FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT
Maya Majikas | mmajikas@commoncause.org
Taj Magruder | taj@newheightscommunications.com
Post-Election Audit Bill Heads to Governor’s Desk, Key Step Towards More Secure Elections
Annapolis – Today, Common Cause Maryland and partner organization Verified Voting applauded the final passage of SB 313 / HB 426 to strengthen the post-election audit process after each statewide election. This bill now heads to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.
“Every voter deserves to know election outcomes are fair and accurate. This legislation will ensure election outcomes truly reflect the will of voters,” said Joanne Antoine, Executive Director of Common Cause Maryland. “We are grateful to Senator M. Washington and Delegate Kaiser for their leadership and commitment to increasing public trust in our elections.”
“Risk-limiting audits are the gold standard for auditing election results. With the support of Del. Jheanelle Wilkins, the State Board of Elections, and local boards of elections, I am pleased to announce that we are moving forward and replacing our current, low-tech auditing procedures,” said Delegate Anne R. Kaiser.
“We’re delighted that Maryland is joining the growing list of states using risk-limiting audits to increase voter confidence in election outcomes,” said Common Cause Election Security Program Manager Liz Iacobucci. “States that use risk-limiting audits to verify election outcomes include Colorado, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington; and their use is optional in Ohio, South Carolina, and Oregon. Texas will begin using risk-limiting audits in 2026.”
“Risk-limiting audits are a critical step toward ensuring Maryland’s elections remain secure, transparent, and trustworthy. With SB313, we are modernizing our election audits to reinforce public confidence in our democracy,” said Senator Mary Washington. “Risk-limiting audits are the gold standard for building confidence in our election results, as they are efficient, transparent, and trusted by election security experts. We have the technology, the infrastructure, and now the legislation to ensure every voter can trust that their ballot was counted accurately. I’m proud to see this legislation move forward and look forward to it becoming law to strengthen our democracy.”
“Voters want to know elections are being checked for accuracy. With the passage of SB 313/HB 426, risk-limiting audits provide Maryland’s election officials with the most effective tool to check outcomes, and ensure the right person is seated in office — giving justified confidence in our electoral process. We’d like to thank Sen. Washington and Del. Kaiser for shepherding this bill through the legislative process and onto Gov. Moore’s desk,” said Pamela Smith, President & CEO of Verified Voting.
Post-election audits are highly effective methods to ensure correct election results and increase public trust in elections. Currently, Maryland’s post-election manual audit is not held until months after the election, and the automated software audit does not provide a path to correct an election outcome if it uncovers evidence that the initial election result was wrong.
The bill passed this session would require risk-limiting audits to be performed after each statewide election. Risk-limiting audits are rigorous, cost-effective post-election audits that help confirm the unofficial election outcome matches the ballots cast.
Common Cause Maryland and Verified Voting testified in support of SB 313/HB 426.
Learn more about risk-limiting audits here.
For more information about Common Cause Maryland, visit Commoncause.org/maryland.
For more information about Verified Voting, visit verifiedvoting.org.
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Common Cause is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. The organization creates open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promotes equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empowers all people to make their voices heard in the political process.
Verified Voting’s mission is to strengthen democracy for all voters by promoting the responsible use of technology in elections. They work with election officials, policymakers, and democracy defenders across party lines to help voters vote and to promote policies that support justified public confidence in elections.