Maryland SB949 - Election Law - Absentee Ballots - State and Federal Requirements
Summary
Maryland SB949 passed both chambers on April 13, 2026. The bill requires the State Board of Elections and local boards of elections to refer to internet-delivered absentee ballots as 'print-at-home ballots' in all voter communications. It establishes circumstances under which absentee ballots are considered timely and may be counted, and provides that federal requirements for ballot timeliness will govern when they differ from state requirements.
What changed
Maryland SB949 enacts a new naming requirement for internet-delivered absentee ballots, mandating that election boards use 'print-at-home ballot' in all communications. The bill also establishes that absentee ballots may be counted under specified circumstances and provides that federal law or court orders governing ballot timeliness will take precedence over conflicting state requirements.
Election officials in Maryland will need to update voter-facing materials, websites, and public communications to implement the new terminology. The bill creates a mechanism for harmonizing state ballot deadlines with potentially stricter federal requirements, which may affect how local boards handle late-arriving ballots in federal elections.
What to do next
- Update all voter communications to use 'print-at-home ballot' terminology
- Monitor for federal requirements that may govern ballot timeliness
Archived snapshot
Apr 14, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
ChangeBridge / Maryland / SB949 Passed SB949 Senate Bill Passed 2026-04-13
Election Law - Absentee Ballots - State and Federal Requirements
Requiring the State Board of Elections and each local board of elections to refer to absentee ballots that are delivered to a voter by the Internet as "print-at-home ballots" in all communications with voters and the general public; providing that absentee ballots are considered timely and may be counted under certain circumstances; and establishing requirements regarding absentee ballots that apply if federal law or a federal court establish requirements for the timeliness of absentee ballots that differ from State requirements.
Bill Details
State Maryland
Session 2026 Regular Session
Chamber Senate
Official Source mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation...
LegiScan View on LegiScan
Sponsors
Cheryl Kagan (Sen - D)
Action History
2026-04-13 H Second Reading Passed 2026-04-13 H Favorable Adopted 2026-04-13 H Favorable Report by Government, Labor, and Elections 2026-04-13 H Rereferred to Government, Labor, and Elections 2026-04-13 H Referred Rules and Executive Nominations 2026-04-13 S Third Reading Passed (35-10) 2026-04-10 S Second Reading Passed with Amendments 2026-04-10 S Favorable with Amendments {143222/1 Adopted 2026-04-10 S Motion Laid Over (Senator Jennings) Adopted 2026-04-10 S Favorable with Amendments {143222/1 2026-04-10 S Favorable with Amendments Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment 2026-02-10 S Hearing 2/25 at 1:00 p.m. 2026-02-06 S First Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment
Committee Referrals
2026-02-06 S Education, Energy, and the Environment 2026-04-13 H Rules and Executive Nominations 2026-04-13 H Government, Labor, and Elections
Amendments
2026-04-10 Favorable with Amendments 143222/1 Adopted Adopted
Bill Text Versions
2026-02-11 Introduced 2026-04-11 Engrossed
Subjects
Elections Absentee and Mail-In Ballots Elections, State Board of Emergency Bills Federal Government Health Laws and Ordinances Notices Rules and Regulations Safety Sunset Electronic Government internet Public Information Time Voting Legislative data powered by LegiScan (CC BY 4.0)
Related changes
Get daily alerts for Maryland Legislative Events
Daily digest delivered to your inbox.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
About this page
Every important government, regulator, and court update from around the world. One place. Real-time. Free. Our mission
Source document text, dates, docket IDs, and authority are extracted directly from MDGA.
The summary, classification, recommended actions, deadlines, and penalty information are AI-generated from the original text and may contain errors. Always verify against the source document.
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when Maryland Legislative Events publishes new changes.
Subscribed!
Optional. Filters your digest to exactly the updates that matter to you.