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HB 496·MD·house

Election Law - Unaffiliated Voters - Open Primary Elections

FailedFiled Jan 27, 2026
Sponsor: Qi
Latest Action

Hearing (House)

Feb 11, 2026

Summary

The bill lets voters who are not registered with any political party either use a special unaffiliated primary ballot (if their county offers one) or pick the ballot of any party they prefer. Voting for a party’s ballot will not automatically register the voter with that party. This expands primary participation while keeping party affiliation voluntary.

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Hearings

History

  1. Hearing canceled
  2. Hearing 2/11 at 2:00 p.m.
  3. Hearing 2/11 at 1:00 p.m.
  4. First Reading Government, Labor, and Elections

Sponsors

  • Qi · sponsor
  • Schmidt

Bill text

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