SB 255

Voting Rights Act of 2026 - Counties and Municipal Corporations

Sponsor: Charles E. Sydnor, III (District 44)Committee: Education, Energy, and the EnvironmentSubject: ElectionsStatus: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 157 (as of Sep 4, 2026)

What this bill does

Official synopsis

Prohibiting the imposition or application of a method for electing the governing body of a county or municipal corporation that impairs the ability of members of a protected class to elect candidates of the members' choice or influence the outcome of an election by diluting or abridging the rights of voters who are members of a protected class; authorizing the Attorney General and any other person to bring a certain action in the county where the violation allegedly occurred for injunctive relief, damages, or other relief; etc.

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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 (83)

MGA witness list

FAV 65FavorableFWA 3Favorable with amendmentsUNF 15Unfavorable

Position	Witness	Organization	Testimony
FAV	Smalls, Cindylobbyist	AFSCME Council 3	Written (PDF)
FAV	Johnson, Daralobbyist	American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Johnson, Daralobbyist	American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland	Written (PDF)
FAV	Wyatt, Lauren	Black Girls Vote, Inc.	Written (PDF)
FAV	Wright, Marisa	Campaign Legal Center	Written (PDF)
FAV	Wright, Marisa	Campaign Legal Center	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Drayton, Morganlobbyist	Common Cause MD	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Drayton, Morganlobbyist	Common Cause MD	Written (PDF)
FAV	Antoine, Joannelobbyist	Common Cause Maryland	Written (PDF)
FAV	Davis, Emily	Fair Elections Center	Written (PDF)
FAV	Davis, Emily	Fair Elections Center	Written (PDF)
FAV	Wilburn, Yates	FairVote Action	Written (PDF)
FAV	Santos, Tatiana	Indivisible Frederick Forward	Written (PDF)
FAV	Lemyze, Christine	Indivisible Howard County	Written (PDF)
FAV	Westervelt, Kendra	Kendra Westervelt	Written (PDF)
FAV	Tyree, Nikki	LWVMD	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Tyree, Nikki	LWVMD	Written (PDF)
FAV	Agarin, Ufuoma	Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland	Written (PDF)
FAV	Agarin, Ufuoma	Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland	Written (PDF)
FAV	Norling, Richard	MD Sierra Club	Written (PDF)
FAV	Orbe, Jr., Carlos	Maryland Latinos Unidos	Written (PDF)
FAV	Plante, Cecilia	Maryland Legislative Coalition	Written (PDF)
FAV	Plante, Cecilia	Maryland Legislative Coalition	Written (PDF)
FAV	Cook, Jessicalobbyist	Maryland State Education Association	Written (PDF)
FAV	Lewis, Roderick	Mr.	Oral
FAV	Brooks, Imani	NAACP Legal Defense Fund	Written (PDF)
FAV	Lioz, Adam	NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Jones, Vicki	NAACP- Harford County Branch	Written (PDF)
FAV	Frost, Lesley	Nationa Council of Jewish Women, MD Action Team	Written (PDF)
FAV	Clark, Tiffany	Office of the Attorney General	Written (PDF)
FAV	Selden, Trina	Out for Justice	Written (PDF)
FAV	Whittaker, Michellelobbyist	Ranked Choice Voting Maryland	Written (PDF)
FAV	Cano, Christopherlobbyist	SEIU Local 500	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Cano, Christopherlobbyist	SEIU Local 500	Written (PDF)
FAV	Walthour, Janice	St. Mary's County NAACP	Written (PDF)
FAV	Abell, AnnMarie	St. Mary’s County Democratic Central Committee	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Sydnor III, Charles	State Senator	Written (PDF)
FAV	Sydnor III, Charles	State Senator	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Jones, Daryl	Transformative Justice Coalition	Oral
FAV	Kaplowitz, Richard KAP	Year	Written (PDF)
FAV	Solomon, Julie	self	Written (PDF)
FAV	Brooks, Monica	Individual	Oral
FAV	Childers, Harry	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Coe, Marcia	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Coe, Marcia	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Enagonio, Liz	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Frederick, Rose	Individual	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Girdner, Linnie	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Greenberg, Marcia	Individual	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Jasen, Debi	Individual	Position only
FAV	Jones, James	Individual	Oral
FAV	Lent, Michael	Individual	Position only
FAV	Montgomery, Jean	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Nichols, Julia	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Rosen, Julie	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Rosenthal, Lore	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Russell, Brandon	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Senator Sydnor, Senator Sydnorlegislator	Individual	Oral
FAV	Senator Sydnor, Senator Sydnorlegislator	Individual	Oral
FAV	Shifrin, Jo	Individual	Written (PDF)

