MD SB685

Establishes a Language Assistance Program requiring local boards of elections to provide language services to voters with limited English proficiency when more than 2% or more than 4,000 individuals of the citizen voting age population in a county share a non-English language

State Board of Elections must determine by February 1 of each election year which counties require participation and designate which languages qualify, publishing and updating this list on its website at least every 2 years

Participating local boards must provide translator access at early voting centers and polling places, post multilingual signage about available services, provide online voting materials in designated languages, and make reasonable efforts to recruit bilingual election judges

State will provide licensed translation software to local boards, while counties pay for hardware, software usage costs, and other program expenses

Takes effect October 1, 2025, with the State Board required to publish the initial list of participating counties and designated languages by January 1, 2026