Maryland's fix for its own election law died in both chambers without a hearing vote
Maryland's fix for its own election law died in both chambers without a hearing vote
2026-09-12 · Maryland · Legislation · Did not pass
What happened. Maryland's 2025 election law requires a condominium or HOA election to be run by an independent party. In 2026 both chambers filed a bill to narrow that to elections where there is actually a contest. Neither bill received a vote in any committee.
HB 955 (Delegate Holmes) got a first reading on 5 February 2026 and a hearing notice for 26 February; that is the last recorded action.1 SB 955 (Senator Kagan) got a first reading in Senate Rules on 8 February and no hearing was ever scheduled.2 Both died at sine die on 13 April 2026.
The consequence is simple and current: the 2025 law stands unamended, and it applies to an election with one candidate for one seat exactly as it applies to a contested one.
The one-sentence fix
Both bills proposed the same change to Real Property §§ 11-109 and 11B-118: the independent-party requirement would apply only “when the number of candidates exceeds the number of contested seats.”1
The Department of Legislative Services found no state or local fiscal effect and a minimal small-business effect.3 This was not a bill anyone opposed on cost.
What the 2025 law requires
Chapter 512 of the Acts of 2025 — Senate Bill 758, signed 13 May 2025, effective 1 October 2025 — provides that elections for officers or governing-body members, including collecting and counting ballots and certifying results, must be conducted by independent parties who are not candidates and have no conflict of interest regarding any candidate.4
Who qualifies is where it bites. An owner qualifies if they meet those conditions, do not electioneer for any candidate, and are not objected to by more than 25 percent of eligible voting members. Representatives of the community's property management are not independent parties — unless the management company is owned by the community or its parent association.3
That exclusion is the operative problem. For a professionally managed Maryland association, the person who has always counted the ballots is now disqualified from doing it.
Keep reading with the Maryland State Pass
The rest of this analysis — what an association can actually do, the recent bills and rulings, and how Maryland compares nationally — is for subscribers. $49/month for every Maryland topic on HOA Weekly.
$49/month, $449/year, or a $19.99 day pass.
What you unlock
- Why an uncontested election is the awkward case
- What else CAI wanted, and did not get
- Two committees, two different ways of not acting
and 2 more sections in detail
Already a subscriber? Sign in
Recurring monthly subscription · Cancel anytime · Need help?
Related Maryland HOA Topics
- House Bill 955 (2026), Real Property – Condominiums and Homeowners Associations – Elections — first reading 5 February 2026, hearing noticed 26 February, no committee report, died at sine die ↩
- Senate Bill 955 (2026) — first reading in Senate Rules 8 February 2026, no hearing scheduled, died at sine die ↩
- Department of Legislative Services fiscal and policy note, HB 955 (2026) — the contested-election limit, current-law independent-party conditions including the 25 percent objection threshold and the property-management exclusion ↩
- Senate Bill 758 (2025), Condominiums and Homeowners Associations – Elections, Financial Statements, and Enforcement — Chapter 512, signed 13 May 2025, effective 1 October 2025 ↩
- CAI Advocacy, 2026 Maryland End of Legislative Session Report — support for SB 955/HB 955, the further amendments sought, and the call to keep lobbying the named sponsors ↩
- House Bill 1534 (2025) — the cross-file that did NOT pass; stalled after second reading with amendments, April 2025 ↩
Stay on top of Maryland HOA law
Every week: new Maryland legislation, court rulings, and regulatory developments affecting condos, planned communities, and property managers. Free.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.