Emergency and Important Notification Texting Solution

The Maryland State Board of Elections is seeking proposals for a statewide emergency and informational texting solution to support the 2026 election cycle, including primary and general elections. The system must facilitate secure, two-way communication with election officials, judges, and voters across all 24 local jurisdictions, ensuring compliance with Maryland laws and federal standards such as FIPS 140-2 encryption. The solution should be cloud-based, hosted on AWS GovCloud or Azure Government environments, and capable of supporting features like configurable messaging groups, real-time tracking, QR code or short code access, and robust security protocols. It must be fully deployable, trained, and operational by early 2026, with the contract running from January 1 through December 31, 2026, and include comprehensive support, training, and documentation. The vendor is expected to provide separate pricing for three key components: emergency alerts to officials, communication with election judges, and outreach to voters, with no specified maximum contract value but an estimated range between half a million and two million dollars. The solicitation emphasizes strict data security and compliance, requiring encryption validated to FIPS 140-2 standards, adherence to Maryland’s Public Information Act and FOIA, and secure cloud hosting. The system must support high availability, scalability, and user-friendly interfaces accessible without app downloads. Deliverables include training for election staff, advertising materials, and technical support, with performance and acceptance contingent upon meeting all security, functionality, and operational criteria. Proposals are to be submitted electronically by December 10, 2025, with detailed responses addressing technical specifications, security measures, training plans, and pricing, although the solicitation does not specify proposal formatting, volume limits, or evaluation criteria. The contract will be administered by the Maryland State Board of Elections, with inspection and acceptance occurring across the state’s election infrastructure, ensuring the solution’s readiness for the 2026 election events.