# Maryland SB 0255: Voting Rights Act of 2026 - Counties and Municipal Corporations

Maryland SB 0255, Voting Rights Act of 2026 - Counties and Municipal Corporations, is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Charles E. Sydnor (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-28 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 157) (as of 2026-10-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0255-2026RS
- As of: 2026-10-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Maryland SB 0255
- State: Maryland
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Voting Rights Act of 2026 - Counties and Municipal Corporations
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-01-16
- Last action: 2026-04-28, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 157
- Sponsor: Charles E. Sydnor (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Subjects: Elections, Attorney General, Civil Rights and Social Equity, Counties -see also- Chartered Counties; Code Counties; etc., Discrimination, Emergency Bills, Health -see also- COVID19; EnvHlth; MedCon; etc., Minorities, Municipal Corporations -see also- Annap; Balt, Political Candidates, Safety -see also- Occupational Safety, Voting -see also- Absentee and Mail-In Voting
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 12 (585 yes, 663 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 3

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Stronger protections for local minority voters: benefit, medium. The law bans local election methods that weaken the voting power of racial, color, or language minority voters. It defines protected classes and explains what “polarized voting” means. Courts use methods from federal cases and look at local races, ballot questions, and races with protected‑class ca…
- Applies only to county and city races: benefit, low. This title covers only elections run by counties and municipal corporations. It does not apply to statewide races. It binds local governments and helps local voters.
- Lawsuits and court fixes for local elections: mixed, medium. The Maryland Attorney General and any person can sue in the county where a violation happened. Courts can order tailored fixes and do not have to favor a plan just because the local government offered it. A court cannot force a voting method not used in other Maryland counties unless the local gove…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Charles E. Sydnor (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Kevin M. Harris (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-04-13 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 91 | 19 | 30 |
| 2026-04-13 | Senate | Motion Limit Debate (Senator King) Adopted | pass | 33 | 13 | 1 |
| 2026-04-13 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 32 | 14 | 1 |
| 2026-04-13 | House | Motion Vote Previous Question (Delegate Stein) Adopted | pass | 90 | 37 | 13 |
| 2026-04-11 | House | Floor Amendment {493427/1 (Delegate Hornberger) Rejected | fail | 35 | 86 | 12 |
| 2026-04-11 | House | Floor Amendment {663122/1 (Delegate M. Morgan) Rejected | fail | 36 | 88 | 8 |
| 2026-04-11 | House | Floor Amendment {183626/1 (Delegate Buckel) Rejected | fail | 36 | 86 | 11 |
| 2026-04-11 | House | Floor Amendment {513920/1 (Delegate Buckel) Rejected | fail | 37 | 88 | 8 |
| 2026-04-11 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 94 | 35 | 5 |
| 2026-04-11 | House | Floor Amendment {123028/1 (Delegate M. Morgan) Rejected | fail | 34 | 92 | 7 |
| 2026-04-11 | House | Floor Amendment {553021/1 (Delegate Buckel) Rejected | fail | 37 | 90 | 6 |
| 2026-02-10 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 30 | 15 | 1 |

