Amendment #272 to H3400

Preserving the integrity of elections

Mr. Diehl of Whitman moves to amend the bill by inserting the following section:

Section XX:  Section 76 of Chapter 54 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out the first sentence in its entirety and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:

Each voter desiring to vote at a polling place shall give his name and his residence to one of the officers at the entrance to the space within the guard rail, who shall thereupon distinctly announce the same. The Election Officer shall then request a valid form of identification which may include the following: A valid Massachusetts driver’s license, a valid Massachusetts identification card, a valid United States Passport, a US military ID or a Massachusetts Voter ID card. If such name is found on the voting list, the election officer shall check and repeat the name and shall admit the voter to the space enclosed by the guard rail and, in case official ballots, other than those marked “Challenged Ballots” as provided by section thirty-five A, are used, such voter shall be given one ballot. The use of electronic means such as tape recording equipment or radio broadcasting equipment for the recording or broadcasting of the names of voters not yet checked as having voted shall be prohibited.

Section XX: notwithstanding any special or general law to the contrary, if a voter is unable to obtainIf a voter is unable to obtain a valid ID and qualifies for MassHealth he/she is entitled to obtain a Massachusetts Voter ID card at no cost to them from the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

A Massachusetts Voter ID Card shall have listed on it the following: the voter’s name, date of birth, height, weight, eye color, residential address and a photograph.