This bill allows certain persons deprived of the right of suffrage to apply for a voter registration card and have the right of suffrage provisionally restored if the person enters into a payment plan to become current on all child support obligations, as discussed below.
Under present law, a person who has lost voting rights is not eligible to apply for a voter registration card and have the right of suffrage restored under the present law process for restoration, unless the person is current in all child support obligations.
This bill adds authorization for a person who is not current on child support obligations to apply for a voter registration card and have the right of suffrage provisionally restored if the person enters into a payment plan to become current in all unpaid child support obligations. If a person willfully fails to adhere to the terms of a payment plan, the court that provisionally restored the person's right of suffrage may revoke the person's provisional right of suffrage. Prior to revoking a person's provisional right of suffrage, the court must provide the person with court-appointed counsel and offer the person the opportunity to be heard and to submit proof of the person's financial inability to pay, which may include a signed affidavit of indigency.

Statutes affected:
Current Version: 40-29-202