Election Law - Telephone Voting System - Requirements

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*sb0901*

SENATE BILL 901
G1 6lr3391
CF HB 1027
By: Senators Brooks, Lam, and Muse
Introduced and read first time: February 6, 2026
Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Election Law – Telephone Voting System – Requirements 2

FOR the purpose of requiring the State Board of Elections to select, certify, and acquire a 3
telephone voting system for absentee voting by voters who have attested to having a 4
print disability that meets certain requirements; providing for the eligibility of a 5
voter to use the telephone voting system; requiring the State Board to place certain 6
voters on the telephone voting system list; requiring the State Board to send certain 7
voters on the telephone voting system list a certain communication with certain 8
information by a certain day; requiring the State Board to develop and implement a 9
certain voter education campaign; and generally relating to a telephone voting 10
system. 11

BY adding to 12
Article – Election Law 13
Section 9–102.1 14
Annotated Code of Maryland 15
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 16

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 17
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 18

Article – Election Law 19

9–102.1. 20

(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 21
INDICATED. 22

2 SENATE BILL 901

(2) “ACCESSIBLE FORMAT” MEANS BRAILLE , LARGE PRINT , AUDIO, 1
OR DIGITAL TEXT THAT IS USED BY BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED INDIVIDUALS OR 2
INDIVIDUALS WITH A PRINT DISABILITY. 3

(3) “PRINT DISABILITY ” MEANS A CONDITION TH AT PREVENTS OR 4
INHIBITS AN INDIVIDU AL FROM READING , HOLDING, OR PROCESSING STANDA RD 5
PRINTED MATERIALS IN THE ORIGINAL FORMAT. 6

(B) (1) NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF LAW , THE STATE 7
BOARD, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE LOCAL BOARDS, SHALL SELECT AND CERTIFY 8
A TELEPHONE VOTING S YSTEM FOR ABSENTEE V OTING BY ELIGIBLE VO TERS WHO 9
HAVE ATTESTED TO HAVING A PRINT DISABILITY THAT MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS 10
OF THIS SECTION. 11

(2) THE TELEPHONE VOTING SYSTEM SELECTED AND CERTIFIED 12
UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION SHALL BE USED IN ALL COUNTIES. 13

(3) THE STATE BOARD SHALL ACQUIRE T HE TELEPHONE VOTING 14
SYSTEM SELECTED AND CERTIFIED UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION. 15

(C) (1) THE STATE BOARD MAY NOT CERTIFY A TELEPHONE VOTING 16
SYSTEM UNLESS THE STATE BOARD DETERMINES THAT THE VOTING SYSTEM WILL: 17

(I) PROTECT THE SECRECY OF THE BALLOT; 18

(II) PROTECT THE SECURITY OF THE VOTING PROCESS; 19

(III) RECORD ALL VOTES ACCURATELY; 20

(IV) PROTECT ALL OTHER RIGHTS OF VOTERS AND CANDIDATES; 21

(V) BE CAPABLE OF CREATING A PAPER RECORD OF ALL VOTES 22
CAST SO THAT AN AUDI T TRAIL IS AVAILABLE IN THE EVENT OF A RE COUNT, 23
INCLUDING A MANUAL RECOUNT; 24

(VI) SECURELY AUTHENTICAT E THE IDENTITY OF TH E VOTER 25
BEFORE ALLOWING A BA LLOT TO BE CAST , INCLUDING THROUGH TH E USE OF 26
PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS, VOICEPRINT, OR OTHER TECHNOLOGY; 27

(VII) PROMPT A VOTER TO SELECT FROM THE OPTIONS FOR EACH 28
CONTEST OR QUESTION , ONE CONTEST OR QUESTION AT A TIME , IN THE SAME 29
ORDER AS PRINTED ON THE PRINTED BALLOT , AND CONFIRM THE VOTE R’S VOTE 30
FOR EACH CONTEST OR QUESTION ON THE BALLOT; 31
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(VIII) ENCRYPT THE RESULTS OF THE VOTED BALLOT ON 1
CONFIRMATION BY THE VOTER THAT THE VOTER HAS FINISHED VOTING; 2

(IX) STORE VOTED BALLOTS IN AN AIR–GAPPED, REMEMBERING, 3
NON–INTERNET CONNECTED SYSTEM; 4

(X) PRINT VOTED BALLOTS INTO A SCANNABLE PAPER BALLOT 5
OR BE TRANSCRIBED IN THE SAME MANNER AS A BSENTEE BALLOTS PROVIDED BY 6
THE INTERNET; 7

