Package of bills to address Maryland’s elections processes
MARYLAND – A large package of bills introduced by the republican caucus are making their way through the general assembly. The bills are all a part of their effort to establish safeguards on Maryland’s elections processes.
Lawmakers say after the last election, and the increasing use of mail-in ballots, the integrity of the election has been shaken. That’s why Thursday, members of the Republican caucus introduced five bills that would create safeguards, while also ensuring honest elections moving forward.
House Bill 939 the Ballot Protection Act of 2022 prohibits election officials at all levels of government from the mass mailing of unrequested ballots for any election.
House Bill 963 Securing the Vote Act of 2022 requires the State Board of Elections to utilize signature verification software to secure Maryland’s elections and is based on California’s protocols.
House Bill 1172 Mail-In Voter Privacy Act of 2022 removes party affiliation from absentee ballot envelopes.
Senate Bill 738 Secure Elections Act of 2022 requires the State Board of Elections to coordinate with the local boards of elections during statewide elections to perform a sample audit of mail-in ballots to include signature verification. If a critical number of those sample ballots are rejected, it would trigger an audit of all the ballots in that jurisdiction. The bill also allows provisions for ballot curing and the reporting and posting of audit results to the Board of Elections.
Senate bill 532 Election Law – Polling Places – Proof of Identity (Voter ID) requires voters to present identification at the polls to verify their name and mailing address with an election judge. Accepted forms include a current, government-issued photo ID, utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or any other recent government document that shows the voter’s name and address, voter notification card, or sample ballot. If a voter cannot supply any accepted form of identification, or has a recent address change, they may vote a provisional ballot. At no point will an individual’s right to vote be denied. The bill also makes voting with a false form of identification grounds for prosecution for voter fraud.
Senator Bryan Simonaire says “We’re basically inviting people to commit fraudulent actions and we should be proactive and put security measures in place.” Senator Mary Beth Carozza adds, “We continue to hear from Marylander in every part of the state in support of these election integrity bills, we are committed to working in a bi-partisan fashion to move forward.”
All five bills have bi-partisan support.
