Section 9-303 - Guidelines(a) The State Board shall establish guidelines for the administration of absentee voting by the local boards.(b) The guidelines shall provide for:(1) the application process;(2) late application for absentee ballots;(3) ballot security, including storage of returned ballots;(4) determining timeliness of receipt of applications and ballots, including applications and ballots for overseas voters;(6) notice of the canvass to candidates, political parties, campaign organizations, news media, and the general public;(7) observers of the process;(8) review of voted ballots and envelopes for compliance with the law and for machine tabulation acceptability;(9) standards for disallowance of ballots during the canvass;(10) storage and retention of ballots following canvass and certification; and(11) the permanent absentee ballot list.(c) The State Board shall:(1) in consultation with the local boards, assess the guidelines before each primary election; and(2) revise the guidelines if indicated.Amended by 2021 Md. Laws, Ch. 514,Sec. 1, eff. 6/1/2021.Amended by 2021 Md. Laws, Ch. 56,Sec. 1, eff. 6/1/2021.