HB 621 Maryland House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Local Boards of Elections - Board Counsel - Qualifications

HB 621 changes the qualifications for legal counsel appointed by Maryland county election boards. It requires that board counsel must be a registered voter in their specific county (previously required to be a registered voter in the entire state). This bill directly affects all 24 Maryland county election boards when hiring their legal counsel. The key change eliminates the statewide voter registration requirement, making it a local county residency requirement instead. The bill amends Sections 2-201(a)(1) and 2-205(a) of Maryland's Election Law.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

Signed into Law

Apr 2026

Introduced Jan 30, 2026 Signed Apr 28, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - Local Boards of Elections - Board Counsel - Qualifications → Third - Local Boards of Elections - Board Counsel - Qualifications · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was updated to reflect its progression through the legislative process, including a favorable committee report and adoption by the House. The text of the law itself was reorganized to clarify that board counsel must be a registered voter of the State (removing the previous requirement to be a voter of the specific county) and must be admitted to practice law in the State.

Scope change

The scope of eligibility for board counsel was broadened by removing the county-specific voter registration requirement, allowing any registered voter in the state to serve as counsel regardless of their county of residence.

ELIGIBILITY

Changed the voter registration requirement for board counsel from being a registered voter of 'its county' to being a registered voter of 'THE STATE', expanding the pool of eligible candidates.

TIMELINE

Added procedural history indicating the bill received a favorable committee report, was adopted by the House, and was read a second time on February 22, 2026.

TECHNICAL

Added standard legislative formatting elements including a chapter placeholder, an explanation of markup symbols, and signature lines for the Governor and legislative leaders.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 19, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 23, 2026

How they voted

45–0

Passed · 4 other

Total votes 49

Mar 19, 2026

D Democratic36

32 Yea 4

88% Yea

R Republican13

13 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 28, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by the Governor - Chapter 256

executive

Apr 8, 2026

Lower · Passed

Returned Passed

lower

Apr 8, 2026

Upper · Passed

Third Reading Passed

upper

Apr 3, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed

upper

Apr 2, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment

upper

Mar 19, 2026

Senate · Passed

Senate Vote: pass (45-0-4)

senate

Mar 5, 2026

Committee

Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment

upper

Mar 4, 2026

Lower · Passed

Third Reading Passed

lower

Mar 3, 2026

Lower · Passed

Favorable Adopted

lower

Mar 2, 2026

Lower · Passed

Favorable Report by Government, Labor, and Elections

lower

Feb 23, 2026

House Of Delegates · Passed

House of Delegates Vote: pass (110-20-12)

house of delegates

Jan 30, 2026

Committee

First Reading Government, Labor, and Elections

lower

4 primary · 0 co-sponsors