PRINTER'S NO. 171
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 205
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY GAINEY, HILL-EVANS, GUENST, HARRIS, SANCHEZ,
KINSEY, ZABEL, FREEMAN, BURGOS, SHUSTERMAN, SIMS, HOHENSTEIN,
PASHINSKI, O'MARA, WEBSTER, CIRESI, SCHWEYER, McCLINTON AND
WARREN, JANUARY 22, 2021
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, JANUARY 22, 2021
AN ACT
1 Amending Title 25 (Elections) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
2 Statutes, in voter registration, further providing for
3 methods of voter registration, providing for automatic
4 registration of qualified electors and further providing for
5 time.
6 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
7 hereby enacts as follows:
8 Section 1. Section 1321 of Title 25 of the Pennsylvania
9 Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:
10 § 1321. Methods of voter registration.
11 (a) General rule.--An individual qualified to register to
12 vote under section 1301(a) (relating to qualifications to
13 register) may apply to register as follows:
14 (1) Under section 1322 (relating to in-person voter
15 registration).
16 (2) Under section 1323 (relating to application with
17 driver's license application).
18 (3) Under section 1324 (relating to application by
 1 mail).
2 (4) Under section 1325 (relating to government
3 agencies).
4 (b) Automatic registration.--An individual qualified to
5 register to vote under section 1301(a) shall be registered as
6 provided in section 1325.1 (relating to automatic registration
7 of qualified electors).
8 Section 2. Title 25 is amended by adding a section to read:
9 § 1325.1. Automatic registration of qualified electors.
10 (a) Collection of information.--The secretary shall by rule
11 establish a schedule by which the Department of Transportation,
12 the Department of Human Services and the Department of Military
13 and Veterans Affairs shall provide to the department the legal
14 name, age, residence, citizenship information and signature for
15 each individual who is qualified to register to vote under
16 section 1301(a) (relating to qualifications to register).
17 (b) Registration application.--For the purposes of this
18 section, the information identified in subsection (a) shall
19 constitute a completed voter registration application.
20 (c) Notification of eligibility.--Upon receiving the
21 information prescribed in subsection (a), the department shall
22 provide the information to the commission in the county in which
23 the qualified elector resides.
24 (d) Notice of registration to qualified electors.--Upon
25 approval, the commission shall provide to the qualified elector
26 a notice of pending registration and additional information as
27 prescribed in section 1328(c)(2.1) (relating to approval of
28 registration applications).
29 (e) Notice of decline.--If a qualified elector provided
30 notice under subsection (d) does not decline to be registered as
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 1 an elector using the method prescribed by the commission within
2 21 calendar days after the commission issues the notice, the
3 qualified elector's information collected under subsection (a)
4 shall constitute a completed registration.
5 (f) Regulations.--The secretary shall promulgate regulations
6 necessary to implement this section.
7 Section 3. Section 1328(a), (b) and (c) of Title 25 are
8 amended by adding paragraphs to read:
9 § 1328. Approval of registration applications.
10 (a) Examination.--Upon receiving a voter registration
11 application, a commissioner, clerk or registrar of a commission
12 shall do all of the following:
13 * * *
14 (3) Examine the information provided under section
15 1325.1(a) (relating to automatic registration of qualified
16 electors) to determine all of the following:
17 (i) Whether the application is complete.
18 (ii) Whether the applicant is a qualified elector.
19 (iii) Whether the applicant has an existing
20 registration record. After the commission is connected to
21 the SURE system, the commissioner, clerk or registrar
22 shall search the SURE system on a Statewide basis to
23 determine if the applicant has an existing registration
24 record.
25 (b) Decision.--A commission shall do one of the following:
26 * * *
27 (9) In the case of automatic voter registration as
28 provided in section 1325.1, process a voter registration
29 application in accordance with subsection (c).
30 (10) In the case of automatic voter registration as
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 1 provided in section 1325.1, reject a voter registration
2 application, indicate the rejection and the reasons for the
3 rejection and notify the department of the rejection and the
4 reason, if the commission finds during the commission's
5 examination under subsection (a) any of the following:
6 (i) The application was not properly completed and,
7 after reasonable efforts by the commission to ascertain
8 the necessary information, the application remains
9 incomplete or inconsistent.
10 (ii) The applicant is not a qualified elector.
11 A rejection shall be made no later than 21 days after the
12 information is received pursuant to the provisions of section
13 1325.1.
14 (c) Processing of voter registration.--
15 * * *
16 (2.1) When a commission has accepted a voter
17 registration application under subsection (b)(9), the
18 commission shall mail to each qualified elector by first
19 class nonforwardable mail, return postage guaranteed, a
20 notice of the process to:
21 (i) Decline registration as a qualified elector.
22 (ii) Enroll in a political party.
23 (2.2) If the commission does not receive a request to
24 stop registration 21 days after the issuance of the notice,
25 the commission shall assign the applicant a unique
26 identification number in the SURE system and mail a wallet-
27 sized voter's identification card to the individual by first
28 class nonforwardable mail, return postage guaranteed, which
29 shall serve as notice of the acceptance of the application.
30 The card shall contain all of the following:
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 1 (i) A raised Great Seal of the Commonwealth.
2 (ii) Name and address of the individual.
3 (iii) Name of municipality of residence.
4 (iv) Identification of the individual's ward and
5 district.
6 (v) The effective date of registration.
7 (vi) Designation of party enrollment and date of
8 enrollment.
9 (vii) A space for the individual's signature or
10 mark.
11 (viii) The unique identification number of the
12 individual.
13 (ix) A statement that the individual shall notify
14 the commission within ten days from the date it was
15 mailed if any information on the card is incorrect;
16 otherwise, the information shall be deemed correct for
17 voter registration purposes.
18 * * *
19 Section 4. This act shall take effect in 90 days.
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Statutes/Laws affected:
Printer's No. 0171: 25-1321