Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB323 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	sb0323
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 323
8	8	G1 5lr1178
9	9	CF 5lr1179
10	10	By: Senator Kagan
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 15, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Election Law – Statewide Voter Registration Application – Prepaid Postage 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of requiring that a statewide voter registration application include a 3
21	21	return envelope or envelope template with prepaid postage that an applicant may 4
22	22	use to return the application to the State Board of Elections; and generally relating 5
23	23	to prepaid postage for the statewide voter registration application. 6
24	24
25	25	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 7
26	26	Article – Election Law 8
27	27	Section 3–202 9
28	28	Annotated Code of Maryland 10
29	29	(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 11
30	30
31	31	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
32	32	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13
33	33
34	34	Article – Election Law 14
35	35
36	36	3–202. 15
37	37
38	38	(a) (1) The statewide voter registration application shall: 16
39	39
40	40	(i) require the signature of the applicant, subject to the penalties of 17
41	41	perjury, by which the applicant swears or affirms that the information contained in the 18
42	42	registration application is true and that the applicant meets all of the qualifications to 19
43	43	become a registered voter; 20
44	44
45	45	(ii) state the penalties for the submission of a false application; and 21
46	46
47	47	(iii) provide the applicant with the opportunity to cancel a current 22
48	48	registration. 23 2 SENATE BILL 323
49	49
50	50
51	51
52	52	(2) The following information shall be made available to each applicant 1
53	53	who is completing a statewide voter registration application: 2
54	54
55	55	(i) the qualifications to become a registered voter; 3
56	56
57	57	(ii) if an individual declines to register, this fact will remain 4
58	58	confidential and be used only for voter registration purposes; 5
59	59
60	60	(iii) if an individual registers to vote, the office at which the 6
61	61	application is submitted will remain confidential and will be used only for voter registration 7
62	62	purposes; and 8
63	63
64	64	(iv) notification to the applicant that submission of the form to an 9
65	65	individual other than an official, employee, or agent of a local board does not assure that 10
66	66	the form will be filed or filed in a timely manner. 11
67	67
68	68	(3) The statewide voter registration application may not require: 12
69	69
70	70	(i) notarization or other formal authentication; or 13
71	71
72	72	(ii) any additional information, other than the information 14
73	73	necessary to enable election officials to determine the eligibility of the applicant and to 15
74	74	administer voter registration and other parts of the election process. 16
75	75
76	76	(4) In the section of the statewide voter registration application that asks 17
77	77	the voter whether the voter wants to affiliate with a political party, the application shall 18
78	78	list the recognized political parties in the State and include the following statement: “You 19
79	79	must register with a political party if you want to take part in that political party’s primary 20
80	80	election, caucus, or convention. Check one box only.”. 21
81	81
82	82	(5) (i) A statewide voter registration application shall be produced 22
83	83	exclusively by the State Board. 23
84	84
85	85	(ii) No other registration form may be used for registration purposes 24
86	86	except: 25
87	87
88	88	1. a voter registration application produced by a local board 26
89	89	with the approval of the State Board; 27
90	90
91	91	2. as provided in subsection (b) of this section; 28
92	92
93	93	3. as provided in [§ 3–203(b)] § 3–203 of this subtitle; 29
94	94
95	95	4. any other form prescribed by federal law for voter 30
96	96	registration; or 31
97	97	SENATE BILL 323 3
98	98
99	99
100	100	5. a federal write–in absentee ballot if used by a voter 1
101	101	authorized to vote a federal write–in absentee ballot under federal law. 2
102	102
103	103	(b) The voter registration application form prescribed pursuant to the National 3
104	104	Voter Registration Act of 1993 shall satisfy the requirements prescribed under subsection 4
105	105	(a) of this section and be accepted by the appropriate election official for purposes of voter 5
106	106	registration. 6
107	107
108	108	(c) The application described in this section may be used by a registered voter to 7
109	109	change the voter’s name, address, or party affiliation. 8
110	110
111	111	(D) (1) A STATEWIDE VOTER REGI STRATION APPLICATION SHALL 9
112	112	INCLUDE A RETURN ENV ELOPE OR ENVELOPE TE MPLATE WITH PREPAID POSTAGE 10
113	113	THAT THE APPLICANT M AY USE TO RETURN THE APPLICATION TO THE STATE 11
114	114	BOARD. 12
115	115
116	116	(2) A STATEWIDE VOTER REGI STRATION APPLICATION SHALL BE 13
117	117	ACCOMPANIED BY INSTR UCTIONS FOR POSTAG E, INCLUDING: 14
118	118
119	119	(I) A STATEMENT THAT THE RETURN ENVELOPE OR E NVELOPE 15
120	120	TEMPLATE INCLUDES PR EPAID POSTAGE AND MA Y BE MAILED AS IS; AND 16
121	121
122	122	(II) DIRECTIONS FOR HOW AN APPLICANT MAY ATTACH 17
123	123	POSTAGE FOR THE PURP OSE OF REDUCING THE COSTS OF THE LOCAL B OARD. 18
124	124
125	125	(3) RETURN ENVELOPES OR E NVELOPE TEMPLATES SH ALL BE 19
126	126	PREPRINTED WITH THE ADDRESS OF THE STATE BOARD FOR PURPOSES OF 20
127	127	RETURNING THE STATEW IDE VOTER REGISTRATI ON APPLICATION . 21
128	128
129	129	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect June 22
130	130	1, 2025. 23