Senate Bill 2293

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS 23-15-7 AND 23-15-135, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO DELETE THE REFERENCES TO THE MISSISSIPPI CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT IN RELATION TO MISSISSIPPI VOTER IDENTIFICATION CARDS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. Section 23-15-7, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

23-15-7. (1) The Secretary of State shall negotiate a Memorandum of Understanding which shall be entered into by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety and the registrar of each county for the purpose of providing a Mississippi Voter Identification Card. The card shall be valid for the purpose of voter identification purposes under Section 23-15-563 and available only to registered voters of this state. No fee shall be charged or collected for the application for or issuance of a Mississippi Voter Identification Card. Any costs associated with the application for or issuance of a Mississippi Voter Identification Card shall be made payable from the state's General Fund.

(2) The registrar of each county shall provide a location in the registrar's office at which he or she shall accept applications for Mississippi Voter Identification Cards * * *; however, in counties having two (2) judicial districts the registrar shall provide a location in the registrar's office in each judicial district at which he or she shall accept applications for Mississippi Voter Identification Cards * * *.

(3) No person shall be eligible for a Mississippi Voter Identification Card if the person has a valid unexpired Mississippi driver's license or an identification card issued under Section 45-35-1 et seq.

(4) (a) The Mississippi Voter Identification Card shall be captioned "MISSISSIPPI VOTER IDENTIFICATION CARD" and shall contain a prominent statement that under Mississippi law it is valid only as identification for voting purposes. The identification card shall include the following information regarding the applicant:

(i) Full legal name;

(ii) Legal residence address;

(iii) Mailing address, if different; and

(iv) Voting information.

(b) The Mississippi Voter Identification Card shall also contain the date the voter identification card was issued, the county in which the voter is registered and such other information as required by the Secretary of State.

(5) The application shall be signed and sworn to by the applicant and any falsification or fraud in the making of the application shall constitute false swearing under Section 97-7-35.

(6) The registrar shall require presentation and verification of any of the following information during the application process before issuance of a Mississippi Voter Identification Card:

(a) A photo identity document; or

(b) Documentation showing the person's date and place of birth; or

(d) A Medicare card; or

(e) A Medicaid card; or

(f) Such other acceptable evidence of verification of residence in the county as determined by the Secretary of State.

(7) A Mississippi Voter Identification Card shall remain valid for as long as the cardholder remains qualified to vote. It shall be the duty of a person who moves his or her residence within this state to surrender his or her voter identification card to the registrar of the county of his or her new residence and that person may thereafter apply for and receive a new card if such person is eligible under this section. It shall be the duty of a person who moves his or her residence outside this state or who ceases to be qualified to vote to surrender his or her card to the registrar who issued it.

(8) The Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, shall adopt rules and regulations for the administration of this section.

SECTION 2. Section 23-15-135, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

23-15-135. (1) The master voter roll as electronically maintained by the Statewide Elections Management System of the several voting precincts of each county and the pollbooks heretofore in use shall be delivered to the registrar of the county, and they, together with the master voter roll and pollbooks hereafter made, shall be records of his or her office, and he or she shall carefully preserve the same as such; and after each election the pollbooks shall be speedily returned to the office of the registrar.

(2) The registrar of each county shall provide a location in the registrar's office at which he or she shall accept applications for Mississippi Voter Identification Cards * * *.

(3) The registrar of each county shall enter into a Memorandum of Understanding, which is negotiated by the Secretary of State, with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety for the purpose of providing a Mississippi Voter Identification Card.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.