Budget Amendment ID: FY2012-S3-30

OTH 30

Permanent Voter Registration

Ms. Chang-Diaz and Mr. Eldridge moved that the proposed new text be amended by inserting, after Section _____, the following new Sections:-

"SECTION ____.  After Section 63 of Chapter 51 of the Massachusetts General Laws, the following new Section is added:

“Section 64: Electronic Updating of the Annual Register of Voters and Central Voter Registry by the State Secretary.

Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the State Secretary shall obtain data from the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles and the United States Postal Service, in order to ascertain whether any persons, who otherwise already have a valid and complete affidavit of voter registration, have changed their address within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

At least every three months, the State Secretary shall seek such information from the Registry of Motor Vehicles and the US Postal Service.  These agencies shall electronically transmit to the State Secretary information for persons who have changed their address within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the past three months, including, where available:

(i)Name, Current Address, Mailing Address, Date of Birth, Identification # (Driver’s License Number  or Last 4 digits of Social security Number), Telephone Number

(ii)Date, time, and nature of the last change to the information; and

(iii)Any additional information designated by the State Secretary for such purposes and reasonably related to the management of elections.

(iv)If information is sent because it has changed since the last transmission from the source agency, the source agency shall transmit both the new information and the old information, labeled accordingly.

If the information transferred reflects a person already included in the Central Registry of Voters as a duly registered voter, and if the information reliably indicates a more recent update to the person’s name or address than is currently contained in the Central Registry of Voters, the State Secretary shall ensure that the person’s records in the Central Registry of Voters  are updated accordingly, and shall alert the appropriate municipal registrars to update the person’s records in their annual register of voters accordingly.

The State Secretary shall ensure that each voter whose address is changed in the Central Registry of Voters is promptly sent written notice of the change and their new voting location.   Any notice required by this section may be sent with other notices required or permitted by law.

SECTION ____.  Section ____ shall take effect 1 year from the date of passage.”