HP1132, LD 1570, item 1, An Act To Allow Residents To Register Online To Vote

An Act To Allow Residents To Register Online To Vote

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §121-A, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 534, §5, is amended to read:

§ 121-A. Deadline for registration

The deadline for receipt of voter registration applications submitted by mail or by a 3rd person is the close of business on the 21st day before election day. The deadline for receipt of voter registration applications submitted online is the 7th day before election day. The deadline for in-person registration is the close of the polls on election day.

Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §131 is enacted to read:

§ 131. Online registration

1. Online registration. A person who is qualified under section 111, subsections 1 to 3 to vote under this article and who possesses a valid driver's license or nondriver identification card issued by the Secretary of State may submit a voter registration application under section 152, subsection 1 on the Secretary of State's publicly accessible website.

2. Application. A voter registration application submitted under this section must contain:

A. The legal name of the voter, in one of the following combinations:

(1) First name and last name;

(2) First initial, middle name and last name; or

(3) First name, middle name or middle initial and last name;

B. Residence address, including street, street number, apartment number, town and zip code;

C. Date of birth;

D. Most recent prior residence where registered to vote, including the municipality, county and state, and the name under which previously registered, if changed;

E. Notification that failure to complete the entire application may prevent registration;

F. Choice of political party if the applicant desires to enroll in a political party or an indication that the applicant chose not to enroll in a party;

G. The unique identifying number on the applicant's driver's license or nondriver identification card issued by the Secretary of State;

H. An affirmation by the applicant that the information provided in the application is truthful and that the applicant is qualified to register in the State;

I. A place for the applicant to respond to the questions concerning the voter's qualifications as required by the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002, Public Law 107-252; and

J. Any other information the Secretary of State determines necessary to establish the identity of the applicant or to carry out the purposes of this article.

3. Procedure. An applicant may register to vote under this section no later than the 7th day before election day as set forth in section 121-A. Upon receipt of an application under subsection 2, the Secretary of State shall verify that:

A. The applicant has a valid driver's license or nondriver identification card issued by the Secretary of State and that the unique identifying number for the card provided by the applicant matches the unique identifying number for the card in the Secretary of State's records;

B. The date of birth provided by the applicant matches the date of birth of the applicant in the Secretary of State's records; and

C. The applicant is a citizen of the State and that the information provided by the applicant matches the information in the Secretary of State's records.

After verifying the information under this subsection, the Secretary of State shall notify the registrar of the voting district in which the applicant resides, revise the central voter registration system and send confirmation of registration to the applicant either electronically or by mail. If the Secretary of State is unable to verify any information required by this section, the Secretary of State shall reject the application as void and send notification of and reason for the rejection to the applicant either electronically or by mail within 5 days of the rejection.

4. Alternative registration procedure for participants in Address Confidentiality Program. The Secretary of State may establish different criteria under subsection 2, paragraphs A, B and D for an applicant who is certified by the Secretary of State as a program participant in the Address Confidentiality Program in Title 5, section 90-B.

5. Registration software. The Secretary of State shall procure and use computer software to administer the procedures in subsection 3 to provide immediate verification to the extent possible.

6. Rules. The Secretary of State may adopt rules to carry out the purposes of this section. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined by Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.

summary

This bill allows online application for voter registration by an eligible resident of the State through the Secretary of State's publicly accessible website.

HP1132 LD 1570	Session - 129th Maine Legislature		LR 195 Item 1
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