## Actions (42)

- 2026-04-28: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 157
- 2026-04-13: Passed Enrolled (Senate)
- 2026-04-13: Third Reading Passed (91-19) (House)
- 2026-04-13: Motion Vote Previous Question (Delegate Stein) Adopted (90-37) (House)
- 2026-04-13: Conference Committee Report {233429/1 Adopted (House)
- 2026-04-13: Third Reading Passed (32-14) (Senate)
- 2026-04-13: Conference Committee Report {233429/1 Adopted (Senate)
- 2026-04-13: Motion Limit Debate (Senator King) Adopted (33-13) (Senate)
- 2026-04-13: Conference Committee Report {233429/1 (Senate)
- 2026-04-13: House Conference Committee Appointed (Delegates Wells, Fair and Stewart) (Senate)
- 2026-04-13: House Refuses Recede (Senate)
- 2026-04-13: House Conference Committee Appointed (Delegates Wells, Fair and Stewart) (House)
- 2026-04-13: House Refuses Recede (House)
- 2026-04-13: Senate Conference Committee Appointed (Senators Kagan, Harris and Simonaire) (House)
- 2026-04-13: Senate Requests House Recede (House)
- 2026-04-13: Senate Refuses Concur House Amendments (House)
- 2026-04-13: Senate Conference Committee Appointed (Senators Kagan, Harris and Simonaire) (Senate)
- 2026-04-13: Senate Requests House Recede (Senate)
- 2026-04-13: Senate Refuses Concur House Amendments (Senate)
- 2026-04-11: Third Reading Passed (94-35) (House)
- 2026-04-11: Floor Amendment {513920/1 (Delegate Buckel) Rejected (37-88) (House)
- 2026-04-11: Floor Amendment {183626/1 (Delegate Buckel) Rejected (36-86) (House)
- 2026-04-11: Floor Amendment {493427/1 (Delegate Hornberger) Rejected (35-86) (House)
- 2026-04-11: Floor Amendment {553021/1 (Delegate Buckel) Rejected (37-90) (House)
- 2026-04-11: Floor Amendment {123028/1 (Delegate M. Morgan) Rejected (34-92) (House)
- 2026-04-11: Floor Amendment {663122/1 (Delegate M. Morgan) Rejected (36-88) (House)
- 2026-04-10: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (House)
- 2026-04-10: Favorable with Amendments Adopted (House)
- 2026-04-10: Substitute Committee Amendment {353027/1 Adopted (House)
- 2026-04-10: Committee Amendment Withdrawn (House)
- 2026-04-10: Favorable with Amendments {943523/1 (House)
- 2026-04-10: Favorable with Amendments Report by Government, Labor, and Elections (House)
- 2026-03-24: Hearing 4/01 at 1:00 p.m. (House)
- 2026-02-11: Referred Government, Labor, and Elections (House)
- 2026-02-10: Third Reading Passed (30-15) (Senate)
- 2026-02-05: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (Senate)
- 2026-02-05: Favorable with Amendments {453628/1 Adopted (Senate)
- 2026-02-03: Motion Laid Over (Senator Hershey) Adopted (Senate)
- 2026-02-03: Favorable with Amendments {453628/1 (Senate)
- 2026-02-02: Favorable with Amendments Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment (Senate)
- 2026-01-19: Hearing 1/27 at 1:00 p.m. (Senate)
- 2026-01-16: First Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment (Senate)

## Bill text

- Enacted, 2026-04-28: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/Chapters_noln/CH_157_sb0255e.pdf)
- Enrolled, 2026-04-13: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0255e.pdf)
- Third Reading, 2026-02-05: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0255t.pdf)
- First Reading, 2026-01-16: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0255f.pdf)

## Related bills

- SB 0496: Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Coverage for the Treatment of Obesity - Authorization (became law)
- SB 0366: Motor Vehicles - Intelligent Speed Assistance System Pilot Program - Establishment (became law)
- SB 0244: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program (became law)
- SB 0148: Income Tax - Credit for 9-1-1 Specialist Retirement Income (Supporting Our 9-1-1 Specialists Act) (became law)
- SB 0016: Child Support - Earnings Withholdings Limits (became law)
- HB 0529: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program (became law)

## Sources
- [Enacted (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/Chapters_noln/CH_157_sb0255e.pdf)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0255e.pdf)
- [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0255t.pdf)
- [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0255f.pdf)

## Related
- [SB 0496: Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Coverage for the Treatment of Obesity - A…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0496-2026RS)
- [SB 0366: Motor Vehicles - Intelligent Speed Assistance System Pilot Program - Establishm…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0366-2026RS)
- [SB 0244: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0244-2026RS)
- [SB 0148: Income Tax - Credit for 9-1-1 Specialist Retirement Income (Supporting Our 9-1-…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0148-2026RS)
- [SB 0016: Child Support - Earnings Withholdings Limits](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0016-2026RS)
- [HB 0529: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0529-2026RS)
- [Maryland bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/maryland/bills)
- [Maryland state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/maryland)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0255-2026RS (as of 2026-10-11).