Maryland Election Law Section 11-301

      (a)      A board of canvassers shall:

            (1)      convene at the designated counting center for that county on or before the day of the election, but not later than 5 p.m. on that day, and be sworn in;

            (2)      meet only in public session; and

            (3)      subject to regulations adopted by the State Board to ensure the integrity of the electoral process and that the accuracy of the vote tabulation is not impeded or compromised, provide for observation and understanding of the canvass by those individuals in attendance.

      (b)      Each board of canvassers shall elect by majority vote a chairman and secretary from among its members.

      (c)      Each member of the board of canvassers shall take an oath, administered and recorded by the clerk of the circuit court, to canvass and declare the votes cast truthfully and to perform other duties required by law.

      (d)      (1)      At the first meeting of the board of canvassers for the purpose of canvassing, a majority of the whole board of canvassers shall be a quorum.

            (2)      If a quorum is not present, the members present shall adjourn until the next day.

      (e)      Except as otherwise provided in this article, all decisions shall be reached by a majority vote of the members present.

      (f)      If a member is not present at the scheduled time for vote canvassing, a substitute member of the board of canvassers may be sworn in.

      (g)      At least one member of the board of canvassers present shall be a registered voter of the principal minority party.

      (h)      Once the board has satisfied the requirements of subsections (a) through (g) of this section, it may proceed with the canvass in accordance with the regulations of the State Board.