Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB52 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb0052
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 52
8	8	G1, F1 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 5lr1031
9	9	HB 373/24 – W&M (PRE–FILED)
10	10	By: Delegate Vogel
11	11	Requested: October 1, 2024
12	12	Introduced and read first time: January 8, 2025
13	13	Assigned to: Ways and Means
14	14
15	15	A BILL ENTITLED
16	16
17	17	AN ACT concerning 1
18	18
19	19	Election Law – Voting Age – Board of Education Elections 2
20	20	(Your School, Your Voice Act) 3
21	21
22	22	FOR the purpose of authorizing the General Assembly to provide by suitable enactment the 4
23	23	authority of a county to lower the age at which an individual may vote in an election 5
24	24	for members of an elected county board of education; authorizing, if authorized by 6
25	25	the county in which the individual is registered to vote, an individual under a certain 7
26	26	age to vote in an election for members of an elected county board of education; 8
27	27	authorizing a county to enact a local law that allows an individual who is at least a 9
28	28	certain age to vote in an election for members of an elected county board of education; 10
29	29	and generally relating to the age at which an individual may vote in board of 11
30	30	education elections. 12
31	31
32	32	BY proposing an amendment to the Maryland Constitution 13
33	33	Article I – Elective Franchise 14
34	34	Section 1 15
35	35
36	36	BY proposing an addition to the Maryland Constitution 16
37	37	Article I – Elective Franchise 17
38	38	Section 1A 18
39	39
40	40	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 19
41	41	Article – Election Law 20
42	42	Section 3–102 21
43	43	Annotated Code of Maryland 22
44	44	(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 23
45	45
46	46	BY adding to 24
47	47	Article – Election Law 25
48	48	Section 3–102.1 26 2 HOUSE BILL 52
49	49
50	50
51	51	Annotated Code of Maryland 1
52	52	(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 2
53	53
54	54	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 3
55	55	(Three–fifths of all the members elected to each of the two Houses concurring), That it be 4
56	56	proposed that the Maryland Constitution read as follows: 5
57	57
58	58	Article I – Elective Franchise 6
59	59
60	60	1. 7
61	61
62	62	All elections shall be by ballot. Except as provided in SECTION 1A, Section 2A, or 8
63	63	Section 3 of this article, every citizen of the United States, of the age of 18 years or upwards, 9
64	64	who is a resident of the State as of the time for the closing of registration next preceding 10
65	65	the election, shall be entitled to vote in the ward or election district in which the citizen 11
66	66	resides at all elections to be held in this State. [A person] AN INDIVIDUAL once entitled to 12
67	67	vote in any election district, shall be entitled to vote there until the [person] INDIVIDUAL 13
68	68	shall have acquired a residence in another election district or ward in this State. 14
69	69
70	70	1A. 15
71	71
72	72	THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY SHALL HAVE T HE POWER TO PROVIDE BY SUITABLE 16
73	73	ENACTMENT THE AUTHOR ITY OF A COUNTY TO L OWER THE AGE AT WHIC H AN 17
74	74	INDIVIDUAL MAY VOTE IN AN ELECTION FOR T HE MEMBERS OF AN ELE CTED COUNTY 18
75	75	BOARD OF EDUCATION . 19
76	76
77	77	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the Laws of Maryland read 20
78	78	as follows: 21
79	79
80	80	Article – Election Law 22
81	81
82	82	3–102. 23
83	83
84	84	(a) (1) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, an individual may 24
85	85	become registered to vote if the individual: 25
86	86
87	87	(i) is a citizen of the United States; 26
88	88
89	89	(ii) is at least 16 years old; 27
90	90
91	91	(iii) is a resident of the State as of the day the individual seeks to 28
92	92	register; and 29
93	93
94	94	(iv) registers pursuant to this title. 30
95	95	HOUSE BILL 52 3
96	96
97	97
98	98	(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1)(ii) of this subsection, an individual 1
99	99	under the age of 18 years: 2
100	100
101	101	(i) may vote in a primary election in which candidates are 3
102	102	nominated for a general or special election that will occur when the individual is at least 4
103	103	18 years old; [and] 5
104	104
105	105	(ii) IF AUTHORIZED UNDER § 3–102.1 OF THIS SUBTITLE BY THE 6
106	106	COUNTY IN WHICH THE INDIVIDUAL IS REGIST ERED TO VOTE , MAY VOTE IN AN 7
107	107	ELECTION FOR MEMBERS OF AN ELECTED COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION ; AND 8
108	108
109	109	(III) may not vote in any other election. 9
110	110
111	111	(b) An individual is not qualified to be a registered voter if the individual: 10
112	112
113	113	(1) has been convicted of a felony and is currently serving a court–ordered 11
114	114	sentence of imprisonment for the conviction; 12
115	115
116	116	(2) is under guardianship for mental disability and a court of competent 13
117	117	jurisdiction has specifically found by clear and convincing evidence that the individual 14
118	118	cannot communicate, with or without accommodations, a desire to participate in the voting 15
119	119	process; or 16
120	120
121	121	(3) has been convicted of buying or selling votes. 17
122	122
123	123	3–102.1. 18
124	124
125	125	A COUNTY MAY ENACT A L OCAL LAW THAT ALLOWS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO IS AT 19
126	126	LEAST 16 YEARS OLD TO VOTE IN AN ELECTION FOR MEMB ERS OF AN ELECTED 20
127	127	COUNTY BOARD OF EDUC ATION. 21
128	128
129	129	SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the General Assembly 22
130	130	determines that the amendment to the Maryland Constitution proposed by Section 1 of this 23
131	131	Act affects multiple jurisdictions and that the provisions of Article XIV, § 1 of the Maryland 24
132	132	Constitution concerning local approval of constitutional amendments do not apply. 25
133	133
134	134	SECTION 4. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the amendment to the 26
135	135	Maryland Constitution proposed by Section 1 of this Act shall be submitted to the qualified 27
136	136	voters of the State at the next general election to be held in November 2026 for adoption or 28
137	137	rejection in accordance with Article XIV of the Maryland Constitution. At that general 29
138	138	election, the vote on the proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be by ballot, and on 30
139	139	each ballot there shall be printed the words “For the Constitutional Amendment” and 31
140	140	“Against the Constitutional Amendment”, as now provided by law. Immediately after the 32
141	141	election, all returns shall be made to the Governor of the vote for and against the proposed 33
142	142	amendment, as directed by Article XIV of the Maryland Constitution, and further 34
143	143	proceedings had in accordance with Article XIV. 35 4 HOUSE BILL 52
144	144
145	145
146	146
147	147	SECTION 5. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That Section 2 of this Act is 1
148	148	contingent on the passage of Section 1 of this Act, a constitutional amendment, and its 2
149	149	ratification by the voters of the State. 3
150	150
151	151	SECTION 6. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That, subject to the provisions of 4
152	152	Section 5 of this Act, Section 2 of this Act shall take effect on the proclamation of the 5
153	153	Governor that the constitutional amendment, having received a majority of the votes cast 6
154	154	at the general election, has been adopted by the people of Maryland. 7
155	155