§ 3-204. Voter registration at voter registration agencies
West's Annotated Code of MarylandElection LawEffective: June 1, 2021
Effective: June 1, 2021
MD Code, Election Law, § 3-204
Formerly cited as MD CODE Art. 33, § 3-204
§ 3-204. Voter registration at voter registration agencies
(a)(1) The State Board shall designate public agencies and nongovernmental agencies as voter registration agencies where qualified individuals may apply to register to vote.
(a-1) A voter registration agency that is subject to the requirements of § 3-203 of this subtitle:
(b) Except for a public institution of higher education in the State, which institution shall comply with the requirements of subsection (c) of this section and § 3-204.2(f) of this subtitle, each voter registration agency, as provided in subsection (a)(2) and (3) of this section, shall:
(iii) boxes for the applicant to check to indicate whether the applicant would like to register or declines to register to vote together with the statement (in close proximity to the boxes and in prominent type), “If you do not check either box, you will be considered to have decided not to register to vote at this time.”;
(v) the statement, “If you believe that someone has interfered with your right to register or to decline to register to vote, your right to privacy in deciding whether to register or in applying to register to vote, or your right to choose your own political party or other political preference, you may file a complaint with the State Board of Elections.”; and
(3) provide each applicant who does not decline to register to vote and who accepts assistance the same degree of assistance with regard to completion of the registration application as is provided by the office with regard to the completion of its own applications, unless the applicant refuses such assistance;
(4) ensure that each application for service or assistance from the agency and each recertification, renewal, or change of address form relating to the service or assistance may not be completed until the applicant has indicated whether the applicant wishes to register to vote and is informed that if the applicant does not select a political party affiliation, the individual will be designated as not affiliated with a political party and will be unable to vote in a party primary election; and
(c)(1) A public institution of higher education shall designate a staff member as the student voting coordinator.
5. a link from the institution's online student portal to the webpage concerning student voter registration and voting that is maintained by the State Board under § 3-103 of this title or a webpage on the student portal that includes the same information as the webpage maintained by the State Board;
(d) An applicant may mail the voter registration application to the appropriate State election official or return it to the voter registration agency for transmittal to the appropriate election official.
(e) Within 5 days from the acceptance of a voter registration application, the voter registration agency shall forward the application to the appropriate State election official.
(f)(1) An applicant registering to vote at a voter registration agency may affirmatively consent to the use of the individual's electronic signature that is on file with the voter registration agency as the individual's signature for the application being submitted.
(g) If a voter registration agency is an office described in subsection (a)(2)(ii) of this section, which provides services to an individual with a disability at the individual's home, the agency shall provide the services described in subsection (b) of this section at the individual's home.
(h)(1) An individual who provides any service described in subsection (b) of this section may not:
(i) Regulations necessary to carry out the requirements of this section and § 3-203 of this subtitle, including provisions for training the employees of voter registration agencies and the Motor Vehicle Administration, shall be adopted by the State Board in cooperation with each agency.
(j) On or before January 1, 2018, and January 1 each subsequent year, the Maryland Department of Labor shall submit a report, in accordance with § 2-1257 of the State Government Article, to the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee that describes:
Credits
Added as Art. 33, § 2-204, by Acts 1998, c. 585, § 2, eff. Jan. 1, 1999. Amended by Acts 1998, c. 750, § 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1999. Transferred to Election Law § 2-204 by Acts 2002, c. 291, § 2, eff. Jan. 1, 2003. Amended by Acts 2002, c. 291, § 4, eff. Jan. 1, 2003; Acts 2005, c. 25, § 1, eff. April 12, 2005; Acts 2012, c. 106, § 1, eff. June 1, 2012; Acts 2014, c. 104, § 2, eff. Oct. 1, 2014; Acts 2016, c. 287, § 1, eff. July 1, 2016; Acts 2016, c. 287, § 2, eff. January 17, 2017; Acts 2019, c. 6, § 1, eff. June 1, 2019; Acts 2019, c. 8, § 5; Acts 2021, c. 656, § 1, eff. June 1, 2021; Acts 2021, c. 657, § 1, eff. June 1, 2021.
Formerly Art. 33, § 3-204.
MD Code, Election Law, § 3-204, MD ELEC LAW § 3-204
Current through legislation effective through April 9, 2023, from the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly. Some statute sections may be more current, see credits for details.
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