SENATE DOCKET, NO. 436        FILED ON: 1/16/2013

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 313

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Katherine M. Clark

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act establishing online voter registration.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 436        FILED ON: 1/16/2013

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 313

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 298 OF 2011-2012.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Thirteen

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An Act establishing online voter registration.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 33 of Chapter 51 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2010 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 33 the following section:-

Section 33A.  The state secretary will create and maintain an online portal allowing citizens to complete an affidavit of registration online.  Such registration will be transmitted by the secretary to the appropriate local registrar.  The online affidavit will use the registrants’ signature from the Registry of Motor Vehicles records; the Registrar of Motor Vehicles shall make appropriate provisions to facilitate the electronic transfer of the image of the signature to the Central Voter Registry.  If such signature cannot be found using the online affidavit of registration form the applicant will be so informed and given the option to print the affidavit of registration, append their signature, and mail it directly to the appropriate registrar of voters.  Nothing in this section shall be construed to change any registration deadline or qualification of voting.

SECTION 2. Chapter 51 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after section 63 the following section:-

Section 64. Allowing voters to check the status of their registration

The state secretary shall create and maintain an online portal through which any member of the public may check to determine whether or not they are registered to vote. Such a portal shall allow a member of the public to enter their name and date of birth and residential zip code and will then show whether or not a voter with said name and date of birth and residential zip code is registered to vote,  and whether the registration of the voter is active or inactive pursuant to section 37 of chapter 51, and will also show the polling location for said voter and state and federal elected officials who represent said voter.  The portal shall not display any other information about the voter except the information provided by the user of the site.  If there is no voter in the Central Voter Registry matching the information submitted to the portal, the website shall inform the user how they may obtain a voter registration form.

SECTION 3.  Section 42H of Chapter 51 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after the word “delivery”, the following words:-, "and through the online portal."