HB 830 — Maryland

Election Law - Absentee Ballots - Signature Requirements and Verification

Prohibiting a local board of elections from removing an absentee ballot from a return envelope or ballot/return envelope or counting the ballot unless the return envelope or ballot/return envelope is signed by the voter and a witness and the local board verify the voter's signature; and providing that the witness signature requirement does not apply to active duty uniformed services members serving overseas or their spouses or dependents who live overseas.

Latest action: Hearing 2/18 at 1:00 p.m. · Feb 5, 2026

In committeeAbsentee and Mail-In BallotsArmed Forces and Uniformed ServicesElectionsElections SupervisorsEmergency BillsHealthLocal Government MandatesRecordsRegistrationSafetySignaturesSpousesVotingWitnesses

Synopsis written by the legislature's own staff, as published on the official bill page. Status label is derived from the recorded actions. The full text below is the record.

Committees: Government, Labor, and Elections (House of Delegates)

Updated Mar 17, 2026

Timeline

First Reading Government, Labor, and Elections
Feb 4, 2026 · House of Delegates
Hearing 2/18 at 1:00 p.m.
Feb 5, 2026 · House of Delegates

Sponsored by Bob Long, Steve Arentz, Terry Baker, Brian Chisholm, Mike Griffith, Kevin Hornberger, Tom Hutchinson, Jay Jacobs, April Miller, Todd Morgan, Teresa Reilly, Chris Tomlinson, William Valentine

No recorded floor votes yet.

Fiscal and Policy Note — official analysis by legislative staff (PDF) Bill text (First reading) — Maryland General Assembly (PDF) Official record — Maryland General Assembly bill page

Official records. Maryland legislators, bills and roll-call votes from the Maryland General Assembly, imported through Open States on Oct 27, 2026 (partial import — not yet the full session). Accuracy review against the official site is still under way. Campaign-finance records for Maryland are not imported yet.