Code of Maryland Regulations
Title 14 - INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
Subtitle 30 - STATE HIGHER EDUCATION LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
Chapter 14.30.05 - Elections
Section 14.30.05.08 - Conduct of Elections

(1) Voting shall be scheduled during the work day whenever possible and polling places and voting times shall permit reasonable access by voters, so that no voter will have to travel an unreasonable distance to vote. State higher education employers shall grant reasonable release time to employees so that they can vote during their workday or shift.

(2) The Executive Director shall normally oversee the election. At the discretion of the Executive Director, the election may be overseen by an election judge who shall be a Board member or other designated individual who is selected based upon his or her qualifications and integrity.

(3) The Executive Director or election judge shall be solely responsible for:

(4) There shall be no electioneering of any kind within the marked and designated polling areas. The Board may set aside an election outcome favorable to a party who substantially and materially violates this provision.

(5) If there is more than one polling place, the Executive Director or election judge shall sequester ballots from each location until counted. Sequestered ballots shall be sealed in an envelope or other appropriate container and delivered to the counting location.

(6) The final certification of the accuracy of the ballot count shall be by the Executive Director.

(1) On the scheduled date for mailing ballots, the Executive Director shall mail to each eligible voter:

(2) The voting instructions shall instruct the voter to return the ballot to the Board in the two envelopes as follows:

(3) The "Mail Ballot Envelope" shall be:

(4) A ballot shall be disqualified if the voter fails to provide or destroys any required identity information on the "Mail Ballot Envelope".

(5) Each "Mail Ballot Envelope" shall be authenticated against the list of eligible voters when the ballots are counted.

(6) "Secret Ballot Envelopes" shall be removed from authenticated "Mail Ballot Envelopes" and deposited in a suitable container with other "Secret Ballot Envelopes" to preserve anonymity.

(7) After all of the authenticated "Secret Ballot Envelopes" are collected, the ballots shall be removed and counted at random and recorded in the presence of election observers.

(8) All challenges to mail ballots due to the identity or eligibility of the voter shall be raised before the removal of the "Secret Ballot Envelope" from the "Mail Ballot Envelope".