HB 44 Maryland House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Election Law - Petitions and Ballot Questions - Contents, Plain Language Requirement, and Procedures

HB 44 requires that summaries on petitions to place ballot questions and the descriptions of those questions on ballots be written in plain language, avoiding jargon, double negatives, and passive voice. It mandates that these summaries include a brief title, a clear explanation of the policy change, and the practical outcome of each voting choice. The bill sets a July 1 deadline for election officials to prepare and certify this information before general elections and requires a 15-day public comment period on proposed language. These changes apply to all petitions and ballot questions in Maryland, aiming to improve voter clarity.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Aug 2025

Committee Review

Apr 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Aug 20, 2025 Last action Apr 13, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - Election Law - Petitions and Ballot Questions - Contents, Plain Language Requirement, and Procedures → Third - Election Law - Petitions and Ballot Questions - Contents, Plain Language Requirement, and Procedures · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill updates the formatting and procedural requirements for election petitions and ballot questions in Maryland. It adds new committee and adoption status information to the bill header and modifies the legal text to clarify how plain language summaries must be presented on petitions and ballots. The changes ensure that summaries avoid legal jargon and passive voice while providing voters with clear information about the practical outcomes of their choices.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains focused on election law procedures, but the specific requirements for petition content and ballot presentation have been refined to include stricter plain language guidelines.

REQUIREMENT

Added new header information including a favorable committee report, adoption by the House, and a second reading date to track the bill's legislative progress.

Updated the plain language requirement for petition summaries to explicitly state that they must not explain the legal mechanism for policy changes, ensuring voters understand the practical outcome rather than the legal process.

Reorganized the structure of the plain language requirements on ballots to separate the 'brief title' from the 'condensed statement,' clarifying that the condensed statement must describe the policy change in plain language without legal jargon or double negatives.

TECHNICAL

Adjusted line numbers and formatting throughout the document to align with the new text structure and add explanatory notes about how amendments are indicated in the law.

Floor votes · House of Delegates Mar 30, 2026

How they voted

135–0

Passed · 7 other

Total votes 142

Mar 30, 2026

D Democratic103

100 Yea 3

97% Yea

R Republican39

35 Yea 4

89% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 13, 2026

Committee

Referred Rules

upper

Apr 13, 2026

Lower · Passed

Third Reading Passed

lower

Apr 11, 2026

Lower · Passed

Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed

lower

Apr 11, 2026

Lower · Passed

Favorable Report by Government, Labor, and Elections

lower

Mar 30, 2026

House Of Delegates · Passed

House of Delegates Vote: pass (135-0-7)

house of delegates

Jan 14, 2026

Committee

First Reading Government, Labor, and Elections

lower

Aug 20, 2025

Introduced

Pre-filed

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors