Md. Code, Election Law § 9-505
This is the official text of Md. Code, Election Law § 9-505, part of Maryland’s Code, Election Law — governs how elections are conducted.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§9–505.
Official statutory text
(a) A vote–by–mail ballot is considered timely and may be counted if the ballot:
(1) is returned in person to the office of a local board by the voter or the voter’s duly authorized agent no later than 8 p.m. on the day of a special election; or
(2) (i) is received by mail by a local board no later than 10 a.m. on the second Friday after a special election; and
(ii) was mailed on or before election day, as verified:
1. by a postmark; or
2. if the return envelope does not contain a postmark or the postmark is illegible, by the voter’s affidavit that the ballot was mailed on or before election day.
(b) A vote–by–mail ballot that does not meet the requirements of subsection (a) of this section is not timely and may not be counted.
(1) is returned in person to the office of a local board by the voter or the voter’s duly authorized agent no later than 8 p.m. on the day of a special election; or
(2) (i) is received by mail by a local board no later than 10 a.m. on the second Friday after a special election; and
(ii) was mailed on or before election day, as verified:
1. by a postmark; or
2. if the return envelope does not contain a postmark or the postmark is illegible, by the voter’s affidavit that the ballot was mailed on or before election day.
(b) A vote–by–mail ballot that does not meet the requirements of subsection (a) of this section is not timely and may not be counted.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Maryland?
Find a Maryland lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.