Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB308 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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		-	Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
6		-	Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
7		-	amendment.
8	5		sb0308
9	6
10	7		SENATE BILL 308
11	8		G1 5lr1406
12	9
13		-	By: Senator Simonaire ~~Senators Simonaire, Brooks, and Kagan~~
	10	+	By: Senator Simonaire
14	11		Introduced and read first time: January 13, 2025
15	12		Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
16		-	Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
17		-	Senate action: Adopted
18		-	Read second time: February 25, 2025
19	13
20		-	~~CHAPTER ______~~
	14	+	A BILL ENTITLED
21	15
22	16		AN ACT concerning 1
23	17
24	18		Election Law – Chief Election Judges – Party Affiliation 2
25	19
26	20		FOR the purpose of requiring the election director of a local board of elections to designate 3
27	21		chief election judges from certain political parties to each polling place except under 4
28	22		certain circumstances; and generally relating to the party affiliation of chief election 5
29	23		judges. 6
30	24
31	25		BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 7
32	26		Article – Election Law 8
33	27		Section 10–201 9
34	28		Annotated Code of Maryland 10
35	29		(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 11
36	30
37	31		BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 12
38	32		Article – Election Law 13
39	33		Section 10–203(a) and (b) 14
40	34		Annotated Code of Maryland 15
41	35		(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 16
42	36
43	37		SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 17
44	38		That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 18
45	39
46	40		Article – Election Law 19
47	41
48		-	10–201. 20 2 SENATE BILL 308
	42	+	10–201. 20
	43	+
	44	+	(a) (1) (i) Except as provided in subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, each 21
	45	+	local board shall provide at least four election judges to be the staff for each polling place. 22
	46	+
	47	+	(ii) In a precinct with fewer than 200 registered voters, the local 23
	48	+	board may provide two election judges for that precinct’s polling place. 24 2 SENATE BILL 308
49	49
50	50
51	51
52		-	(a) ~~(1) (i) Except as provided~~ in ~~subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, each~~ 1
53		-	~~local board shall provide at least four election judges to be the staff for each polling place~~. 2
	52	+	(2) An election judge shall be appointed in accordance with the 1
	53	+	requirements of § 10–203 of this subtitle. 2
54	54
55		-	(ii) In a precinct with fewer than 200 registered voters, the local 3
56		-	board may provide two election judges for that precinct’s polling place. 4
	55	+	(b) (1) Except as provided in [paragraph] PARAGRAPHS (2) AND (3) of this 3
	56	+	subsection, TO THE EXTENT PRACTI CABLE, each polling place shall have an equal 4
	57	+	number of election judges, INCLUDING CHIEF JUDG ES DESIGNATED UNDER § 10–203 5
	58	+	OF THIS SUBTITLE, from: 6
57	59
58		-	(2) An election judge shall be appointed in accordance with the 5
59		-	requirements of § 10–203 of this subtitle. 6
	60	+	(i) the majority party; and 7
60	61
61		-	(b) (1) Except as provided in [paragraph] PARAGRAPHS (2) AND (3) of this 7
62		-	subsection, TO THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE , each polling place shall have an equal 8
63		-	number of election judges, INCLUDING CHIEF JUDG ES DESIGNATED UNDER § 10–203 9
64		-	OF THIS SUBTITLE, from: 10
	62	+	(ii) the principal minority party. 8
65	63
66		-	(i) the ~~majority party;~~ ~~and 11~~
	64	+	(2) [(i)] If the total number of election judges for a precinct is six or more: 9
67	65
68		-	(ii) the principal minority party. 12
	66	+	[1.] (I) a local board may provide one or more election 10
	67	+	judges who are not registered with either the majority party or principal minority political 11
	68	+	party; and 12
69	69
70		-	(2) [(i)] If the total number of election judges for a precinct is six or more: 13
