HP0523, LD 770, item 1, An Act To Permit Maine Residents To Register To Vote Online

An Act To Permit Maine Residents To Register To Vote Online

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

Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §131 is enacted to read:

§ 131. Registration by electronic means

No later than February 1, 2016, the Secretary of State shall implement a system that permits a person who is qualified to register to vote in the State to register to vote electronically on a publicly accessible website administered by the Secretary of State.

1. Electronic voter registration system. The electronic voter registration system under this section must include:

A. A means by which the system accesses driver’s license and nondriver identification card data maintained electronically by the Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles to facilitate verification of the identity, residency and date of birth of a person seeking to register to vote;

B. An electronic voter registration application that requires a person seeking to register to vote to submit the following:

(1) The person’s name, residence address, date of birth, driver’s license or nondriver identification card number and the last 4 digits of the person’s social security number;

(2) An affidavit that attests to the truth of the information provided by the person; and

(3) Permission for the Secretary of State to use the signature from the person’s driver’s license or nondriver identification card;

C. Security measures to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the voter registration applications under paragraph B;

D. A manner by which the website informs a person seeking to register to vote of the information required to register to vote electronically and alternative methods for voter registration; and

E. Application information or requirements as determined necessary by the Secretary of State and consistent with this chapter.

2. Rules governing electronic voter registration. The Secretary of State may adopt rules regarding the administration and implementation of the electronic voter registration system under this section. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.

3. Electronic voter registration report. Beginning February 1, 2017, the Secretary of State shall submit an annual report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over voter registration matters regarding the implementation of electronic voter registration under this section, including, but not limited to, the number of voter registration applications received and the cost per registration compared to the cost of processing paper voter registration applications.

This subsection is repealed September 30, 2020.

summary

This bill requires the Secretary of State to implement a system that allows a person to register to vote online. The system requires an applicant to provide certain information, which is verified using driver’s license or nondriver identification card data maintained by the Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles. An applicant must submit an affidavit attesting that all information provided in the electronic voter registration application is true. The bill authorizes the Secretary of State to adopt rules to administer the electronic voter registration system and requires the Secretary of State to submit an annual report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over voter registration matters.

HP0523 LD 770	Session - 127th Maine Legislature		LR 472 Item 1
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