Maryland voters will consider three statewide constitutional amendments on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Each asks voters to approve or reject a change to the state constitution, and each appears on the ballot with a short summary.
Voters mark each question For or Against.
Question 1: State Employee Bargaining and the Budget
This amendment, titled the Arbitration Reform for State Employees Act of 2026, would provide that each budget the governor submits includes the proposed spending needed to carry out the terms of each collective bargaining agreement with state employees. The ballot language covers wages, hours, fringe benefits, health benefits and other terms of employment. It applies whether the State and its employees reached those terms by mutual agreement or through an order from a neutral decider.
Question 2: Substitute Members for the Judicial Disabilities Commission
This amendment would authorize temporary substitute appointments to the Commission on Judicial Disabilities when a member is recused or disqualified, or when a member’s term expires. In those situations, the commission chair may recall a former member. The governor, at the chair’s request, may instead appoint a temporary substitute or extend a current member’s term until a permanent replacement is appointed. Only people who meet the constitutional eligibility requirements for the commission may be recalled or appointed.
Question 3: Legislative and Congressional Districts
This amendment, titled Election Districts for the General Assembly and Representatives in Congress, has three parts under the ballot language. It clarifies that certain requirements apply only to districts for electing members of the Maryland Senate and the House of Delegates. It authorizes the General Assembly to give the Supreme Court of Maryland original jurisdiction to review the state’s congressional districting plan. And it provides that nothing in the Maryland Constitution provides applicable criteria for the boundaries of a congressional districting plan.
How to Vote and Where to Check the Full Text
The questions appear on the ballot with the summaries described above. The ballot summaries are shorter than the amendments themselves, and the ballot language does not specify when any change would take effect. Voters can read the full sample ballot on the Maryland State Board of Elections website before heading to the polls.
What’s Next
Maryland polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, according to the Howard County Board of Elections, and voters in line at 8 p.m. may still vote. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked or placed in a drop box by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections, as reported by WBFF. Results posted on election night are unofficial until they are certified.
