State Board of Elections - Address Confidentiality Program - Designation of Contact Person
HB 265 requires Maryland's State Board of Elections to designate a contact person for the Address Confidentiality Program, which helps survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, harassment, or human trafficking keep their real addresses private. The bill mandates that local election offices use participants' actual addresses for election purposes (like absentee ballots) but must not disclose these addresses publicly except for law enforcement requests or court orders. The designated contact person will handle all inquiries from election offices and participants about implementing the program's rules. This bill updates existing election law to clarify administrative procedures for the program, effective June 1, 2026.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Sep 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Sep 22, 2025
Signed Apr 14, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
First - State Board of Elections - Address Confidentiality Program - Designation of Contact Person
→
Third - State Board of Elections - Address Confidentiality Program - Designation of Contact Person
·
3 edits
MINOR
The bill underwent procedural updates to reflect its adoption by the House, including the addition of a favorable committee report and specific action dates. Substantively, the text was reorganized to renumber sections, moving the Address Confidentiality Program provisions from section 7-303 to 7-309, while retaining the core requirements for the Secretary of State to establish the program and designate a contact person.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains focused on the Address Confidentiality Program for survivors of domestic violence and related crimes, but the internal section numbering has shifted from 7-303 to 7-309.
TIMELINE
Added procedural markers indicating the bill was adopted by the House and read a second time on February 26, 2026.
TECHNICAL
Reorganized the bill structure by changing the section number for the Address Confidentiality Program from 7-303 to 7-309.
Removed the original header indicating the bill was a pre-filed bill without House action.
Floor votes · Senate Mar 21, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 27, 2026
How they voted
43–0
Passed · 6 other
Total votes 49
Mar 21, 2026
D
Democratic36
83% Yea
R
Republican13
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
16
Key actions
11
Committee
6
Apr 14, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 108
executive
Apr 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Returned Passed
lower
Apr 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
Third Reading Passed
upper
Apr 8, 2026
Upper · Passed
Motion Special Order until 4/9 (Senator Folden) Adopted
upper
Apr 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
upper
Apr 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment
upper
Mar 21, 2026
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (43-0-6)
senate
Mar 12, 2026
Committee
Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment
upper
Mar 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third Reading Passed
lower
Mar 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable Adopted
lower
Mar 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable Report by Government, Labor, and Elections
lower
Feb 27, 2026
House Of Delegates · Passed
House of Delegates Vote: pass (136-0-6)
house of delegates
Jan 14, 2026
Committee
First Reading Government, Labor, and Elections
lower
Sep 22, 2025
Introduced
Pre-filed
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
No sponsor information available.
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about HB 265
Scope: MD
Hi! I can help you understand HB 265. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline