Election Law - Unaffiliated Voters - Open Primary Elections
Sponsor: Lily Qi (District 15)Committee: Government, Labor, and ElectionsSubject: ElectionsStatus: Hearing 2/11 at 2:00 p.m. (as of Sep 4, 2026)
What this bill does
Official synopsis
Authorizing a voter unaffiliated with a political party to vote the ballot for unaffiliated voters or the ballot of the political party of the voter's choice in a primary election; and prohibiting a voter unaffiliated with a political party who votes the ballot of a political party in a primary election from automatically becoming affiliated with the political party whose ballot the voter voted.
AI analysis is off. Set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY to enable summaries, pros and cons, and questions.
Analysis reads the bill text, the fiscal note, and the witness list. It is generated by Claude and reviewed by nobody, so check the source documents before you rely on it.
Testimony (42)
MGA witness listFAV 35FavorableUNF 6UnfavorableINFO 1Information only
| Position | Witness | Organization | Testimony |
|---|---|---|---|
| FAV | Hammond, John | Annapolitans for a Better Community (ABC) | Oral + Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Clancy, Jennifer | Friends of Jennifer Clancy | Position only |
| FAV | Goldstein, Elaina | Independent Voters of MD | Oral + Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Sauerburger, Dona | Independent Voters of Maryland | Oral + Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Andrews, Phil | Individual | Oral |
| FAV | Avila, Jason | Legislative Latino Caucus of Maryland | Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Bradshaw, Leland | Maryland Forward Party | Oral + Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Plante, Cecilia | Maryland Legislative Coalition | Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Stein, Kate | Montgomery County Women's Democratic Club (WDC) | Oral + Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Gruber, Jeremylobbyist | Open Primaries | Oral + Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Stewart, Cathy | Open Primaries | Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Anderson, Owen | Ranked Choice Voting Maryland | Oral + Written (PDF) |
| FAV | McNair, Lee | Unitarian Universalist Environmental Justice Ministry | Position only |
| FAV | Everett, William | Veteran | Oral + Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Pellittiere, Michael | Veterans for Maryland Voters | Oral + Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Kaplowitz, Richard KAP | Year | Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Andrione, William | Individual | Oral + Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Bagwell, Ashlielobbyist | Individual | Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Ballot, David | Individual | Oral |
| FAV | Combs-Dyer, Melanie | Individual | Oral + Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Davis, Michael | Individual | Oral |
| FAV | Delegate Qi, Delegate Qilegislator | Individual | Oral |
| FAV | Ellis, Andy | Individual | Oral + Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Gladden, Nancy | Individual | Oral |
| FAV | Guzman, Jocelyn | Individual | Oral |
| FAV | Johnson, Holly | Individual | Oral + Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Macgill, James | Individual | Oral + Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Philapavage, Dennis | Individual | Oral + Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Rephan, Rob | Individual | Oral |
| FAV | Russell, Brandon | Individual | Oral + Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Sullivan, Stephen | Individual | Written (PDF) |
| FAV | Taillie, Peter | Individual | Oral |
| FAV | Taylor, Jackson | Individual | Oral |
| FAV | Taylor, Jessica | Individual | Oral |
| FAV | Woods, Helen | Individual | Written (PDF) |
| UNF | Lang, Alan | Individual | Written (PDF) |
| UNF | Mauer, William | Individual | Position only |
| UNF | Nelson, Mary | Individual | Written (PDF) |
| UNF | Nichols, Julia | Individual | Written (PDF) |
| UNF | Rosa, Richard | Individual | Position only |
| UNF | Tibbals, Trudy | Individual | Position only |
| INFO | Tyree, Nikki | LWVMD | Written (PDF) |
Organizations on record
Registered lobbyists who testified
FAVBagwell, AshlieRegistered for: AbbVie Inc.; Aligned Data Centers; American Academy of Anesthesiology Assistants, Inc.; Atmosphere Data Centers LLC; Baltimore Civic Fund, Inc.; Beltway Fine Wine…