HP0174
LD 203
First Regular Session - 123rd Legislature - Text: MS-Word, RTF or PDF LR 1100
Item 2
Bill Tracking Chamber Status

Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:

‘An Act To Ensure Verification of Residency for Voter Registration’

Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the summary and inserting the following:

Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §112, sub-§1, ¶A,  as amended by PL 1997, c. 436, §20, is further amended to read:

A.  The following factors may be offered by an applicant and considered by a registrar in determining a person's residence under this section:

(1) A direct statement of intention by the person pursuant to section 121, subsection 1;

(2) The location of any dwelling currently occupied by the person;

(6) The place where any motor vehicle owned by the person is registered;

(8) The residence address, not a post office box, shown on a current income tax return;

(9) The residence address, not a post office box, at which the person's person receives first class mail is received;

(10) The residence address, not a post office box, shown on any current resident hunting or fishing licenses held by the person;

(12) The residence address, not a post office box, shown on any motor vehicle operator's license held by the person;

(14) The receipt of any public benefit conditioned upon residency, defined substantially as provided in this subsection; or

(16) Any other objective facts tending to indicate a person's place of residence.

Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §112, sub-§1, ¶C  is enacted to read:

C If multiple items offered to the registrar from the applicant for the purposes of determining residency show differing residence addresses, the registrar may require a direct statement of intention by the applicant pursuant to section 121, subsection 1.

Sec. 3. 21-A MRSA §121, sub-§1,  as enacted by PL 1985, c. 161, §6, is amended to read:

1. Oath may be required.   In making this determination, the registrar may require any person who testifies before him the registrar concerning his the person's qualifications or those of another to swear to the truth of his the person's statements. The registrar may require, as part of the oath, an affirmation from the person who applies for registration as a voter that the applicant surrenders the applicant's registration to vote in any other jurisdiction.

Sec. 4. 21-A MRSA §121, sub-§3  is enacted to read:

3 Notice of statement.   The registrar shall provide notice to the Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Revenue Services when a person makes a statement in accordance with subsection 1 by forwarding a printed copy of the sworn statement.

summary

This amendment replaces the bill and is the minority report of the committee. The amendment clarifies that mail with the residence of address of a person seeking to register to vote offered to a registrar for the purposes of determining residency must be first class mail. It also removes from the list of factors that may be used by the registrar to determine residency the simple statement of a location or dwelling a person claims to occupy as a residence. This amendment provides that a registrar, when requiring an oath to affirm a claim of residency, may also require the person seeking to register as a voter to state that the voter surrenders the person's voter registration in any other jurisdiction. Finally, this amendment requires a registrar to forward a copy of those sworn statements to the Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Revenue Services.

FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)


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