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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 24
January Session, 2019
LCO No. 6148
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
AND ELECTIONS
Introduced by:
(GAE)
AN ACT CONCERNING AU TOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION A T
CERTAIN STATE AGENCI ES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (b) of section 9-19h of the general statutes is 1
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 2
1, 2019): 3
(b) (1) In addition to the requirements of subsection (a) of this 4
section, and except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, 5
the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, not later than January 1, 1994, 6
shall include an application for the admission of an elector with each 7
application form provided for a motor vehicle operator's license and a 8
motor vehicle operator's license renewal, which are issued under 9
subpart (B) of part III of chapter 246, and with each application form 10
provided for an identity card issued under section 1-1h. Such 11
application form for the admission of an elector [(1)] (A) shall be 12
subject to the approval of the Secretary of the State, [(2)] (B) shall not 13
include any provisions for the witnessing of the application, and [(3)] 14
(C) shall contain a statement that [(A)] (i) specifies each eligibility 15
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requirement, [(B)] (ii) contains an attestation that the applicant meets 16
each such requirement, and [(C)] (iii) requires the signature of the 17
applicant under penalty of perjury. The Commissioner of Motor 18
Vehicles shall accept any such completed application for admission 19
which is submitted in person, [or by mail. The] by mail or through an 20
electronic system pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection. Except 21
as provided in said subdivision, the applicant shall state on such form, 22
under penalty of perjury, the applicant's name, bona fide residence 23
address, date of birth, whether the applicant is a United States citizen, 24
party enrollment, if any, prior voting address, if registered previously, 25
and that the applicant's privileges as an elector are not forfeited by 26
reason of conviction of a felony. No Social Security number on any 27
such application form for the admission of an elector filed prior to 28
January 1, 2000, may be disclosed to the public or to any governmental 29
agency. The commissioner shall indicate on each such form the date of 30
receipt of such application to ensure that any eligible applicant is 31
registered to vote in an election if it is received by the Commissioner of 32
Motor Vehicles by the last day for registration to vote in an election. 33
The commissioner shall provide the applicant with an application 34
receipt, on a form approved by the Secretary of the State and on which 35
the commissioner shall record the date that the commissioner received 36
the application, using an official date stamp bearing the words 37
"Department of Motor Vehicles". The commissioner shall provide such 38
receipt whether the application was submitted in person, [or] by mail 39
or through an electronic system pursuant to subdivision (2) of this 40
subsection. The commissioner shall forthwith transmit the application 41
to the registrars of voters of the applicant's town of residence. If a 42
registration application is accepted within five days before the last day 43
for registration to vote in a regular election, the application shall be 44
transmitted to the registrars of voters of the town of voting residence 45
of the applicant not later than five days after the date of acceptance. 46
The procedures in subsections (c), (d), (f) and (g) of section 9-23g 47
which are not inconsistent with the National Voter Registration Act of 48
1993, P.L. 103-31, as amended from time to time, shall apply to 49
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applications made under this section. The commissioner is not an 50
admitting official and may not restore, under the provisions of section 51
9-46a, electoral privileges of persons convicted of a felony. 52
(2) On and after July 1, 2019, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles 53
shall use an electronic system, approved by the Secretary of the State, 54
to effectuate the purposes of subdivision (1) of this subsection 55
regarding admission of applicants to be electors, except that (A) any 56
applicant that qualifies for such admission in accordance with said 57
subdivision shall be automatically admitted as an elector unless such 58
applicant declines such admission, and (B) the condition that an 59
applicant state and attest to meeting each eligibility requirement may 60
be waived for any such eligibility requirement verified independently 61
by said commissioner. The use of such electronic system shall comply 62
with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, P.L. 103-31, as 63
amended from time to time. In the case of an individual already 64
admitted as an elector and who is also enrolled in a party, if use of 65
such electronic system results in such elector being removed from the 66
enrollment list of such party because such elector did not affirmatively 67
confirm an intent to continue enrollment in such party, such removal 68
shall be presumed unintentional and such elector shall be restored to 69
such list upon such elector's notification of such removal to the 70
registrar of voters of the town in which such elector resides. 71
Sec. 2. Subsection (b) of section 9-23n of the general statutes is 72
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 73
1, 2019): 74
(b) [Voter registration agencies shall] (1) Except as provided in 75
subdivision (2) of this subsection, each voter agency shall (A) 76
distribute mail voter registration application forms, [(2)] (B) assist 77
applicants for [such assistance or services] service or assistance 78
provided by the agency in completing voter registration application 79
forms, except for applicants who refuse [such] assistance in completing 80
such forms, [(3)] (C) accept completed voter registration application 81
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forms and provide each applicant with an application receipt, on 82
