MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2017 Regular Session

To: Elections

By: Senator(s) Stone

Senate Bill 2863

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A PROCEDURE FOR THE AUTOMATIC REGISTRATION OF ELIGIBLE VOTERS; TO PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY SHALL MAKE VOTER REGISTRATION APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE TO PERSONS SEVENTEEN YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER UPON THEIR APPLICATION FOR THE ISSUANCE OR RENEWAL OF A DRIVERS LICENSE OR STATE IDENTIFICATION CARD; TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO PROVIDE AN ELECTRONIC RECORD OF SUCH VOTER REGISTRATION APPLICATIONS TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE; TO REQUIRE THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO PROVIDE REGISTRATION APPLICATIONS TO COUNTY REGISTRARS; TO AMEND SECTION 23-15-33, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO AUTHORIZE COUNTY REGISTRARS TO REGISTER ELIGIBLE PERSONS UPON RECEIVING AN ELECTRONIC VOTER REGISTRATION APPLICATION FROM THE SECRETARY OF STATE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

     BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

     SECTION 1.  (1)  The Department of Public Safety shall make a voter registration application available to any person at any office of the department where licenses or renewal applications are distributed or received.

     (2)  When a person who is at least seventeen (17) years of age applies for issuance or renewal of a Mississippi driver license or issuance of a state identification card or submits a change of address application form at a department office where driver license issuance or renewal applications, state identification card applications or change of address applications are distributed or received, department personnel shall provide the person with a voter registration application.

     (3)  Each office shall deliver the completed voter registration applications to the Office of the Secretary of State in an electronic format.  The Secretary of State shall determine by rule the time and manner the completed registration applications are to be delivered.

     (4)  The department shall develop a driver license issuance or renewal and voter registration application procedure and a state identification card issuance and voter registration application procedure and a change of address and voter registration application procedure that allows an applicant for a license, renewal, state identification card or change of address to register to vote by providing the information required by Section 23-15-7 and the information required for the issuance or renewal of a license or for issuance of a state identification card.  The Secretary of State shall approve the voter registration portion of each application procedure and change of address procedure.

     (5)  The voter registration portion of an application described in subsection (4) of this section shall comply with the provisions of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.

     SECTION 2.  (1)  The Secretary of State shall by rule establish a schedule by which the Department of Public Safety shall provide to the Secretary of State electronic records containing the legal name, age, residence and citizenship information for, and the electronic signature of, each person who meets qualifications identified by the Secretary of State by rule.

     (2)  Upon receiving the electronic record for, and electronic signature of, a person described in subsection (1) of this section, the Secretary of State shall provide the information to the county registrar of the county in which the person may be registered as an elector.  The Secretary of State or county registrar shall notify each person of the process to decline being registered as an elector.

     (3)  If a person notified under subsection (2) of this section does not decline to be registered as an elector within twenty-one (21) calendar days after the Secretary of State or county registrar issues the notification, the person's electronic record and electronic signature submitted under subsection (1) of this section will constitute a completed registration application for the person for purposes of Article 3 of this chapter.  The person shall be registered to vote if the county registrar determines that the person is qualified to vote under Section 23-15-11, and the person is not already registered to vote.

     (4)  The Secretary of State shall adopt rules required to implement this section.

     SECTION 3.  Section 23-15-33, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

     23-15-33.  (1)  Every person entitled to be registered as an elector in compliance with the laws of this state and who has signed his name on and properly completed the application for registration to vote shall be registered by the registrar in the voting precinct of the residence of such person through the Statewide Elections Management System.

     (2)  Every person entitled to be registered as an elector in compliance with the laws of this state and who registers to vote pursuant to the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 shall be registered by the registrar in the voting precinct of the residence of such person through the Statewide Elections Management System.

     (3)  Every person entitled to vote by absentee shall have  all absentee applications processed by the registrar through the Statewide Election Management System.  The registrar shall account for all absentee ballots delivered to such voters and received from such voters through the Statewide Election Management System.

     (4)  Every person entitled to be registered as an elector in compliance with the laws of this state and who has submitted his name, age residence, citizenship information and signature to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety on an approved voter registration application shall be registered by the registrar in the voting precinct of the residence of such person through the Statewide Elections Management System.

     SECTION 4.  This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2017.