The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland requires municipalities to report candidate lists and voting procedures to State Board of Elections
Last action · May 12, 2026: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 522Sponsor: Jason Gallion
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Does
Maryland law now requires municipalities to submit candidate qualifications, election dates, qualified candidate lists, and voting procedures to the of Elections by specified deadlines starting June 1, 2026. The State Board must immediately publish this submitted information on its website. Additionally, municipalities using ranked-choice voting must submit their tabulation regulations for online publication.
Voters gain centralized access to municipal candidate lists, voting locations, and tabulation rules directly through the of Elections website, while municipal governments face new reporting deadlines for local elections.
- State boards of elections oversee state-level election administration, though municipal elections have historically maintained separate local reporting structures. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Municipalities
Municipal governments must submit candidate qualifications, election dates, candidate lists, voting procedures, and ranked-choice tabulation rules to the State Board of Elections by strict deadlines.
State Board of Elections
The agency is required to immediately publish all submitted municipal election information and tabulation regulations on its website.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
When must a municipality submit its list of qualified candidates to the State Board of Elections?
What new requirement applies to municipalities that use ranked-choice voting?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
16 actions- May 12, 2026Governor of MarylandEnrolledApproved by the Governor - Chapter 522
- Apr 9, 2026SenateFloorPassed Enrolled
- Apr 9, 2026SenateFloorThird Reading Passed (42-0)
- Apr 9, 2026SenateFloorSenate Concurs House Amendments
- Apr 8, 2026HouseFloorThird Reading Passed (135-0)
- Apr 8, 2026HouseFloorSecond Reading Passed with Amendments
Show 10 earlier actions
- Apr 8, 2026HouseFavorable with Amendments { 373424/1 Adopted
- Apr 8, 2026HouseCommitteeFavorable with Amendments Report by Government, Labor, and Elections
- Mar 24, 2026HouseHearing 4/01 at 1:00 p.m.
- Mar 20, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred Government, Labor, and Elections
- Mar 19, 2026SenateFloorThird Reading Passed (45-0)
- Mar 18, 2026SenateFloorSecond Reading Passed with Amendments
- Mar 18, 2026SenateFavorable with Amendments { 913324/1 Adopted
- Mar 16, 2026SenateCommitteeFavorable with Amendments Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment
- Feb 10, 2026SenateHearing 2/25 at 1:00 p.m.
- Feb 6, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Centralization of Municipal Election Data
The state shifts from receiving election results post-election to requiring pre-election candidate qualifications, special election timelines, and voting procedures to be filed with the State Board of Elections.
Connected Entities
Sources
mgaleg.maryland.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools