Election Law - Individuals Released From State Correctional Facilities - Automatic Restoration of Voter Registration, the official text

WES MOORE, Governor                                Ch. 427

Chapter 427

                   (Senate Bill 241)

AN ACT concerning

Election Law – Individuals Released From State Correctional Facilities –
                      Automatic Restoration of Voter Registration

FOR the purpose of requiring, on or before a certain date, the State Board of Elections and
         the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to jointly develop and
         implement certain procedures and a certain electronic transmission process for the
         restoration of voter registration for individuals released from incarceration at a State
         correctional facility; requiring the Department of Public Safety and Correctional
         Services to transmit a certain list of individuals released from incarceration at a
         State correctional facility to the State Board of Elections in a certain manner;
         requiring the State Board to automatically promptly restore the voter registration of
         certain individuals released from State correctional facilities who were registered to
         vote in the State before being incarcerated; prohibiting certain information
         regarding voters registered through the Department the voter registration agency
         through which a formerly incarcerated voter has registered from being disclosed
         under the Public Information Act to the public; and generally relating to automatic
         restoration of voter registration for individuals released from State correctional
         facilities.

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments,
         Article – Correctional Services
         Section 1–101(a), (f), and (q) and 2–601
         Annotated Code of Maryland
         (2025 Replacement Volume)

BY adding to
         Article – Election Law
         Section 3–203.1
         Annotated Code of Maryland
         (2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement)

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

                   Article – Correctional Services

1–101.

(a) In this article the following words have the meanings indicated.

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Ch. 427  2026 LAWS OF MARYLAND

         (f) “Department” means the Department of Public Safety and Correctional
Services.

         (q) (1) “State correctional facility” means a correctional facility that is
operated by the State.

                  (2) “State correctional facility” includes:

                           (i) the Patuxent Institution;

                           (ii) the Baltimore City Detention Center; and

                           (iii) the centralized booking facility in Baltimore City that is operated
by the Division of Pretrial Detention and Services in the Department of Public Safety and
Correctional Services.

2–601.

         The Department shall:

                  (1) provide each individual who is released from a correctional facility with
a voter registration application and documentation with the individual’s discharge papers
that informs the individual that the individual’s voting rights have been restored;

                  (2) display a sign in each parole and probation office, in a conspicuous
location where notices to the public are customarily posted, indicating that any individual
who is no longer incarcerated has the right to vote; and

                  (3) post a notice, in a conspicuous location on the Department’s website,
indicating that any individual who is no longer incarcerated has the right to vote.

                                             Article – Election Law

3–203.1.

        (A) IN THIS SECTION, “STATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY” HAS THE MEANING
STATED IN § 1–101 OF THE CORRECTIONAL SERVICES ARTICLE.

        (B) ON OR BEFORE JANUARY 1, 2028, THE STATE BOARD AND THE
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND CORRECTIONAL SERVICES JOINTLY SHALL

DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT PROCEDURES AND AN ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION
PROCESS THAT COMPLY WITH THIS SECTION FOR THE RESTORATION OF VOTER

REGISTRATION FOR INDIVIDUALS RELEASED FROM INCARCERATION AT A STATE
CORRECTIONAL FACILITY.

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                         WES MOORE, Governor            Ch. 427

(B) (C)  ON A WEEKLY MONTHLY BASIS, THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC

SAFETY AND CORRECTIONAL SERVICES SHALL ELECTRONICALLY TRANSMIT TO

THE STATE BOARD A LIST THAT INCLUDES THE NAME AND NEW RESIDENTIAL

ADDRESS OF FOLLOWING INFORMATION FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL WHO WAS RELEASED

FROM INCARCERATION AT A STATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY IN THE IMMEDIATELY

PRECEDING WEEK MONTH:

       (1) THE INDIVIDUAL’S FULL NAME;

       (2) THE INDIVIDUAL’S DATE OF BIRTH;

                (3) THE LAST FOUR DIGITS OF THE INDIVIDUAL’S SOCIAL SECURITY
NUMBER, DRIVER’S LICENSE NUMBER, OR STATE–ISSUED IDENTIFICATION CARD
NUMBER;

                (4) THE  DATE  THE  INDIVIDUAL  WAS     RELEASED  FROM
INCARCERATION; AND

       (5) THE INDIVIDUAL’S NEW RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS.

(C) (D)  ON RECEIPT OF THE LIST UNDER SUBSECTION (B) (C) OF THIS

SECTION, THE STATE BOARD SHALL IDENTIFY EACH INDIVIDUAL ON THE LIST WHO

WAS REGISTERED TO VOTE IN THE STATE BEFORE BEING INCARCERATED AND

WHOSE NEW RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS IS LOCATED IN THE STATE.

(D) (E)  THE STATE BOARD SHALL AUTOMATICALLY PROMPTLY RESTORE

THE VOTER REGISTRATION OF EACH INDIVIDUAL IDENTIFIED UNDER SUBSECTION

(C) (D) OF THIS SECTION AT THE INDIVIDUAL’S NEW RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS AND

GIVE THE INDIVIDUAL ACTIVE VOTER STATUS.

(E) (F)  WITH THE VOTER NOTIFICATION CARD THAT IS SENT IN

ACCORDANCE WITH § 3–301(C) OF THIS TITLE TO EACH INDIVIDUAL WHOSE VOTER

REGISTRATION IS RESTORED UNDER SUBSECTION (D) (E) OF THIS SECTION, THE

ELECTION DIRECTOR SHALL ENCLOSE A NOTICE THAT INCLUDES A STATEMENT

THAT:

                (1) THE INDIVIDUAL HAS BEEN REGISTERED TO VOTE AT THE
RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS THE INDIVIDUAL PROVIDED TO A STATE AGENCY;

                (2) THE INDIVIDUAL IS ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN THE STATE IN ALL
FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL ELECTIONS; AND

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Ch. 427  2026 LAWS OF MARYLAND

                (3) IF THE INDIVIDUAL WISHES TO DECLINE VOTER REGISTRATION,
OR IF THE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS TO UPDATE THE INDIVIDUAL’S RESIDENTIAL
ADDRESS, THE INDIVIDUAL SHOULD CONTACT THE STATE BOARD OR THE
APPROPRIATE LOCAL BOARD.

(F) (G)  NOTWITHSTANDING THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT, THE FACT

THAT A PARTICULAR VOTER WAS REGISTERED THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF

PUBLIC SAFETY AND CORRECTIONAL SERVICES UNDER THIS SECTION § 3–506 OF

THIS TITLE AND THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT, THE IDENTITY OF THE VOTER

REGISTRATION AGENCY THROUGH WHICH A FORMERLY INCARCERATED VOTER HAS

REGISTERED UNDER THIS SECTION MAY NOT BE DISCLOSED TO THE PUBLIC.

         SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect
January 1, 2027.

Approved by the Governor, May 12, 2026.

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