30
GIVE THE INDIVIDUAL ACTIVE VOTER STATUS. 31
4 SENATE BILL 241
(E) (F) WITH THE VOTER NOTIFI CATION CARD THAT IS SENT IN 1
ACCORDANCE WITH § 3–301(C) OF THIS TITLE TO EACH INDIVIDUAL WHOSE VOTER 2
REGISTRATION IS REST ORED UNDER SUBSECTIO N (D) (E) OF THIS SECTION , THE 3
ELECTION DIRECTOR SH ALL ENCLOSE A NOTICE THAT INCLUDES A STAT EMENT 4
THAT: 5
(1) THE INDIVIDUAL HAS B EEN REGISTERED TO VOTE AT THE 6
RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS THE INDIVIDUAL PROVIDED TO A STATE AGENCY; 7
(2) THE INDIVIDUAL IS EL IGIBLE TO VOTE IN TH E STATE IN ALL 8
FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL ELECTIONS; AND 9
(3) IF THE INDIVIDUAL WI SHES TO DECLINE VOTE R REGISTRATION, 10
OR IF THE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS TO UPDATE THE INDIVIDUA L’S RESIDENTIAL 11
ADDRESS, THE INDIVIDUAL SHOUL D CONTACT THE STATE BOARD OR THE 12
APPROPRIATE LOCAL BOARD. 13
(F) (G) NOTWITHSTANDING THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT, THE FACT 14
THAT A PARTICULAR VO TER WAS REGISTERED T HROUGH TH E DEPARTMENT OF 15
PUBLIC SAFETY AND CORRECTIONAL SERVICES UNDER THIS S ECTION § 3–506 OF 16
THIS TITLE AND THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT, THE IDENTITY OF THE VOTER 17
REGISTRATION AGENCY THROUGH WHICH A FORMERLY INCARCERATED VOTER HAS 18
REGISTERED UNDER THIS SECTION MAY NOT BE DISCLOSED TO THE PUBLIC. 19
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 20
January 1, 2027. 21
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.