The segments below provide a brief overview of MACo’s work in the area of elections policy in the 2018 General Assembly.
Follow links for more coverage on Conduit Street and MACo’s Legislative Database.
Post-Election Administration
MACo opposed a bill to impose a variety of onerous and costly changes on state election law relating to post-election audits, voter registration infrastructure, and voting machines. MACo raised concerns that this legislation placed a substantial administrative and cost burden onto local Boards of Election, whose operations are supported by county funding. Without state resources to offset these potentially large costs, the bill represented a potentially large unfunded mandate on local governments. House Bill 767 was not passed by the General Assembly.
The other bill would have similarly enabled county governments to establish a system of public campaign financing for elected offices in the Maryland General Assembly.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
Cyber Security
MACo supported a bill seeking reforms to State election law systems security, with amendments to curb unintended consequences for county governments. MACo’s amendments strike a reasonable balance between the need for security and reporting, and undue burdens on county election boards. The legislation was amended to meet MACo’s concerns and passed by both houses of the General Assembly
MACo opposed a bill that would have imposed a variety of onerous and costly changes on state election law relating to post-election audits, voter registration infrastructure, and voting machines. Counties were concerned the legislation placed a substantial administrative and cost burden onto local Boards of Election, whose operations are supported by county funding. Without state resources to offset these potentially large costs, the bill represented a potentially dramatic unfunded mandate on local governments.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
Public Campaign Financing
MACo supported two campaign finance bills this Session, neither of which advanced past their initial bill hearings in the General Assembly.
One of the bills would have expanded the offices for which a county may establish a system of public campaign financing to candidates seeking to serve as an elected member of the county board of education, clerk of the circuit court, register of wills, sheriff, and State’s Attorney.
With respect to both bills, MACo stated in testimony that they properly located the decision for establishing a system of public campaign financing in the hands of the local governments, who are best situated to determine whether such a policy is in their best interest.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
