Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB733 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	hb0733
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 733
8	8	G1, F1 5lr1716
9	9
10	10	By: Delegates Miller, Arentz, Boafo, Grammer, Hutchinson, Nawrocki, Otto,
11	11	Roberson, Rose, Schmidt, Szeliga, and Valentine
12	12	Introduced and read first time: January 27, 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	Elections for County Boards of Education – Party Designation or Affiliation – 2
20	20	Certificates of Candidacy and Ballots 3
21	21
22	22	FOR the purpose of authorizing a candidate for election to a county board of education to 4
23	23	disclose the candidate’s party designation or party affiliation on the candidate’s 5
24	24	certificate of candidacy; prohibiting a local board of elections from disqualifying a 6
25	25	candidate for election to a county board for disclosing the candidate’s party 7
26	26	designation or party affiliation; requiring each local board to include certain 8
27	27	information on a ballot under certain circumstances; and generally relating to 9
28	28	candidates for election to a county board of education. 10
29	29
30	30	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 11
31	31	Article – Election Law 12
32	32	Section 8–801 13
33	33	Annotated Code of Maryland 14
34	34	(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 15
35	35
36	36	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 16
37	37	Article – Election Law 17
38	38	Section 8–802 and 8–803 18
39	39	Annotated Code of Maryland 19
40	40	(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 20
41	41
42	42	BY adding to 21
43	43	Article – Election Law 22
44	44	Section 9–205.1 23
45	45	Annotated Code of Maryland 24
46	46	(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 25
47	47	2 HOUSE BILL 733
48	48
49	49
50	50	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 1
51	51	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 2
52	52
53	53	Article – Election Law 3
54	54
55	55	8–801. 4
56	56
57	57	Except as otherwise provided in this subtitle and in Title 3 of the Education Article, 5
58	58	the provisions of this article relating to the nomination and election of candidates to public 6
59	59	office shall govern the nomination and election of members to an elected county board of 7
60	60	education. 8
61	61
62	62	8–802. 9
63	63
64	64	(a) (1) (i) [Members] NOTWITHSTANDING PARAG RAPH (3) OF THIS 10
65	65	SUBSECTION, MEMBERS of boards of education shall be elected on a nonpartisan basis. 11
66	66
67	67	(ii) In a primary election to nominate board of education candidates, 12
68	68	any registered voter of the county, regardless of party affiliation or lack of party affiliation, 13
69	69	is eligible to vote in those contests for nomination. 14
70	70
71	71	(2) Candidates for election to boards of education shall[, without party 15
72	72	designation or regard to party affiliation]: 16
73	73
74	74	(i) file certificates of candidacy; 17
75	75
76	76	(ii) be certified to the ballot; 18
77	77
78	78	(iii) appear on the ballot; 19
79	79
80	80	(iv) be voted on; and 20
81	81
82	82	(v) be nominated and elected. 21
83	83
84	84	(3) A CANDIDATE FOR ELECTI ON TO A BOARD OF EDU CATION MAY 22
85	85	DISCLOSE THE CANDIDA TE’S PARTY DESIGNATION OR PARTY AFFILIATION ON THE 23
86	86	CANDIDATE’S CERTIFICATE OF CAN DIDACY. 24
87	87
88	88	(b) This section does not apply to candidates for nomination or election to a board 25
89	89	of education if Title 3 of the Education Article requires a partisan election. 26
90	90
91	91	8–803. 27
92	92
93	93	(a) Before certifying the name of a board of education candidate to appear on the 28
94	94	ballot, the local board shall determine whether the candidate qualifies as provided under 29
95	95	Title 3 of the Education Article and Title 5 of this article. 30 HOUSE BILL 733 3
96	96
97	97
98	98
99	99	(b) (1) Unless Title 3 of the Education Article requires a partisan election AND 1
100	100	EXCEPT AS PROVIDED I N PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION , an individual may not 2
101	101	qualify as a board of education candidate or nominee by filing a petition or being nominated 3
102	102	by a political party. 4
103	103
104	104	(2) THE LOCAL BOARD MAY N OT DISQUALIFY A CAND IDATE UNDER 5
105	105	THIS SECTION BECAUSE THE CANDIDATE DISCLO SED THE CANDIDATE ’S PARTY 6
106	106	DESIGNATION OR PARTY AFFILIATION UNDER § 8–802(A)(3) OF THIS SUBTITLE. 7
107	107
108	108	9–205.1. 8
109	109
110	110	(A) IF A CANDIDATE FOR ELECTION TO A BO ARD OF EDUCATION DIS CLOSES 9
111	111	THE CANDIDATE’S PARTY DESIGNATION OR PARTY AFFILIATION ON THE 10
112	112	CERTIFICATE OF CANDI DACY UNDER § 8–802(A)(3) OF THIS ARTICLE , THE LOCAL 11
113	113	BOARD SHALL INCLUDE THE PARTY DESIGNATIO N OR PARTY AFFILIATI ON OF THE 12
114	114	CANDIDATE ON THE BALLOT . 13
115	115
116	116	(B) UNLESS TITLE 3 OF THE EDUCATION ARTICLE REQUIRES A PA RTISAN 14
117	117	ELECTION, AN ELECTION FOR A CA NDIDATE TO A BOARD O F EDUCATION SHALL BE 15
118	118	NONPARTISAN REGARDLESS OF THE INCLUSION OF PARTY D ESIGNATION OR PARTY 16
119	119	AFFILIATION ON A BAL LOT IN ACCORDANCE WI TH THIS SECTION. 17
120	120
121	121	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 18
122	122	1, 2025. 19