Maryland Voter Registration List Accuracy and Integrity Act
Summary
SB845, the Maryland Voter Registration List Accuracy and Integrity Act, changes the process for removing deceased voters from the statewide voter registration list. Under current law, local election directors generally mail a notice and wait for a response before canceling a registration when they receive an obituary or other reliable death report. This bill would instead require immediate removal when a local board receives a report from the Social Security Administration, an approved SSA-linked source, or the official vital statistics agency of another state or territory showing that a registered voter has died.
The bill also creates a correction process if a voter is removed in error. If the election director later learns the voter is not actually deceased, the director must restore the voter to the list or refer the matter for a local board hearing. In addition, if the State Board of Elections finds a local board is not following the new immediate-removal requirement, it must issue written findings, require a corrective action plan, and monitor compliance. If noncompliance continues for more than two months, the State Board may withhold discretionary election administration funds, require retraining, and refer the matter to the Office of Legislative Audits.
Impact
SB845 would amend Section 3-504 of the Election Law Article to speed up removal of deceased voters from Maryland’s statewide voter registration list and to add stronger state oversight of local boards. It narrows the notice-and-wait procedure for certain death reports and authorizes immediate cancellation based on specified government death records, while preserving a mechanism to restore registrations if the death report is mistaken. The bill would also give the State Board of Elections explicit enforcement tools against local boards that do not comply.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, the overall posture appears to be administrative and integrity-focused rather than overtly partisan. The bill’s title and structure suggest support for voter-roll accuracy and election administration efficiency. At the same time, the inclusion of a restoration process and hearing option indicates an effort to balance list maintenance with protections against erroneous removal.
Contention
The main point of contention is likely the shift from a notice-and-response process to immediate removal upon receipt of certain death reports. Supporters would likely view this as a necessary safeguard against inaccurate voter rolls and potential misuse of deceased registrations, while critics may argue it increases the risk of wrongful disenfranchisement if death data are incomplete or incorrect. A secondary issue is the bill’s enforcement regime, including funding consequences and mandatory retraining for local boards, which could be seen as either needed accountability or an intrusive state mandate on local election officials.