HR 3201 — Save Voters Act

Summary

Stop Automatically Voiding Eligible Voters Off Their Enlisted Rolls in States Act or the Save Voters Act This bill requires verification and notice of the removal of registrants from an official list of eligible voters. Specifically, the bill requires a state or political subdivision to provide notice to individual registrants that are removed, the grounds for the removal, and information on contesting the removal. Public notice must be provided after any systematic removal of names. The bill provides conditions for the removal of names from an official list of eligible voters. A state is prohibited from removing a name unless the state verifies that the registrant is ineligible to vote. A state is prohibited from considering failure to vote in an election or failure to respond to a notice as evidence of ineligibility to vote.

Bill Text

• Introduced Introduced in House Current html June 11, 2019

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill adds requirements for states to verify voter ineligibility before removing registrants from the voter rolls.

• 52 U.S.C. 20507

  SEC. 8A. CONDITIONS FOR REMOVAL OF VOTERS FROM OFFICIAL LIST OF REGISTERED VOTERS. (a) Verification on Basis of Objective and Reliable Evidence of Ineligibility.-- (1) Requiring verification.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, a State may not remove the name of any registrant from the official list of voters eligible to vote in elections for Federal office in the State unless the State verifies, on the basis of objective and reliable evidence, that the registrant is ineligible to vote in such elections. (2) Factors not considered as objective and reliable evidence of ineligibility.--For purposes of paragraph (1), the following factors, or any combination thereof, shall not be treated as objective and reliable evidence of a registrant's ineligibility to vote: (A) The failure of the registrant to vote in any election. (B) The failure of the registrant to respond to any notice sent under section 8(d), unless the notice has been returned as undeliverable. (C) The failure of the registrant to take any other action with respect to voting in any election or with respect to the registrant's status as a registrant.

  This establishes stricter criteria for removing individuals from voter rolls, which could help protect eligible voters from being incorrectly removed.

• 52 U.S.C. 20507

  (b) Notice After Removal.-- (1) Notice to individual removed.-- (A) In general.--Not later than 48 hours after a State removes the name of a registrant from the official list of eligible voters for any reason, the State shall send notice of the removal to the former registrant, and shall include in the notice the grounds for the removal and information on how the former registrant may contest the removal or be reinstated, including a telephone number for the appropriate election official. (B) Exceptions.--Subparagraph (A) does not apply in the case of a registrant-- (i) who sends written confirmation to the State that the registrant is no longer eligible to vote in the registrar's jurisdiction in which the registrant was registered; or (ii) who is removed from the official list of eligible voters by reason of the death of the registrant.

  This requires states to notify individuals within 48 hours after their removal from voter rolls, enhancing transparency and providing a mechanism for contesting removals.

• 52 U.S.C. 20507

  (2) Public notice.--Not later than 48 hours after conducting any general program to remove the names of ineligible voters from the official list of eligible voters (as described in section 8(a)(4)), the State shall disseminate a public notice through such methods as may be reasonable to reach the general public (including by publishing the notice in a newspaper of wide circulation or posting the notice on the websites of the appropriate election officials) that list maintenance is taking place and that registrants should check their registration status to ensure no errors or mistakes have been made.

  This mandates public notification of removal programs, allowing voters to verify their registration status and reducing the risk of erroneous removals.

• 52 U.S.C. 20507(d)

  (4) A State may not transmit a notice to a registrant under this subsection unless the State obtains objective and reliable evidence (in accordance with the standards for such evidence which are described in section 8A(a)(2)) that the registrant has changed residence to a place outside the registrar's jurisdiction in which the registrant is registered.

  This change ensures that states can only send change of address notifications to registrants based on verified evidence of ineligibility, limiting wrongful removals.

• 52 U.S.C. 20507(a)

  provide → subject to section 8A, provide

  This adjustment ties the provisions for notifying applicants about their registration status to the new verification standards introduced in the bill.

• 52 U.S.C. 20507(a)

  conduct → subject to section 8A, conduct

  This requires that the conduct of removing ineligible voters aligns with the new verification criteria established in the bill.

• 52 U.S.C. 21083(a)(4)(A)

  , registrants → , and subject to section 8A of such Act, registrants

  This change clarifies the relationship between the Help America Vote Act and the new state requirements for removing registrants from the voter rolls.

Action History

1. June 11, 2019

   Introduced in House

2. June 11, 2019

   Introduced in House

3. June 11, 2019

   Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.

Sponsors

• Val Butler Demings · Cosponsor
• Eleanor Holmes Norton · Cosponsor
• Marcy Kaptur · Cosponsor
• Bobby L. Rush · Cosponsor
• Sheila Jackson Lee · Cosponsor
• Janice D. Schakowsky · Cosponsor
• Joyce Beatty · Primary

Subjects