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Maryland 2020 ballot measures
- Election date: Nov. 3
- Registration deadline(s): Oct. 13
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Recount laws
- Early voting starts: Oct. 26
- Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): Nov. 3 (postmarked); Nov. 13 (received)
- Processing, counting, and challenging absentee/mail-in ballots
- Voter ID: No ID
- Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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Two statewide ballot measures were certified for the ballot in Maryland for the election on November 3, 2020. Voters approved both measures.
On the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LRCA | Question 1 | State and local government budgets, spending and finance | Authorizes the Maryland General Assembly to increase, decrease, or add items to the state budget as long as such measures do not exceed the total proposed budget submitted by the governor |  |
| LRSS | Question 2 | Gambling | Authorizes sports and events wagering at certain licensed facilities | |
Summary of campaign contributions
- See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2020
The following chart illustrates how much support and opposition committees received in campaign contributions for each measure on the ballot:
| Ballot Measure | Support Contributions | Oppose Contributions | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland Question 1, Legislative Authority over State Budget Amendment (2020) | $325,000.00 | $0.00 |
|
| Maryland Question 2, Sports Betting Measure (2020) | $5,462,649.34 | $0.00 |
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Getting measures on the ballot
Maryland allows citizen initiatives in the form of veto referendums. Signature requirements for referendum petitions are determined by calculating three percent of the votes cast for governor in the most recent election. At least 69,135 valid signatures are required to put veto referendums before voters in 2020. The deadline to file the first third of petition signatures for non-emergency bills signed into law more than 45 days before the first day of June was May 31, 2020, while the remaining two-thirds of signatures had to be filed by June 30, 2020. The deadline to file the first third of petition signatures for bills signed into law less than 45 days before the first day of June was 30 days after the bill passed the legislature, while the remaining two-thirds of signatures had to be filed in the next 30 days.
The state legislative session was expected to run from January 8 through April 10, 2020, during which time the Maryland Legislature could place legislatively referred constitutional amendments on the ballot. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the state legislature adjourned early on March 18, 2020. The legislature can put a proposed amendment on the ballot upon a sixty percent majority vote in both the legislative chambers. The amendment must then be approved by a majority of voters.
Referral of 2020 constitutional amendment
The following table illustrates the vote requirements for the constitutional amendment certified for the ballot, the votes the amendment received, and how Democrats and Republicans voted on the amendment in each legislative chamber:
| Maryland Question 1, Legislative Authority over State Budget Amendment | Democrats | Republicans | |||
| Senate: | Required: 29 | Yes votes: 30 (63.83%) | No votes: 15 (31.91%) | Yes: 30; No: 0 | Yes: 0; No: 15 |
| House: | Required: 85 | Yes votes: 95 (67.38%) | No votes: 39 (27.66%) | Yes: 95; No: 1 | Yes: 0; No: 38 |
Historical facts
- From 1996 through 2018, 34 measures appeared on the ballot in Maryland.
- From 1996 through 2018, there was an average of about three measures on the ballot in even-numbered years.
- Over the two decades prior to 2018, 31 of 34 measures, or 91 percent, were approved, and three of 34 measures, or 9 percent, were defeated.
Local ballot measures
In 2020, Ballotpedia covered local measures that appeared on the ballot for voters within the top 100 largest cities in the U.S. and a selection of notable police-related and election-related measures outside of the top 100 largest cities. Ballotpedia also covered all local measures in California and all statewide ballot measures. Click here to see the scope of Ballotpedia local ballot measure coverage by year.
Click here for more information about local ballot measures on the November 2020 ballot in Maryland.
Not on the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LRCA | Special Election for Vacancy in State Legislature Amendment | Elections and campaigns | Requires that vacancies in the state legislature that occur 21 days prior to the state filing deadline for general statewide elections be filled by a special election | 
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| LRCA | Repeal Public Vote Requirement for Gambling Expansion Amendment | Gambling | Repeals the requirement that voters decide on legislation to expand commercial gambling |
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| LRCA | Deadline for Selecting Lieutenant Governor Amendment | Elections and campaigns and State executive official measures | Repeals the requirement that gubernatorial candidates must select a lieutenant governor by the filing deadline of a primary election and replaces it with the requirement that gubernatorial candidates select lieutenant governors 21 days after the primary election |
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| LRCA | Renaming Court of Appeals Amendment | State judiciary | Renames the Maryland Court of Appeals to be the Supreme Court of Maryland |
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See also
External links
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