SB 24 — AN ACT CONCERNING AUTOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION AT CERTAIN STATE AGENCIES.

General Assembly ProposedCommittee Bill No.

3296148 Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION AND ELECTIONS Introduced by:

SEN.(GAE) AN ACT CONCERNING AUTOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION AT CERTAIN STATE AGENCIES.

LESSER, 9th Dist.

AN ACT CONCERNING AUTOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION AT CERTAIN STATE AGENCIES.

ThatSection title1. 9 of the general statutes be amended to (1) require that the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, the Commissioner of Social Services, the Board of Regents for Higher Education and the Board of Trustees for The University of Connecticut implement an electronic process for automatically admitting as electors certain individuals who engage in certain transactions with such agencies, provided any such individual may affirmatively decline to be so admitted, and (2) create a presumption that removal of any such individual from a party enrollment list during the course of such electronic automatic admission process was unintentional.

StatementSubsection (b) of Purpose:section 9-19h of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019):

(b) (1) In addition to the requirements of subsection (a) of this section, and except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, not later than January 1, 1994, shall include an application for the admission of an elector with each application form provided for a motor vehicle operator's license and a motor vehicle operator's license renewal, which are issued under subpart (B) of part III of chapter 246, and with each application form provided for an identity card issued under section 1-1h.

Such application form for the admission of an elector [(1)] (A) shall be subject to the approval of the Secretary of the State, [(2)] (B) shall not include any provisions for the witnessing of the application, and [(3)] (C) shall contain a statement that [(A)] (i) specifies each eligibility LCO No.

6148 1 of 6 Committee Bill No.24 requirement, [(B)] (ii) contains an attestation that the applicant meets each such requirement, and [(C)] (iii) requires the signature of the applicant under penalty of perjury.

The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall accept any such completed application for admission which is submitted in person, [or by mail.

The] by mail or through an electronic system pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection.

Except as provided in said subdivision, the applicant shall state on such form, under penalty of perjury, the applicant's name, bona fide residence address, date of birth, whether the applicant is a United States citizen, party enrollment, if any, prior voting address, if registered previously, and that the applicant's privileges as an elector are not forfeited by reason of conviction of a felony.

No Social Security number on any such application form for the admission of an elector filed prior to January 1, 2000, may be disclosed to the public or to any governmental agency.

The commissioner shall indicate on each such form the date of receipt of such application to ensure that any eligible applicant is registered to vote in an election if it is received by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles by the last day for registration to vote in an election.

The commissioner shall provide the applicant with an application receipt, on a form approved by the Secretary of the State and on which the commissioner shall record the date that the commissioner received the application, using an official date stamp bearing the words "Department of Motor Vehicles".

The commissioner shall provide such receipt whether the application was submitted in person, [or] by mail or through an electronic system pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection.

The commissioner shall forthwith transmit the application to the registrars of voters of the applicant's town of residence.

If a registration application is accepted within five days before the last day for registration to vote in a regular election, the application shall be transmitted to the registrars of voters of the town of voting residence of the applicant not later than five days after the date of acceptance.

The procedures in subsections (c), (d), (f) and (g) of section 9-23g which are not inconsistent with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, P.L.

103-31, as amended from time to time, shall apply to LCO No.

6148 2 of 6 Committee Bill No.24 applications made under this section.

The commissioner is not an admitting official and may not restore, under the provisions of section 9-46a, electoral privileges of persons convicted of a felony.

(2) On and after July 1, 2019, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall use an electronic system, approved by the Secretary of the State, to effectuate the purposes of subdivision (1) of this subsection regarding admission of applicants to be electors, except that (A) any applicant that qualifies for such admission in accordance with said subdivision shall be automatically admitted as an elector unless such applicant declines such admission, and (B) the condition that an applicant state and attest to meeting each eligibility requirement may be waived for any such eligibility requirement verified independently by said commissioner.

The use of such electronic system shall comply with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, P.L.

103-31, as amended from time to time.

In the case of an individual already admitted as an elector and who is also enrolled in a party, if use of such electronic system results in such elector being removed from the enrollment list of such party because such elector did not affirmatively confirm an intent to continue enrollment in such party, such removal shall be presumed unintentional and such elector shall be restored to such list upon such elector's notification of such removal to the registrar of voters of the town in which such elector resides.

Sec.

2.

Subsection (b) of section 9-23n of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019):

(b) [Voter registration agencies shall] (1) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, each voter agency shall (A) distribute mail voter registration application forms, [(2)] (B) assist applicants for [such assistance or services] service or assistance provided by the agency in completing voter registration application forms, except for applicants who refuse [such] assistance in completing such forms, [(3)] (C) accept completed voter registration application LCO No.

6148 3 of 6 Committee Bill No.24 forms and provide each applicant with an application receipt, on which the agency shall record the date that the agency received the application, using an official date stamp bearing the name of the agency, and [(4)] (D) immediately transmit all such applications to the registrars of voters of the town of voting residence of the applicants.

The agency shall provide such receipt whether the application was submitted in person, [or] by mail or through an electronic system pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection.

If a registration application is accepted within five days before the last day for registration to vote in a regular election, the application shall be transmitted to the registrars of voters of the town of voting residence of the applicant not later than five days after the date of acceptance.

[The] Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, the voter registration agency shall indicate on the completed mail voter registration application form, without indicating the identity of the voter registration agency, the date of its acceptance by such agency, to ensure that any eligible applicant is registered to vote in an election if it is received by the registration agency by the last day for registration to vote in an election.

If a state-funded program primarily engaged in providing services to persons with disabilities provides services to a person with a disability at the person's home, the agency shall provide such voter registration services at the person's home.

The procedures in subsections (c), (d), (f) and (g) of section 9-23g that are not inconsistent with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, P.L.

103-31, as amended from time to time, shall apply to applications made under this section.

Officials and employees of such voter registration agencies are not admitting officials, as defined in section 9-17a, and may not restore, under the provisions of section 9-46a, electoral privileges of persons convicted of a felony.

(2) On and after July 1, 2019, each voter registration agency shall use an electronic system, approved by the Secretary of the State, to effectuate the purposes of subdivision (1) of this subsection regarding admission of applicants to be electors, except that any applicant that qualifies for such admission in accordance with said subdivision shall LCO No.