The Maryland General Assembly adjourned its 2026 legislative session on April 13 after sending 22 election-related bills to Gov. Wes Moore (D). Moore signed each of the bills between April 14 and May 12.
Among those bills was SB 255, which established the Maryland Voting Rights Act. The bill prohibits counties or municipalities from using a method to elect their governing bodies that impairs the ability of members of a protected class to elect candidates of their choice or dilutes or abridges the right to vote for voters who are members of a protected class.
Under the legislation, the state attorney general or a private party can file a court action to enforce the bill’s prohibitions, and the bill creates a legal framework for courts to use when reviewing those actions.
