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Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland requires State Board of Elections to acquire telephone voting system for absentee voters with print disabilities
Last action · February 10, 2026: Hearing 2/25 at 1:00 p.m.Sponsors: Ben Brooks and 2 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Maryland requires the State Board of Elections to select, certify, and acquire a toll-free telephone voting system for absentee voting by eligible voters who attest to having a , effective January 1, 2027.
Voters with conditions preventing them from reading or handling standard print materials gain a direct telephone-based absentee voting option statewide, while the State Board assumes responsibilities for system certification, secure ballot storage, voter list management, and a public education campaign.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Voters with print disabilities
Eligible individuals gain access to a toll-free telephone voting system for absentee voting upon submitting an attestation form.
State Board of Elections
The board is tasked with selecting, certifying, acquiring, and maintaining the telephone voting system, managing voter lists, conducting education campaigns, and submitting a legislative report by 2028.
Local boards of elections
Local boards must coordinate with the State Board during system selection and handle canvassing of telephone votes with other absentee ballots.
Key Facts
- The State Board of Elections must select and certify a telephone voting system for absentee voting by eligible voters who attest to having a print disability, to be used in all counties.
- The State Board of Elections must acquire the selected telephone voting system.
- A voting system cannot be certified unless it protects ballot secrecy and security, accurately records votes, creates a paper audit trail for recounts, securely authenticates voter identity, and stores voted ballots in an air-gapped, non-internet connected system.
- The telephone voting system must prompt voters one contest at a time in ballot order, confirm votes, encrypt results upon confirmation, be accessible through a toll-free number, and prohibit casting more than one ballot.
Show all 10 facts
- A voting system must be examined and approved by an independent testing laboratory approved by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and meet federal performance standards.
- Voters are eligible to use the system by submitting a form to the State Board attesting to a print disability, placing them on the telephone voting system list.
- The State Board must send a written communication in an accessible format to each voter on the list not less than 75 days before local boards begin sending absentee ballots, including the toll-free number, access dates, authentication credentials, instructions, and assistance contacts.
- The State Board must develop and implement a voter education campaign regarding the availability of the telephone voting system.
- On or before December 1, 2028, the State Board must report to legislative committees on the selected system, implementation status, costs, voter education campaign, and eligible voter projections.
- This Act takes effect January 1, 2027.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible to use the new telephone voting system?
How does the telephone voting system ensure ballot security?
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently filed. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- 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.
Mandatory Statewide Telephone Voting Implementation
The legislation mandates a uniform statewide telephone voting infrastructure for print-disabled absentee voters, moving beyond traditional paper and internet-based methods.
Connected Entities
Sources
mgaleg.maryland.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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