On February 24, Legislative Director Kevin Kinnally submitted written testimony to the Government, Labor, and Elections Committee in support of HB 962 - Local Public Campaign Financing - County Boards of Education. This bill expands the offices for which a county may establish public campaign financing. As these officials often exercise significant policy and budget authority, providing a local option to include them under public financing programs promotes consistency and accountability. Notably, the bill preserves…

On February 24, Legislative Director Kevin Kinnally submitted a letter of information to the Government, Labor, and Elections Committee on HB 1001 - Election Law - Local Board of Elections Employees - Authority at Polling Places. HB 1001 expands the authority of local board of elections employees serving at polling places. The bill requires a police officer stationed at a polling place to follow the orders of a local board employee, in addition to election…

On February 18, Legislative Director Kevin Kinnally submitted written testimony to the Government, Labor, and Elections Committee in support of HB 662 - Election Law - Election Judges - Compensation for Public School Students.  This bill aims to support the recruitment of election judges by removing an unnecessary barrier for public school students. Currently, public school students who serve as election judges must choose between receiving election judge pay and earning the required service-learning credit.…

On February 4, Legislative Services Assistant Charlotte Fleckenstein testified in support of HB 145 – Election Law - Election Misinformation, Election Disinformation, and Deepfakes.  This bill strengthens Maryland’s election laws by prohibiting deepfakes and other forms of synthetic media intended to interfere with voting, and equipping the State to respond swiftly to election misinformation. This bill maintains a strict focus on materially false information intended to impede the voting process; it does not aim to…