Showing 60 of 83

Organizations on record

AFSCME Council 3FAV 1

American Civil Liberties Union of MarylandFAV 2

Black Girls Vote, Inc.FAV 1

Campaign Legal CenterFAV 2

Common Cause MarylandFAV 1

Common Cause MDFAV 2

Enhanced Impact LLCFWA 1

Fair Elections CenterFAV 2

FairVote ActionFAV 1

Indivisible Frederick ForwardFAV 1

Indivisible Howard CountyFAV 1

Kendra WesterveltFAV 1

Legislative Black Caucus of MarylandFAV 2

LWVMDFAV 2

Maryland Association of Counties (MACo)UNF 1

Maryland Latinos UnidosFAV 1

Maryland Legislative CoalitionFAV 2

Maryland Municipal LeagueUNF 2

Maryland State Education AssociationFAV 1

MD Sierra ClubFAV 1

Mr.FAV 1

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.FAV 1

NAACP Legal Defense FundFAV 1

NAACP- Harford County BranchFAV 1

Nationa Council of Jewish Women, MD Action TeamFAV 1

Office of the Attorney GeneralFAV 1

Out for JusticeFAV 1

Ranked Choice Voting MarylandFAV 1

SEIU Local 500FAV 2

selfFAV 1

St. Mary’s County Democratic Central CommitteeFAV 1

St. Mary's County NAACPFAV 1

State SenatorFAV 2

The Patterson Business GroupFWA 1

Transformative Justice CoalitionFAV 1

YearFAV 1

Registered lobbyists who testified

FAVSmalls, CindyAFSCME Council 3Registered for: AFSCME IU

FAVJohnson, DaraAmerican Civil Liberties Union of MarylandRegistered for: ACLU of Maryland

FAVDrayton, MorganCommon Cause MDRegistered for: Common Cause Maryland

FAVAntoine, JoanneCommon Cause MarylandRegistered for: Common Cause Maryland

FAVCook, JessicaMaryland State Education AssociationRegistered for: Maryland State Education Association

FAVWhittaker, MichelleRanked Choice Voting MarylandRegistered for: Ranked Choice Voting Maryland

FAVCano, ChristopherSEIU Local 500Registered for: SEIU Local 500

FWAHance, RosaEnhanced Impact LLCRegistered for: Enhanced Impact LLC; Potomac Riverkeeper Network; Sierra Club Maryland Chapter; Advanced Energy United; American Whitewater; Waterkeepers Chesapeake…

Journey

Jan 16First reading in the SenateAssigned to Education, Energy, and the Environment
Jan 27Education, Energy, and the Environment hearingTue, Jan 27, 1:00 PM
Feb 2Committee report: Favorable with Amendments
Feb 5Second reading (Senate): Passed with Amendments
Feb 7Third reading (Senate): Passed
Feb 11First reading in the HouseAssigned to Government, Labor, and Elections
Apr 1Government, Labor, and Elections hearing (House)Wed, Apr 1, 1:00 PM
Apr 10Committee report (House): Favorable with Amendments
Mar 26Second reading (House): Passed with Amendments
Mar 27Third reading (House): Passed with Amendments
Mar 27Conference Committee Appointed
Mar 27Enacted as Chapter 157Signing date is not in the MGA feed

Documents

Same bill, other years

2025 SB 342Did not advance

Matched by title. Attempt 2 of this idea so far.