General Assembly Committee Bill No. 5872
January Session, 2021 LCO No. 4939
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
AND ELECTIONS
Introduced by:
(GAE)
AN ACT EXPANDING AUTOMATIC APPLICATION FOR VOTER
REGISTRATION TO CERTAIN STATE AGENCIES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
1 Section 1. Section 9-23n of the general statutes is repealed and the
2 following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2022):
3 (a) As used in this section, "voter registration agency" means (1)
4 public assistance offices, (2) all offices in the state that provide
5 state-funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to
6 persons with disabilities, (3) libraries that are open to the public, [and]
7 (4) the Department of Social Services, (5) the Labor Department, (6) the
8 Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, (7) the
9 Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange, and (8) such other appropriate
10 offices or agencies as the Secretary of the State shall designate in
11 accordance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, P.L. 103-31,
12 as amended from time to time, based on periodic assessments of offices
13 or agencies capable of effectuating the purposes of subdivision (1) of
14 subsection (b) of this section.
15 (b) [Voter registration agencies shall] (1) Except as provided in
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16 subdivision (2) of this subsection, each voter registration agency shall
17 (A) distribute mail voter registration application forms, [(2)] (B) assist
18 applicants for [such] assistance or services provided by the agency in
19 completing voter registration application forms, except for applicants
20 who refuse [such] assistance in completing such forms, [(3)] (C) accept
21 completed voter registration application forms and provide each
22 applicant with an application receipt, on which the agency shall record
23 the date that the agency received the application, using an official date
24 stamp bearing the name of the agency, and [(4)] (D) immediately
25 transmit all such applications to the registrars of voters of the town of
26 voting residence of the applicants. The agency shall provide such receipt
27 whether the application was submitted in person, [or] by mail or
28 through an electronic system pursuant to subdivision (2) of this
29 subsection. If a registration application is accepted within five days
30 before the last day for registration to vote in a regular election, the
31 application shall be transmitted to the registrars of voters of the town of
32 voting residence of the applicant not later than five days after the date
33 of acceptance. [The] Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this
34 subsection, the voter registration agency shall indicate on the completed
35 mail voter registration application form, without indicating the identity
36 of the voter registration agency, the date of its acceptance by such
37 agency, to ensure that any eligible applicant is registered to vote in an
38 election if it is received by the registration agency by the last day for
39 registration to vote in an election. If a state-funded program primarily
40 engaged in providing services to persons with disabilities provides
41 services to a person with a disability at the person's home, the agency
42 shall provide such voter registration services at the person's home. The
43 procedures in subsections (c), (d), (f) and (g) of section 9-23g that are not
44 inconsistent with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, P.L.
45 103-31, as amended from time to time, shall apply to applications made
46 under this section. Officials and employees of such voter registration
47 agencies are not admitting officials, as defined in section 9-17a, and may
48 not restore, under the provisions of section 9-46a, electoral privileges of
49 persons convicted of a felony.
50 (2) (A) On and after January 1, 2022, each voter registration agency
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51 shall provide an electronic system, subject to the approval of the
52 Secretary of the State, to effectuate the purposes of subdivision (1) of this
53 subsection regarding application for admission of an elector, except that
54 the condition that an applicant state and attest to meeting each eligibility
55 requirement may be waived for any such eligibility requirement
56 verified independently by the agency through a federally approved
57 identity verification program or other evidence acceptable to the
58 agency. Such electronic system may provide for the transmittal to the
59 Secretary of an applicant's signature on file with the voter registration
60 agency. The use of any such electronic system shall comply with the
61 National Voter Registration Act of 1993, P.L. 103-31, as amended from
62 time to time.
63 (B) (i) Unless otherwise provided in this subparagraph, if the voter
64 registration agency determines that a person applying for assistance or
65 services provided by the agency meets each eligibility requirement for
66 admission as an elector, the agency shall forthwith transmit an
67 application for such person's admission as an elector to the registrars of
68 voters of such person's residence through an electronic system pursuant
69 to this subdivision, in accordance with the provisions of subdivision (1)
70 of this subsection, except that no such application shall be transmitted if
71 such person declines to apply for such admission.