	70	+	[2.] (II) a local board may provide one or more election 13
	71	+	judges who are minors. 14
71	72
72		-	[1.] (I) a local board may provide one or more election 14
73		-	judges who are not registered with either the majority party or principal minority political 15
74		-	party; and 16
	73	+	[(ii) The number of election judges provided under this paragraph 15
	74	+	may not exceed the lesser of: 16
75	75
76		-	[2.~~] (II) a local board may provide one or more~~ election 17
77		-	~~judges who are minors.~~ 18
	76	+	1. the number of election judges who belong to the majority 17
	77	+	party; or 18
78	78
79		-	~~[(ii)~~ The number of election judges ~~provided under this paragraph~~ 19
80		-	~~may not exceed the lesser of:~~ 20
	79	+	2. the number of election judges who belong to the principal 19
	80	+	minority party.] 20
81	81
82		-	1. the number of election judges who belong to the majority 21
83		-	party; or 22
	82	+	(3) (I) THIS PARAGRAPH APPLIE S IF AN ELECTION DIR ECTOR IS 21
	83	+	UNABLE TO D ESIGNATE CHIEF JUDGE S FOR A POLLING PLAC E AT LEAST 45 DAYS 22
	84	+	BEFORE THE START OF EARLY VOTING. 23
84	85
85		-	2. the number of election judges who belong to the principal 23
86		-	minority party.] 24
	86	+	(II) IF AN ELECTION DIRECT OR DESIGNATING TWO C HIEF 24
	87	+	JUDGES FOR A POLLING PLACE UNDER § 10–203 OF THIS SUBTITLE IS UNABLE TO 25
	88	+	DESIGNATE THE CHIEF JUDGES IN ACCORD ANCE WITH PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS 26
	89	+	SUBSECTION, AN ELECTION DIRECTOR SHALL DESIGNATE : 27
87	90
88		-	(3) (I) THIS PARAGRAPH APPLIE S IF AN ELECTION DIR ECTOR IS 25
89		-	UNABLE TO DESIGNATE CHIEF JUDGES FOR A P OLLING PLACE AT LEAS T 45 DAYS 26
90		-	BEFORE THE START OF EARLY VOTING. 27
	91	+	1. ONE CHIEF JUDGE FROM THE MAJORITY PART Y OR 28
	92	+	THE PRINCIPAL MINORI TY POLITICAL PART Y; AND 29
91	93
92		-	(II) IF AN ELECTION DIRECT OR DESIGNATING TWO C HIEF 28
93		-	JUDGES FOR A POLLING PLACE UNDER § 10–203 OF THIS SUBTITLE IS UNABLE TO 29
94		-	DESIGNATE THE CHIEF JUDGES IN ACCORDANCE WITH PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS 30
95		-	SUBSECTION, AN ELECTION DIRECTOR SHALL DESIGNATE : 31
96		-	SENATE BILL 308 3
97		-
98		-
99		-	1. ONE CHIEF JUDGE FROM THE MAJORITY PARTY OR 1
100		-	THE PRINCIPAL MINORI TY POLITICAL PARTY ; AND 2
101		-
102		-	2. ONE CHIEF JUDGE WHO IS NOT REGISTERED WI TH 3
103		-	EITHER THE MAJORITY PARTY OR THE PRINCIP AL MINORITY POLITICA L PARTY. 4
104		-
105		-	10–203. 5
106		-
107		-	(a) The election director, with the approval of the local board, shall appoint the 6
108		-	election judges for each polling place for a term that begins on the Tuesday that is 13 weeks 7
109		-	before each statewide primary election. 8
110		-
111		-	(b) One or two election judges in each precinct shall: 9
112		-
113		-	(1) be designated chief judge; and 10
114		-
115		-	(2) supervise the staff at the polling place. 11
116		-
117		-	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 12
118		-	October 1, 2025. 13
	94	+	2. ONE CHIEF JUDGE WHO IS NOT REGISTERED WI TH 30
	95	+	EITHER THE MAJORITY PARTY OR THE PRINCIPAL MINORI TY POLITICAL PARTY . 31 SENATE BILL 308 3
119	96
120	97
121	98
122		-	Approved:
123		-	________________________________________________________________________________
124		-	Governor.
125		-	________________________________________________________________________________
126		-	President of the Senate.
127		-	________________________________________________________________________________
128		-	Speaker of the House of Delegates.
	99	+	10–203. 1
	100	+
	101	+	(a) The election director, with the approval of the local board, shall appoint the 2
	102	+	election judges for each polling place for a term that begins on the Tuesday that is 13 weeks 3
	103	+	before each statewide primary election. 4
	104	+
	105	+	(b) One or two election judges in each precinct shall: 5
	106	+
	107	+	(1) be designated chief judge; and 6
	108	+
	109	+	(2) supervise the staff at the polling place. 7
	110	+
	111	+	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 8
	112	+	October 1, 2025. 9
	113	+