Bill > SB283

This bill, the Student and Military Voter Empowerment Act, has several key provisions: 1. It requires local boards of elections to obtain input from large residential institutional communities, including institutions of higher education, continuing care retirement communities, senior communities, and military installations, when establishing precinct boundaries and designating polling places. 2. It establishes a process for certain voters, such as absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters, to submit a federal post card application electronically, which may allow the use of a common access card for identity verification and signature fulfillment. 3. It designates all public institutions of higher education in the state as voter registration agencies, requiring them to distribute voter registration applications and provide assistance to students in registering to vote. 4. It mandates that public institutions of higher education designate a staff member as a student voting coordinator to develop and implement a student voting plan to increase voter registration and turnout among students. 5. It requires both public and private nonprofit institutions of higher education that receive state funding to prominently display a link to the online voter registration system on their student portals. The bill aims to improve access to voter registration and voting, particularly for students and military personnel, by enhancing coordination between local election boards and these large institutional communities.

Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services

http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/SB0283?ys=2021RS