HB1010: Election Technology Certification
Favorable · Government, Labor, and Elections Committee · February 25, 2026
Written testimony by Andy Ellis, Green Party candidate for Governor
Full Title: Election Law - Certification of Election-Supporting Technology - Regulations, Review, and Evaluation
Sponsor: Delegate Fair
Crossfile: SB0236
MGA Page: HB1010
Testimony as Submitted
I am a Green Party candidate for Governor of Maryland and a technology professional with 15 years of experience in the sector. I come to this bill from both sides: as someone who understands how technology systems should be managed, and as a participant in the elections those systems support.
Public trust in elections depends on public confidence in the systems that administer them. HB1010 would require the State Board of Elections to develop regulations for certifying election-supporting technology, conduct annual evaluations of certified systems, and establish a process for decertifying technology that no longer meets standards. These are basic accountability measures that should be uncontroversial.
Voting machines, voter registration databases, ballot tabulation systems, and election management software are all critical infrastructure. Yet Maryland has no ongoing certification and review process for any of them. HB1010 fixes that.
This matters now more than ever. As Maryland localities explore ranked choice voting and other election innovations, they will need tabulation and auditing systems they can confidently point voters to. A state-level certification framework ensures that those tools are vetted before they reach voters, reducing duplicate work for local boards and giving election administrators confidence in the technology they deploy.
This isn't abstract for me. Delegate Fair and I are both from Frederick. My mother still lives there. Frederick is actively considering ranked choice voting, and Delegate Fair has facilitated those conversations with local leaders and organizations. A certification framework like the one HB1010 creates is exactly what Frederick and other localities need as they evaluate new election technology.
The Green Party has championed ranked choice voting for decades, not because it advantages third parties, but because it produces better outcomes for voters. We bring that same principle to election technology. The systems that count votes should be subject to rigorous, ongoing, transparent evaluation. Public confidence in elections depends on it.
Every Marylander deserves to know that their vote is counted accurately by systems that have been rigorously evaluated.
I encourage this committee to provide a favorable report on HB1010.
Andy Ellis is seeking the Green Party nomination for Governor of Maryland. He and his running mate Owen Silverman Andrews are the only active statewide candidates using Maryland's Fair Campaign Financing Fund.
Related
Campaign: Multiparty Democracy
See Also: SB0236: Election Technology Certification · HB0580: Montgomery County Voting Methods