Maryland legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Maryland HB1001: Election Law - Authority at Polling Places, Early Voting Centers, and Counting Centers - Revisions
Status: Signed into law, May 12, 2026
Requiring a police officer who is on duty at a polling place to obey the authority of the State Administrator, the Deputy State Administrator, or a local election director; providing that, in a polling place, certain individuals have the authority to keep the peace and order the arrest of certain persons; requiring a local election director, while serving in a polling place, to protect certain rights of challengers and watchers; etc.
What the bill says
An act concerning Election Law - Local Board of Elections Employees - Authority at Polling Places, Early Voting Centers, and Counting Centers - Revisions FOR the purpose of requiring a police officer who is on duty at a polling place to obey the authority of the State Administrator, the Deputy State Administrator, or a local board of elections employee a local election director; providing that local board employees, while serving, in a polling place, have a local election director has certain individuals have the authority to keep the peace and order the arrest of certain persons…
From the enrolled text, May 19, 2026:
AN ACT concerning Election Law - Local Board of Elections Employees - Authority at Polling Places, Early Voting Centers, and Counting Centers - Revisions FOR the purpose of requiring a police officer who is on duty at a polling place to obey the authority of the State Administrator, the Deputy State Administrator, or a local board of elections employee a local election director; providing that local board employees, while serving, in a polling place, have a local election director has certain individuals have the authority to keep the peace and order the arrest of certain persons; authorizing requiring a local board employees election director, while serving in a polling place, to protect certain rights of, certain challengers and watchers; authorizing a local election director, while serving in a polling place, to deny admission of, and eject certain challengers and watchers from a polling place under certain circumstances; altering the persons that may designate a registered voter as an accredited challenger or watcher at each polling place; authorizing certain persons to designate accredited challengers or watchers at early voting centers; altering the persons that may designate a registered voter as an observer at each counting center; and generally relating to the authority of local board employees individuals persons at polling places and, early voting centers, and counting centers. BY repealing and …