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<section article="gel" article_name="Election Law" number="9-308.1" title_number="9" title_name="Voting" subtitle_number="3" subtitle_name="Absentee Voting">
  <level label="a">
    <text>In this section:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>“online ballot marking tool” includes a system that allows a voter to:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>access a blank ballot through the Internet;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>electronically mark the ballot with the voter’s selections; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>print a paper copy of the marked ballot for mailing to a local board; and</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“online ballot marking tool” does not include a system that is capable of storing, tabulating, or transmitting votes or voted ballots by electronic or electromagnetic means through the Internet.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>The State Board may provide an accessible optional online ballot marking tool for use by a voter who requested to have the absentee ballot sent by the Internet.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <level label="1">
      <text>Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, the State Board shall certify that an online ballot marking tool satisfies all of the certification requirements under § 9–102(d) of this title before approving an online ballot marking tool for use by voters.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>An online ballot marking tool is not required to satisfy the requirements of:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>§ 9–102(d)(2) of this title if the U.S. Election Assistance Commission has not approved specific performance and test standards for online ballot marking tools; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>§ 9–102(d)(1)(iii) of this title.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <level label="1">
      <text>This subsection applies if an online ballot marking tool utilizes a bar code that is used to generate a ballot that is acceptable for machine tabulation.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>A local board shall compare the vote in each contest on the ballot marked by the voter to the vote in each contest on the ballot generated from the bar code during the canvass.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>If there is a discrepancy in any contest between the vote on the ballot marked by the voter and the vote on the ballot generated from the bar code, the vote on the ballot marked by the voter shall be considered valid and shall be counted.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
