Maryland Voter Registration List Accuracy and Integrity Act

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*sb0845*

SENATE BILL 845
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By: Senator Carozza
Introduced and read first time: February 6, 2026
Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Maryland Voter Registration List Accuracy and Integrity Act 2

FOR the purpose of requiring an election director of a local board of elections to immediately 3
remove a registered voter from the statewide voter registration list when the local 4
board receives a certain report that the registered voter is deceased; requiring the 5
election director to take certain action if the election director receives information 6
that a voter removed from the statewide voter registration list is not in fact deceased; 7
requiring and authorizing the State Board of Elections to take certain actions if a 8
local board is not in compliance with certain procedures for the removal from the 9
statewide voter registration list of registered voters who are reported deceased; and 10
generally relating to removing deceased individuals from the statewide voter 11
registration list. 12

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 13
Article – Election Law 14
Section 3–504 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

3–504. 21

(a) (1) (i) Information from the agencies specified in this paragraph shall 22
be reported to the State Administrator in a format and at times prescribed by the State 23
Board. 24

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(ii) The Maryland Department of Health shall report the names and 1
residence addresses [(if known)], IF KNOWN, of all individuals at least 16 years of age 2
reported deceased within the State since the date of the last report. 3

(iii) Each month, the clerk of the circuit court for each county and the 4
administrative clerk for each District Court shall report the names and addresses of all 5
individuals convicted, in the respective court, of a felony and sentenced to imprisonment 6
with commitment papers. 7

(iv) The clerk of the circuit cour t for each county shall report the 8
former and present names and residence addresses [(if known) ], IF KNOWN , of all 9
individuals whose names have been changed by decree or order of the court since the date 10
of the last report. 11

(2) The State Administrator shall make arrangements with the clerk of the 12
United States District Court for the District of Maryland to receive reports of names and 13
addresses, if available, of individuals convicted of a felony in that court and sentenced to 14
imprisonment with commitment papers. 15

(3) The State Administrator shall make arrangements with the United 16
States Social Security Administration or an entity that receives information from the Social 17
Security Administration and is approved by the State Administrator to receive repor ts of 18
names and addresses, if available, of all Maryland residents at least 16 years of age who 19
are reported deceased. 20

(b) (1) The State Administrator shall transmit to the appropriate local board 21
information gathered pursuant to subsection (a) of this section. 22

(2) Every agency or instrumentality of any county which acquires or 23
condemns or razes or causes to be condemned or razed any building used as a residence 24
within the county shall promptly report this fact and the location of the building to the local 25
board in the county or city. 26

(3) Registration cancellation information provided by an applicant on any 27
voter registration application shall be provided to the appropriate local board by the State 28
Administrator or another local board. 29

(4) A local board may: 30

(i) make arrangements to receive change of address information 31
from an entity approved by the State Board; and 32

(ii) pay a reasonable fee to the entity for the information. 33

(c) (1) (i) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, whenever 34
a local board becomes aware of an obituary or any other reliable report of the death of a 35
SENATE BILL 845 3

registered voter, the election director shall mail a notice to the registered voter, as 1
prescribed by the State Board, to verify whether the voter is in fact deceased. 2

(ii) On receipt of a verification of the death of a voter, provided in 3
accordance with the notice mailed under subparagraph (i) of this paragraph, the election 4
director may remove the voter from the statewide voter registration list u nder § 3–501 of 5
this subtitle. 6

(2) (i) Whenever a local board receives a report obtained by the State 7
Administrator under subsection [(a)(3)] (A)(1)(II) OR (3) of this section [that includes a 8
registered voter ] OR FROM T HE OFFICIAL VITAL ST ATISTICS AGENCY OF ANOTHER 9
STATE OR TERRITORY O F THE UNITED STATES OF THE DEATH O F A REGISTERED 10
VOTER, the election director shall [mail to the address shown on the statewide voter 11
registration list, by regular U.S. mail, a notice that: 12

1. states that the register ed voter has been reported by the 13
Social Security Administration to have died; and 14

2. notifies the registered voter or a person attending the 15
affairs of a deceased voter that the voter will be removed from the statewide voter 16
registration list unless, within 2 weeks after the date of the letter, the registered voter or a 17
representative: 18

A. objects to the removal; and 19

B. shows cause why the removal should not proceed. 20

(ii) If the registered voter or a representative timely objects and 21
shows cause why the removal should not proceed, the election director may: 22

1. terminate the removal process and retain the registered 23
voter on the statewide voter registration list; or 24

2. refer the matter to the local board for a hearing to 25
determine the registered voter’s status. 26

(iii) If the registered voter or a representative fails to timely object 27
and show cause why the removal should not proceed, the registration shall be canceled and 28
the registered voter removed from the statewide voter reg istration list ] IMMEDIATELY 29
REMOVE THE REGISTERED VOTER FROM THE STATEWIDE V OTER REGISTRATION 30
LIST. 31

(II) IF THE ELECTION DIRECTOR RECEIVES INFORMATION THAT 32
A VOTER REMOVED FROM THE STATEWIDE VOTER REGISTRATION LIST UN DER 33
SUBPARAGRAPH (I) OF THIS PARAGRAPH IS NOT IN FACT DECEASED, THE ELECTION 34
DIRECTOR SHALL: 35
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1. RESTORE THE VOTER TO THE STATEWIDE VOTER 1
REGISTRATION LIST; OR 2

2. REFER THE MATTER TO THE LOCAL BOARD F OR A 3
HEARING TO DETERMINE THE INDIVIDUAL’S VOTER REGISTRATION STATUS. 4

(III) IF THE STATE BOARD DETERMINES THAT A LOCAL BOARD 5
IS NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH SUBPARAGRAPH (I) OF THIS PARAGRAPH, THE STATE 6
BOARD SHALL: 7

1. ISSUE WRITTEN FINDINGS OF NONCOMPLIANCE; 8

2. REQUIRE THE LOCAL BO ARD TO DEVELOP A 9
CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN WITH DEADLINES FOR COMPLIANCE; AND 10

3. MONITOR THE LOCAL BOARD’S IMPLEMENTATION OF 11
THE CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN UNTIL THE LOCAL BOARD IS IN COMPLIANCE. 12

(IV) IF A LOCAL BOARD FAILS TO SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLY WITH 13
SUBPARAGRAPH (I) OF THIS PARAGRAPH FOR A PERIOD OF MORE THAN 2 MONTHS, 14
THE STATE BOARD MAY: 15

1. WITHHOLD DISCRETIONA RY ELECTION 16
ADMINISTRATION FUNDS UNTIL THE LOCAL BOARD IS IN COMPLIANCE; 17

2. REQUIRE MANDATORY RETRAINING OF LOCAL BOARD 18
STAFF; AND 19

3. REFER A LOCAL BOARD THAT I S PERSISTENTLY 20
NONCOMPLIANT TO THE OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE AUDITS. 21

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect June 22
1, 2026. 23