which the agency shall record the date that the agency received the 83
application, using an official date stamp bearing the name of the 84
agency, and [(4)] (D) immediately transmit all such applications to the 85
registrars of voters of the town of voting residence of the applicants. 86
The agency shall provide such receipt whether the application was 87
submitted in person, [or] by mail or through an electronic system 88
pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection. If a registration 89
application is accepted within five days before the last day for 90
registration to vote in a regular election, the application shall be 91
transmitted to the registrars of voters of the town of voting residence 92
of the applicant not later than five days after the date of acceptance. 93
[The] Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, the voter 94
registration agency shall indicate on the completed mail voter 95
registration application form, without indicating the identity of the 96
voter registration agency, the date of its acceptance by such agency, to 97
ensure that any eligible applicant is registered to vote in an election if 98
it is received by the registration agency by the last day for registration 99
to vote in an election. If a state-funded program primarily engaged in 100
providing services to persons with disabilities provides services to a 101
person with a disability at the person's home, the agency shall provide 102
such voter registration services at the person's home. The procedures 103
in subsections (c), (d), (f) and (g) of section 9-23g that are not 104
inconsistent with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, P.L. 105
103-31, as amended from time to time, shall apply to applications 106
made under this section. Officials and employees of such voter 107
registration agencies are not admitting officials, as defined in section 108
9-17a, and may not restore, under the provisions of section 9-46a, 109
electoral privileges of persons convicted of a felony. 110
(2) On and after July 1, 2019, each voter registration agency shall use 111
an electronic system, approved by the Secretary of the State, to 112
effectuate the purposes of subdivision (1) of this subsection regarding 113
admission of applicants to be electors, except that any applicant that 114
qualifies for such admission in accordance with said subdivision shall 115
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be automatically admitted as an elector unless such applicant declines 116
such admission. The use of such electronic system shall comply with 117
the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, P.L. 103-31, as amended 118
from time to time. In the case of an individual already admitted as an 119
elector and who is also enrolled in a party, if use of such electronic 120
system results in such elector being removed from the enrollment list 121
of such party because such elector did not affirmatively confirm an 122
intent to continue enrollment in such party, such removal shall be 123
presumed unintentional and such elector shall be restored to such list 124
upon such elector's notification of such removal to the registrar of 125
voters of the town in which such elector resides. 126
Sec. 3. Section 9-23o of the general statutes is repealed and the 127
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019): 128
A voter registration agency, as defined in section 9-23n, as amended 129
by this act, shall comply with the National Voter Registration Act of 130
1993, P.L. 103-31, as amended from time to time, and (1) shall 131
distribute with each application for service or assistance provided by 132
the agency, and with each recertification, renewal or change of address 133
form relating to such service or assistance, a mail voter registration 134
application form approved by the Secretary of the State, and (2) on and 135
after July 1, 2019, during each application for such service or assistance 136
and each recertification, renewal or change of address relating thereto, 137
shall automatically admit as an elector any applicant that qualifies for 138
such admission through an electronic system pursuant to subdivision 139
(2) of subsection (b) of said section, unless the applicant declines to 140
register to vote pursuant to the provisions of the National Voter 141
Registration Act of 1993, P.L. 103-31, as amended from time to time. 142
Such declination shall be in writing, except in the case of an 143
application for service or assistance provided by a library, or a 144
recertification, renewal or change of address form relating to such 145
library service or assistance. Such voter registration agency shall 146
provide each applicant to register to vote the same degree of assistance 147
with regard to the completion of the registration application form as is 148
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provided by the agency with regard to the completion of its own 149
forms, unless the applicant refuses such assistance. 150
Sec. 4. Section 9-23p of the general statutes is repealed and the 151
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019): 152
Each public institution of higher education shall (1) distribute mail 153
voter registration application forms, (2) on and after July 1, 2019, 154
automatically admit as an elector any applicant that qualifies for such 155
admission through an electronic system pursuant to subdivision (2) of 156
subsection (b) of section 9-23n, as amended by this act, and [(2)] (3) 157
assist applicants who request assistance in completing such voter 158
registration application forms or registering through such electronic 159
system. 160
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2019 9-19h(b)
Sec. 2 July 1, 2019 9-23n(b)
Sec. 3 July 1, 2019 9-23o
Sec. 4 July 1, 2019 9-23p
Statement of Purpose:
To establish automatic voter registration at certain state agencies and
create a presumption that any removal from a party enrollment list
through such automatic voter registration was unintentional.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline,
except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is
not underlined.]
Co-Sponsors: SEN. LESSER, 9th Dist.
S.B. 24