Maryland House of Delegates · District 21
Ben Barnes
Where they sit
Every current delegate, placed from most liberal to most conservative by how they voted on contested bills.
Ben Barnes's seat is marked. Seats run from most liberal (left) to most conservative (right), by contested floor votes. Color shows how often each member crosses party lines toward the middle on votes that divide the parties: solid blue or red means almost never, and purple means on at least 1 in 5 of those votes. Gray seats are members too new to score. How these numbers work
On the November 3 ballot
Running for Maryland House of Delegates District 21.
Also on the ballot: Mary Lehman (Democratic), Joseline Peña-Melnyk (Democratic)
The scores
How these numbers work →Each tick is a current delegate, by party; the dot is Ben Barnes.
Each tick is a current delegate, by party; the dot is Ben Barnes.
Bills
The bills Ben Barnes sponsored this term and how far they got. Co-sponsors aren’t counted.
| Bills | |
|---|---|
| Sponsored | 11 |
| Passed both chambers | 7 |
| Became law | 7 |
| Vetoed by the Governor | 0 |
Rank by bills passed: Rank 85 of 141 in the House of Delegates (tied with 4 others) · 74 of 102 Democrats (tied with 4 others)
A bill's sponsor is its primary sponsor, the first name on it; co-sponsors aren't counted. Bills a committee, a county delegation, or the Speaker or Senate President on the Governor's behalf introduced aren't credited to anyone.
Bills that passed both chambers
| Bill | Result | Final action |
|---|---|---|
| HB 1592 Education - Regional Resource Centers and County Libraries - Funding |
Became law passed as SB 378 |
March 25, 2026 |
| HB 477 State Department of Education - Family Child Care Homes and Child Care Centers - Regulatory Analysis |
Became law | March 21, 2025 |
| HB 479 Maryland Higher Education Commission - Academic Program Approval - Revisions |
Became law passed as SB 9 |
March 15, 2025 |
| HB 688 (2024) Maryland Historical Trust - Historical and Cultural Museum Assistance Program - Funding |
Became law | March 18, 2024 |
| HB 624 (2024) Next Generation Scholars of Maryland Program - Program Administrator - Alterations |
Became law | March 13, 2024 |
| HB 186 (2023) Victim Services Programs – Supplementing Federal Funding and Support (Victim Services Stabilization Act) |
Became law | March 26, 2023 |
| HB 923 (2023) Higher Education - Appointment of Secretary and Student Financial Assistance - Accommodations at Public Institutions for Religious Beliefs |
Became law | March 22, 2023 |
Budget projects
Maryland's budget bill doesn't say which legislator asked for an item, so there's no budget figure for Maryland legislators.
Contested votes where they split
1 against the Speaker; 1 against most of their party.
| Date | Bill and motion | Their vote | Speaker | Most of their party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 13, 2026 | SB 255: Voting Rights Act of 2026 - Counties and Municipal Corporations Previous Question |
Nay | Yea (split) | Yea (split) |
Every roll call
How Ben Barnes voted on each of the 5,565 floor roll calls while in office, newest first.
| Date | Vote | Their vote | Most of their party | Speaker | Yeas–nays |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loading… | |||||
Contested and party-line votes link to their own pages; the rest link to the official record.
Contact, committees and caucuses
Contact
- Official page
- mgaleg.maryland.gov
- ben.barnes@house.maryland.gov
- Capitol office
- Room 121, Taylor House Office Building 6 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401
410-841-3046
Committees
- Appropriations Chair
- Federal Action Oversight
- Legislative Policy
- Rules and Executive Nominations
- Spending Affordability
Contact details and committee assignments from Open States' data on the Maryland General Assembly, which it collects from the chambers' websites, as of Oct. 15, 2026.
Source: the Maryland General Assembly's floor vote records, Jan. 11, 2023 to Aug. 4, 2026. How these numbers work · Corrections