Maryland voters have long been ready to move forward in building a democracy that ensures that every Marylander has the right to cast a ballot – without a state voting rights act, that right is in jeopardy. The Maryland Voting Rights Act is critical legislation that would increase voter access, expansion and protection among Maryland’s most vulnerable communities under the Trump Administration. 

In November, Maryland elected its first Black U.S. senator and has made significant progress towards building an inclusive democracy in recent years. The expansion of the hours and number of early voting locations available in each jurisdiction is an example of this progression.  

Yet, Maryland is not immune to the attacks on voting rights we’ve seen across the country. This past election saw bomb threats at several local boards of elections’ offices, significant disparities in voter participation by race, and in several communities across the state, no person of color has ever been elected to public office, despite growing Black and Latino populations. 

This included the town of Federalsburg in Caroline County, until a recent federal lawsuit. 

 “I’ve been here all my life, 68 years. I haven’t seen no African American on the board.” Said lifelong resident Roberta Butler. “But we’re not going back. We’re going forward. It’s time for a change and getting young African Americans on that board.” 

The town operated an “at-large” election system where candidates were elected by the whole town rather than running in specific districts. This allowed the white majority to choose every officeholder—and completely block out the voices of their Black neighbors even though Black residents make up half the town’s population.   

A federal lawsuit filed by seven Black Federalsburg women finally led to a more equitable system. After a court ordered the town to shift to a district-based system, two Black women were elected to the town council on September 23, 2023, for the first time ever in the town’s 200-year history.  

Unfortunately, Federalsburg is not an anomaly. 

Black voters and other voters of color are significantly under-represented in local government. More than half of the state’s cities and towns have substantial populations of people of color, yet nearly two-thirds of those communities use at-large elections like Federalsburg, and one-quarter of the governments in these diverse communities have no elected officials of color. Underrepresentation is worse at the county level where one-third of the counties with substantial populations of color have all-white government representation.  

Maryland shouldn’t need expensive, cumbersome federal lawsuits to solve our state’s problems. The United States Supreme Court has chipped away at the federal Voting Rights Act over the past decade, and the newly elected Congress will not act to restore its full strength. 

In the most diverse state on the East Coast, Black voters and other voters of color need more protections. Maryland can address this critical need and cement its status as a national leader on voting rights by enacting the Maryland Voting Rights Act (MDVRA), a package of bills that includes provisions that would expand language access, prevent vote dilution and voter suppression, boost election transparency, stop voter intimidation, and prevent discrimination before it happens. This session, the Maryland General Assembly has an opportunity to advance critical bills in the package: S.B. 342, H.B. 1043, S.B. 685, and H.B. 983, which address language access and fair representation.

The MDVRA protects against racially discriminatory at-large elections or local voting districts, prevents discriminatory election practices and voter intimidation, and improves public notice of changes to election rules. The legislation ensures that eligible voters who don’t speak English comfortably can participate in our democracy; and it can stop discrimination before it occurs in certain jurisdictions that present a high risk of discriminatory voting policies – at a time when voting rights will be under threat again under a new Trump Presidency.  

During his first term, the Trump Administration used its authority to further suppress expansion of voter rights by spreading voter misinformation, denying unfavorable election results, and inciting violence towards election workers, the state capitol and our democratic system. This includes opposing H.R. 4, more commonly known as the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021, which would have strengthened legal protections against discriminatory election practices. 

The Trump Administration has already shown how far its willing to go to make it harder for Americans to vote — particularly voters of color by exercising his executive power to further disenfranchise voters. This includes voters with limited English proficiency, voters with disabilities and other marginalized communities. There is no doubt the second Trump Presidency will finish what the first term started.  

Maryland cannot afford to sit idle while this occurs. By securing state voting rights, the MDVRA would help ensure that all voters are able to cast ballots and participate freely and fairly in the state’s democratic process – particularly those voters who have historically been denied equal opportunity and access.

81% of Maryland voters support a MDVRA and 80% of Maryland voters would like their state representative to prioritize passing a MDVRA. The MDVRA is extremely popular across race and party lines, making the 2025 legislative session a perfect time to pass the portions currently in front of the legislature. 

Seven states, including Virginia, have passed a state VRA as critical legislation to protect voters and increase fairness and transparency in the voting process.   Maryland should be next. These innovative statutes will remain important tools for fighting discrimination even after Congress restores the VRA to its full strength.  

The right to vote is the cornerstone of democracy, and turnout for the 2024 election proves just that. With the election now in the past, it’s time for us to secure the future. The work is not done. Now is the time to pass the Maryland Voting Rights Act. 

Editor’s Note: This is an updated version of a piece that ran in Maryland Matters last year.

Nehemiah Bester is a communications strategist for the ACLU of Maryland. He has produced documentaries for PBS, including “The Riot Report,” directed the Life After A Second Chance docuseries, and is the author of a state archive highlighting Black Civil Rights Leaders in Maryland.

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