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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 24
January Session, 2019
AN ACT CONCERNING AU TOMATIC VOTER REGIST RATION AT
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repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective 2
October 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
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 Substitute Bill No. 24
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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
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 October 1, 2019, the Commissioner of Motor 53 Substitute Bill No. 24
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Vehicles shall use an electronic system, approved by the Secretary of 54
the State, to effectuate the purposes of subdivision (1) of this 55
subsection regarding admission of applicants to be electors, except that 56
(A) any applicant that qualifies for such admission in accordance with 57
said subdivision shall be automatically admitted as an elector unless 58
such 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 73
October 1, 2019): 74
(b) [Voter registration agencies shall] (1) Except as provided in 75
subdivision (2) of this subsection, each voter registration agency shall 76
(A) 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
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 Substitute Bill No. 24
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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 October 1, 2019, each voter registration agency shall 111
use 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
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 Substitute Bill No. 24
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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 October 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 October 1, 2019, during each application for such service or 136
assistance and each recertification, renewal or change of address 137
relating to such service, shall automatically admit as an elector any 138
applicant that qualifies for such admission through an electronic 139
system pursuant to subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of said section, 140
unless the applicant declines to register to vote pursuant to the 141
provisions of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, P.L. 103-31, 142
as amended from time to time. Such declination shall be in writing, 143
except in the case of an application for service or assistance provided 144
by a library, or a recertification, renewal or change of address form 145
relating to such library service or assistance. Such voter registration 146
agency shall provide each applicant to register to vote the same degree 147
of assistance with regard to the completion of the registration 148
application form as is provided by the agency with regard to the 149
completion of its own forms, unless the applicant refuses such 150
assistance. 151
Sec. 4. Section 9-23p of the general statutes is repealed and the 152
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2019): 153 Substitute Bill No. 24
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Each public institution of higher education shall (1) distribute mail 154
voter registration application forms, (2) on and after October 1, 2019, 155
automatically admit as an elector any applicant that qualifies for such 156
admission through an electronic system pursuant to subdivision (2) of 157
subsection (b) of section 9-23n, as amended by this act, and [(2)] (3) 158
assist applicants who request assistance in completing such voter 159
registration application forms or registering through such electronic 160
system. 161
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2019 9-19h(b)
Sec. 2 October 1, 2019 9-23n(b)
Sec. 3 October 1, 2019 9-23o
Sec. 4 October 1, 2019 9-23p
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Section 2 (b)(1), "voter agency" was changed to "voter registration
agency" for accuracy and consistency; and in Section 3 (2), "thereto"
was changed to "to such service" for consistency.
GAE Joint Favorable Subst.