(XI) BE ACCESSIBLE THROUGH A TOLL–FREE NUMBER; AND 8

(XII) PROHIBIT A VOTER FRO M CASTING MORE THAN ONE 9
BALLOT. 10

(2) THE STATE BOARD MAY NOT CERTIFY A TELEPHONE VOTING 11
SYSTEM UNLESS: 12

(I) THE TELEPHONE VOTING SYSTEM HAS BEEN: 13

1. EXAMINED BY AN INDEP ENDENT TES TING 14
LABORATORY THAT IS A PPROVED BY THE U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE 15
COMMISSION; AND 16

2. SHOWN BY THE TESTING LABORATORY TO MEET T HE 17
PERFORMANCE AND TEST STANDARDS FOR VOTING SYSTEMS ESTABLISHED BY THE 18
FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION OR THE U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE 19
COMMISSION; AND 20

(II) THE PUBLIC INTEREST WILL BE SERVED BY TH E 21
CERTIFICATION OF THE VOTING SYSTEM. 22

(D) A VOTE CAST THROUGH TH E TELEPHONE VOTING S YSTEM SHALL BE 23
CANVASSED WITH OTHER ABSENTEE BALLOTS. 24

(E) (1) A VOTER IS ELIGIBLE TO USE THE TELEPHONE VOTING SYSTEM IF 25
THE VOTER SUBMITS A FORM TO THE STATE BOARD ATTESTING THAT THE 26
INDIVIDUAL HAS A PRINT DISABILITY. 27

(2) A VOTER WHO SUBMITS A PROPER FORM UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) 28
OF THIS SUBSECTION SHALL BE PLACED ON THE TELEPHONE VOTING SYSTEM LIST 29
BY THE STATE BOARD. 30
4 SENATE BILL 901

(F) (1) NOT LESS THAN 75 DAYS BEFORE THE DAY ON WHICH A LOCAL 1
BOARD BEGINS TO SEND ABSENTEE BALLOTS TO VOTERS, THE STATE BOARD SHALL 2
SEND A WRITTEN COMMUNICATION, USING AN ACCESSIBLE FORMAT CHOSEN BY THE 3
VOTER, TO EACH VOTER WHO IS ON THE TELEPHONE VOTING SYSTEM LIST. 4

(2) THE COMMUNICATION REQUIRED UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS 5
SUBSECTION SHALL INCLUDE: 6

(I) CONFIRMATION THAT TH E VOTER IS ON THE TE LEPHONE 7
VOTING SYSTEM LIST; 8

(II) THE TOLL –FREE TELEPHONE NUMBE R THAT THE VOTER 9
MAY USE TO ACCESS THE TELEPHONE VOTING SYSTEM; 10

(III) THE DATES DURING WHI CH THE VOTER MAY ACC ESS THE 11
TELEPHONE VOTING SYSTEM; 12

(IV) CREDENTIALS TO AUTHENTICATE THE VOTER’S IDENTITY; 13

(V) INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO USE THE TELEPHONE VOTING 14
SYSTEM; AND 15

(VI) CONTACT INFORMATION FOR VOTER ASSISTANCE. 16

(G) THE STATE BOARD SHALL DEVELOP A ND IMPLEMENT A VOTER 17
EDUCATION CAMPAIGN T O PROVIDE INFORMATIO N TO THE PUBLIC , AND 18
SPECIFICALLY VOTERS WITH A PRINT DISABIL ITY, OF THE AVAILABILITY OF THE 19
TELEPHONE VOTING SYSTEM. 20

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That, on or before December 1, 21
2028, the State Board of Elections shall report to the Senate Education, Energy, and the 22
Environment Committee and the House Government, Labor, and Elections Committee, i n 23
accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, on: 24

(1) the telephone voting system selected and certified by the State Board 25
in accordance with § 9 –102.1 of the Election Law Article, as enacted by Section 1 of this 26
Act; 27

(2) the status an d timeline for fully implementing the telephone voting 28
system; 29

(3) the cost of acquiring, administering, and implementing the telephone 30
voting system; 31
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(4) the status of the voter education campaign required under § 9–102.1(g) 1
of the Election Law Article, as enacted by Section 1 of this Act; and 2

(5) projections on the number of voters who may be eligible to use the 3
telephone voting system. 4

SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 5
January 1, 2027. 6