{"id":1168,"date":"2024-08-08T10:19:17","date_gmt":"2024-08-08T14:19:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/maryland\/?post_type=work&#038;p=1168"},"modified":"2025-08-11T13:53:54","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T17:53:54","slug":"maryland-voting-rights-act-mdvra","status":"publish","type":"work","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/maryland\/work\/maryland-voting-rights-act-mdvra\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland Voting Rights Act (MDVRA)"},"template":"","class_list":["post-1168","work","type-work","status-publish","hentry","work_type-legislation"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"A state-level Voting Rights Act ensures that all voters are able to cast meaningful ballots and participate free and fairly in the state\u2019s democratic process - particularly Black, Indigenous, and other voters of color who have historically been denied equal opportunity and access. ","featured_image":"","work_type":203,"related_issues":[442],"location":23},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":"","name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"Every eligible American wants to \u2013 and should \u2013 have a say in deciding which people and policies will determine the future for our families, community, and country.\r\n\r\nAt a time when far too many eligible voters are wrongly turned away from the polls \u2013 or simply don\u2019t have access to them \u2013 we must rededicate ourselves to increasing participation among eligible voters.\r\n<h1>What is the Maryland Voting Rights Act (MDVRA)?<\/h1>\r\nThis landmark legislation builds on the federal Voting Rights Act to codify protections for Black, Indigenous, and other voters of color at the state level, ensuring the right of all eligible Marylanders to cast their ballot regardless of any action taken by the U.S. Supreme Court."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_accordion","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_accordion":{"heading":"The Maryland Voting Rights Act...","panels":[{"panel_heading":"Authorizes Preclearance","panel_copy":"Rather than voters having to prove that new election laws are discriminatory, jurisdictions that have a history of voter discrimination would need to have election changes \"precleared\" by the Maryland Attorney General or a court to show the new systems will not disadvantage minority voters."},{"panel_heading":"Prohibits Vote Denial and Dilution","panel_copy":"The MDVRA provides a framework to uncover and dissipate voter dilution and barriers that deny voting opportunities in a way that is cost-effective for both voters and local governments in Maryland."},{"panel_heading":"Provides Language Access","panel_copy":"According to most recent census data, Maryland is the most diverse state on the East Coast, and home to the top three most diverse cities in the United States.\u00a0 The MDVRA requires local governments to ensure that non-English speakers are not left behind in the voting process. This section requires that in a locality with a population of 2 percent or more in a language minority, the local government or board of elections will provide voting materials in that language."},{"panel_heading":"Stops Voter Intimidation","panel_copy":"The MDVRA provides Marylanders with a right to sue to challenge voter intimidation, deception, or obstruction. Strengthening this right is more important now than ever given recent efforts by bad actors to stoke fear, spread disinformation, and block access to the ballot box."},{"panel_heading":"Increases Election Transparency","panel_copy":"The MDVRA updates existing law to ensure local governments are required to notify voters of important changes in advance to reduce confusion and facilitate public input, and creates a state wide database of election information to promote best practices and enforcement."}]}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_featured_action","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_featured_action":{"action_to_show":"manual","image_side":"left","action":null,"title":"Write Your Lawmakers: Pass the Maryland Voting Rights Act Package!","summary":"Here in Maryland, we\u2019re fighting to protect voting rights at the state level -- by passing the Maryland Voting Rights Act package during the 2025 legislative session. This suite of four complementary bills would re-establish strong protections for voters against discrimination at the polls, and encourage counties, cities, and towns to repeal unfair voting laws that silence the Black, Brown, and Indigenous voices that have historically been denied full participation in our government.\r\n\r\nNow is the time to take action to protect the voting rights of all eligible Marylanders. Can you write your Maryland lawmakers in support of these bills today?","post_link":{"title":"Click here to email your legislators!","url":"https:\/\/act.commoncause.org\/letters\/write-your-lawmakers-pass-the-maryland-voting-rights-act-2?source=direct_link&","target":"_blank"},"secondary_link":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_image","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_image":{"image":21207,"width":"medium"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_add_component","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_add_component":null},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_take_action","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_take_action":{"heading":"Take Action","button_text":"","manually_curate":false,"action":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_banner","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_banner":{"use_donate_banner":true,"title":"Title [highlight]with highlighting[\/highlight] and additional text.","button":null,"image":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_related_articles","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_related_articles":{"heading":"Updates","button_text":"See all Related Articles","manually_curate":false,"articles":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_resources","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_resources":{"heading":"Related Resources","button_text":"See all Related Resources","manually_curate":false,"resource":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_press","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_press":{"heading":"Press","button_text":"","manually_curate":false,"press":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_events","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_events":{"heading":"Events"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_our_experts","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_our_experts":{"heading":"","manually_curate":false,"people":null}}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - 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