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HB 75 Maryland House of Delegates · 2025 Regular Session

Election Law – Special Elections

HB 75 modifies Maryland's election law for special elections to fill vacancies on county councils or in county executive offices. It allows county councils to skip special primary elections and instead hold a single special general election, requiring them to specify whether the election will be partisan (showing party affiliation) or nonpartisan (without party affiliation). The bill also changes mail ballot rules, requiring local boards to send vote-by-mail ballots at least 30 days before the election (instead of 14 days) and clarifies that specimen ballots need not be mailed to voters. These changes apply directly to counties managing local election procedures under state law.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Sep 2024
Committee Review
Apr 2025
House of Delegates Passage
Apr 2025
Senate Passage
Apr 2025
Signed into Law
Apr 2025
Introduced Sep 19, 2024 Signed Apr 22, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - Election Law – Special Elections → Third - Election Law – Special Elections · 5 edits
MODERATE
This bill amends Maryland's Election Law to update special election procedures, primarily by clarifying requirements for special elections to fill vacancies in county offices and adjusting ballot mailing timelines. The changes ensure special elections maintain proper spacing from regular elections and provide clearer guidance on how counties can conduct these elections when vacancies occur.
Scope change
The bill modifies the scope of special election procedures to apply more clearly to county-level vacancies and updates requirements for ballot distribution timing.
TIMELINE

Special election dates must now be at least 90 days after the county council resolution establishing the election date, and cannot be within 120 days of a regularly scheduled election.

REQUIREMENT

Clarified that special elections for county vacancies must allow at least 45 days between when absentee ballots are available to uniformed services or overseas voters and the election date.

Added new sections (8-402 and 8-403) specifying that county councils can direct whether a special primary election is held, and outlining methods for conducting special general elections (partisan or nonpartisan).

Updated Section 9-502 to remove the requirement that local boards mail specimen ballots to registered voters under specific circumstances.

TECHNICAL

Changed the bill's classification from a repeal and reenactment to an addition to existing law, and updated the bill status to reflect it was adopted by the House.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 16, 2025 · House of Delegates Feb 28, 2025

How they voted

46–0
Passed
Total votes 46
Mar 16, 2025
D Democratic33
33 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican13
13 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
16
Key actions
10
Committee
6
Apr 22, 2025
Signed into law
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 126
executive
Apr 3, 2025
Lower · Passed
Returned Passed
lower
Apr 3, 2025
Upper · Passed
Third Reading Passed
upper
Apr 2, 2025
Upper · Passed
Favorable Adopted
upper
Mar 31, 2025
Upper · Passed
Favorable Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment
upper
Mar 16, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (46-0)
senate
Mar 12, 2025
Committee
Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment
upper
Mar 11, 2025
Lower · Passed
Third Reading Passed
lower
Mar 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments {
lower
Mar 4, 2025
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments Report by Ways and Means
lower
Feb 28, 2025
House Of Delegates · Passed
House of Delegates Vote: pass (125-3-12)
house of delegates
Jan 8, 2025
Committee
First Reading Ways and Means
lower
Sep 19, 2024
Introduced
Pre-filed
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.