Municipalities - Election Dates - Reporting Requirements, the official text

WES MOORE, Governor                             Ch. 471

Chapter 471

                        (House Bill 357)

AN ACT concerning

             Municipalities – Election Dates – Reporting Requirements

FOR the purpose of requiring each municipality to report municipal election dates to the
         State Board of Elections; requiring the State Board, each local board of elections, of
         Elections and certain municipalities to display certain information relating to
         municipal elections on their websites; requiring each municipality to include the date
         of the next regular municipal election and each office to be voted on at the election
         in a certain report submitted to the State Board; and generally relating to the
         reporting of election dates by municipalities.

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments,
         Article – Local Government
         Section 4–108.5
         Annotated Code of Maryland
         (2013 Volume and 2025 Supplement)

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

                        Article – Local Government

4–108.5.

(a) In this section, “State Board” means the State Board of Elections.

        (B) (1) NOT LESS THAN 6 MONTHS BEFORE EACH REGULAR MUNICIPAL
ELECTION, THE MUNICIPALITY SHALL REPORT TO THE STATE BOARD THE DATE OF
THE ELECTION.

                (2) WITHIN 5 BUSINESS DAYS AFTER A SPECIAL MUNICIPAL
ELECTION IS SCHEDULED, THE MUNICIPALITY SHALL REPORT TO THE STATE BOARD
THE DATE OF THE ELECTION.

(C) (B)      (1) THE STATE BOARD SHALL PROMINENTLY DISPLAY ON THE

STATE BOARD’S WEBSITE:

                         (I) A LIST OF ALL UPCOMING REGULAR AND SPECIAL
MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS REPORTED UNDER SUBSECTION (B) (D)(2) OF THIS SECTION
THAT INCLUDES:

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Ch. 471        2026 LAWS OF MARYLAND

               1. THE NAME OF THE MUNICIPALITY;

               2. THE ELECTION DATE; AND

                                 3. WHETHER THE ELECTION IS A REGULAR OR SPECIAL
MUNICIPAL ELECTION EACH OFFICE TO BE VOTED ON; AND

                         (II) A LIST INDICATING WHICH MUNICIPALITIES HAVE NOT YET

REPORTED UPCOMING REGULAR AND SPECIAL MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS UNDER

SUBSECTION (B) (D)(2) OF THIS SECTION.

                (2) EACH LOCAL BOARD OF ELECTIONS SHALL PROMINENTLY
DISPLAY ON THE LOCAL BOARD’S WEBSITE A LIST OF ALL UPCOMING REGULAR AND

SPECIAL MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS IN THE COUNTY REPORTED UNDER SUBSECTION

(B) OF THIS SECTION, INCLUDING:

         (I) THE NAME OF THE MUNICIPALITY;

         (II) THE ELECTION DATE; AND

                         (III) WHETHER THE ELECTION IS A REGULAR OR SPECIAL
MUNICIPAL ELECTION.

                (3) EACH MUNICIPALITY THAT MAINTAINS A WEBSITE SHALL
PROMINENTLY DISPLAY ON THE MUNICIPALITY’S WEBSITE A LIST OF ALL UPCOMING
REGULAR AND SPECIAL ELECTIONS IN THE MUNICIPALITY, INCLUDING:

         (I) THE ELECTION DATE; AND

                         (II) WHETHER THE ELECTION IS A REGULAR OR SPECIAL
MUNICIPAL ELECTION; AND

         (III) EACH OFFICE TO BE VOTED ON.

[(b)] (D) (C)  (1) The State Board shall, immediately after a municipality

submits its election results, publish the election results on the State Board’s website.

                  (2) The election results published under paragraph (1) of this subsection
shall be organized by election year and the name of the municipality.

[(c)] (E) (D)  Within 30 days after the results of a municipal election are

certified, the municipality shall submit to the State Board:

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     WES MOORE, Governor                         Ch. 471

                (1) an electronic copy of the election results for each office or question voted
on at the election, including:

                (1) (I) vote totals for each office or question reported separately by each
of the following voting methods, if applicable:

     (i) 1. in–person early voting;

     (ii) 2. mail–in voting or vote–by–mail;

     (iii) 3. provisional voting; and

     (iv) 4. in–person election day voting; and

                (2) (II) if the municipality conducts partisan elections, the party
affiliation of each candidate; AND

     (2) (I) THE DATE OF THE NEXT REGULAR MUNICIPAL ELECTION;

AND

                         (II) EACH OFFICE TO BE VOTED ON AT THE NEXT REGULAR
MUNICIPAL ELECTION.

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

Approved by the Governor, May 12, 2026.

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