Bill Text: FL S1256 | 2024 | Regular Session | Comm Sub

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Bill Title: Voter Registration Applications

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2024-03-06 - Laid on Table, refer to CS/HB 135 [S1256 Detail]

Download: Florida-2024-S1256-Comm_Sub.html

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       Florida Senate - 2024                             CS for SB 1256
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Fiscal Policy; and Senator Martin
       
       
       
       
       
       594-03804-24                                          20241256c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to voter registration applications;
    3         amending s. 97.053, F.S.; providing an exception to a
    4         requirement that certain voter registration applicants
    5         must be registered without party affiliation; amending
    6         s. 97.057, F.S.; requiring the Department of Highway
    7         Safety and Motor Vehicles to notify certain
    8         individuals of certain information; prohibiting the
    9         department from changing the party affiliation of an
   10         applicant except in certain circumstances; requiring
   11         the department to provide an applicant with a certain
   12         receipt; revising the methods by which an applicant
   13         may decline to register to vote or update certain
   14         voter registration information; prohibiting a person
   15         providing voter registration services for a driver
   16         license office from taking certain actions; requiring
   17         the department to ensure that information technology
   18         processes and updates do not alter certain information
   19         without written consent; requiring the department to
   20         be in full compliance with the act within a certain
   21         period; providing an effective date.
   22          
   23  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   24  
   25         Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (5) of section
   26  97.053, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   27         97.053 Acceptance of voter registration applications.—
   28         (5)
   29         (b) An applicant who fails to designate party affiliation
   30  must be registered without party affiliation, except that the
   31  party affiliation of an applicant who is updating a voter
   32  registration record may not be changed unless the applicant
   33  designates and consents in writing to a change in party
   34  affiliation. The supervisor must notify the voter by mail that
   35  the voter has been registered without party affiliation and that
   36  the voter may change party affiliation as provided in s.
   37  97.1031.
   38         Section 2. Subsections (2) and (6) of section 97.057,
   39  Florida Statutes, are amended, and subsection (14) is added to
   40  that section, to read:
   41         97.057 Voter registration by the Department of Highway
   42  Safety and Motor Vehicles.—
   43         (2) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
   44  shall:
   45         (a) Notify each individual, orally or in writing, that:
   46         1. Information gathered for the completion of a driver
   47  license or identification card application, renewal, or change
   48  of address can be automatically transferred to a voter
   49  registration application;
   50         2. If additional information and a signature are provided,
   51  the voter registration application will be completed and sent to
   52  the proper election authority;
   53         3. Information provided can also be used to update a voter
   54  registration record, except that party affiliation will not be
   55  changed unless the individual designates a change in party
   56  affiliation and separately consents to such change in writing;
   57         4. All declinations will remain confidential and may be
   58  used only for voter registration purposes; and
   59         5. The particular driver license office in which the person
   60  applies to register to vote or updates a voter registration
   61  record will remain confidential and may be used only for voter
   62  registration purposes.
   63         (b) Require a driver license examiner to inquire orally or,
   64  if the applicant is hearing impaired, inquire in writing whether
   65  the applicant wishes to register to vote or update a voter
   66  registration record during the completion of a driver license or
   67  identification card application, renewal, or change of address.
   68         1. If the applicant chooses to register to vote or to
   69  update a voter registration record:
   70         a. All applicable information received by the Department of
   71  Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles in the course of filling out
   72  the forms necessary under subsection (1) must be transferred to
   73  a voter registration application.
   74         b. The additional necessary information must be obtained by
   75  the driver license examiner and must not duplicate any
   76  information already obtained while completing the forms required
   77  under subsection (1).
   78         c. A voter registration application with all of the
   79  applicant’s voter registration information required to establish
   80  the applicant’s eligibility pursuant to s. 97.041 must be
   81  presented to the applicant to review and verify the voter
   82  registration information received and provide an electronic
   83  signature affirming the accuracy of the information provided.
   84         d. The voter registration application may not be used to
   85  change the party affiliation of the applicant unless the
   86  applicant designates a change in party affiliation and provides
   87  a separate signature consenting to the party affiliation change.
   88         e. After verifying the voter registration information and
   89  providing his or her electronic signature, the applicant must be
   90  provided with a printed receipt that includes such information
   91  and documents any change in party affiliation.
   92         2. If the applicant declines to register to vote, update
   93  the applicant’s voter registration record, or change the
   94  applicant’s address by either orally declining or by failing to
   95  sign the voter registration application, the Department of
   96  Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles must note such declination on
   97  its records and shall forward the declination to the statewide
   98  voter registration system.
   99         (6) A person providing voter registration services for a
  100  driver license office may not:
  101         (a) Make any change to an applicant’s party affiliation
  102  unless the applicant provides a separate signature consenting to
  103  the party affiliation change or discuss or seek to influence an
  104  applicant’s political preference or party registration;
  105         (b) Display any political preference or party allegiance;
  106         (c) Make any statement to an applicant or take any action
  107  the purpose or effect of which is to discourage the applicant
  108  from registering to vote; or
  109         (d) Disclose any applicant’s voter registration information
  110  except as needed for the administration of voter registration.
  111         (14) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
  112  shall ensure that information technology processes and updates
  113  do not alter an applicant’s party affiliation without the
  114  written consent of the applicant.
  115         Section 3. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor
  116  Vehicles must be in full compliance with this act within 3
  117  months after this act becomes a law.
  118         Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.