72 (ii) If the voter registration agency determines that a person applying
73 for assistance or services provided by the agency is not a United States
74 citizen, the agency shall not provide such person an opportunity to
75 apply for admission as an elector through an electronic system pursuant
76 to this subdivision and shall not transmit any application for such
77 admission on behalf of such person.
78 (iii) If the voter registration agency cannot determine whether a
79 person applying for assistance or services provided by the agency is a
80 United States citizen, such person shall attest to his or her United States
81 citizenship as a precondition of the agency processing such person's
82 application for admission as an elector through an electronic system
83 pursuant to this subdivision.
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 84 (C) In the case of an individual already admitted as an elector and
85 who is also enrolled in a party, if use of such electronic system results in
86 such elector being removed from the enrollment list of such party
87 because such elector did not affirmatively confirm an intent to continue
88 enrollment in such party, such removal shall be presumed unintentional
89 and such elector shall be restored to such list upon such elector's
90 notification of such removal to the registrar of voters of the town in
91 which such elector resides.
92 Sec. 2. Section 9-23o of the general statutes is repealed and the
93 following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2022):
94 A voter registration agency, as defined in section 9-23n, as amended
95 by this act, shall comply with the National Voter Registration Act of
96 1993, P.L. 103-31, as amended from time to time, and (1) shall distribute
97 with each application for [service or] assistance or services provided by
98 the agency, and with each recertification, renewal or change of address
99 form relating to such [service or] assistance or services a mail voter
100 registration application form approved by the Secretary of the State, and
101 (2) on and after January 1, 2022, during each application for such
102 assistance or services and each recertification, renewal or change of
103 address relating to such assistance or services, shall use an electronic
104 system described in subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of section 9-23n, as
105 amended by this act, and in accordance with said subdivision to
106 effectuate the purposes of subdivision (1) of said subsection regarding
107 application for admission of an elector, unless the applicant declines to
108 register to vote pursuant to the provisions of the National Voter
109 Registration Act of 1993, P.L. 103-31, as amended from time to time.
110 Such declination shall be in writing, except in the case of an application
111 for service or assistance provided by a library, or a recertification,
112 renewal or change of address form relating to such library service or
113 assistance. Such voter registration agency shall provide each applicant
114 to register to vote the same degree of assistance with regard to the
115 completion of the registration application form as is provided by the
116 agency with regard to the completion of its own forms, unless the
117 applicant refuses such assistance.
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118 Sec. 3. Section 9-23p of the general statutes is repealed and the
119 following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2022):
120 Each public institution of higher education shall (1) distribute mail
121 voter registration application forms, [and (2)] as well as assist applicants
122 who request assistance in completing such voter registration application
123 forms, and (2) on and after January 1, 2022, use an electronic system
124 described in subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of section 9-23n, as
125 amended by this act, and in accordance with said subdivision to
126 effectuate the purposes of subdivision (1) of said subsection regarding
127 application for admission of an elector, as well as assist applicants who
128 request assistance in so applying through such electronic system.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 January 1, 2022 9-23n
Sec. 2 January 1, 2022 9-23o
Sec. 3 January 1, 2022 9-23p
Statement of Purpose:
To (1) establish automatic application for voter registration at certain
state agencies that currently make available voter registration
information, and (2) create a presumption that any removal from a party
enrollment list through such automatic application for voter registration
was unintentional.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]
Co-Sponsors: REP. THOMAS, 143rd Dist.; REP. MORRIN BELLO, 28th Dist.
REP. QUINN, 82nd Dist.; REP. BERGER-GIRVALO, 111th Dist.
REP. CHAFEE, 33rd Dist.; REP. KAVROS DEGRAW, 17th Dist.
REP. FARRAR, 20th Dist.; REP. GOUPIL, 35th Dist.
REP. WELANDER, 114th Dist.; REP. LEEPER, 132nd Dist.
REP. PARKER, 101st Dist.; REP. MICHEL, 146th Dist.
H.B. 5872
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Statutes affected:
Committee Bill: 9-23n, 9-23o, 9-23p