Amendment ID: S2545-21

Amendment 21

Providing for Temporary and Permanent Mail Voting Status

Ms. Rausch, Ms. Gobi and Mr. Eldridge move that the proposed new draft be amended in section 11, in lines 145-146, by striking out the words “primary or election” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- or all preliminaries, primaries and elections;

And further moves to amend said section 11, in lines 147-153, by striking out paragraph (2) and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-

(2) (i) Any registered voter may become a temporary or permanent mail voter by: (A) filing with the state secretary a temporary or permanent mail voter status request in a form prescribed by the secretary and made available in paper and electronic formats; (B) indicating their request to establish temporary or permanent mail voter status on an affidavit of registration as provided in section 44 of chapter 51; or (C) opting into temporary or permanent mail voter status using the secure online portal provided by the state secretary pursuant to paragraph (a)(6). Any form of written communication evidencing a desire to have an early mail voting ballot sent for use for voting at any or all preliminaries, primaries and elections shall be given the same effect as an application made in the form prescribed by the state secretary.

(ii) A voter wanting to vote by mail for one or more preliminaries, primaries or elections in a calendar year shall apply to become a temporary mail voter. A voter wanting to vote by mail for all future preliminaries, primaries and elections shall apply to become a permanent mail voter.

(iii) A voter who opts to become a permanent mail voter shall be treated as having completed and returned a mail voting application for each preliminary, primary or election for which they remain qualified to vote.

(iv) A voter who opts to become a temporary or permanent mail voter may choose to receive their mail ballots at an address other than the voter’s residential address listed in the central registry of voters using the secure online portal provided by the state secretary pursuant to paragraph (a)(6) or filing such address request with the state secretary in a form prescribed by the secretary and made available in paper and electronic formats.

(v) A temporary or permanent mail voter who is not enrolled in a political party may select their desired political party primary ballot using the secure online portal provided by the state secretary pursuant to paragraph (a)(6) or filing such primary party ballot request with the state secretary in a form prescribed by the secretary and made available in paper and electronic formats; provided, however, that a temporary or permanent mail voter who is not enrolled in a political party will not receive a primary mail ballot unless such selection is made.

(vi) A voter may terminate their status as a temporary or permanent mail voter at any time by: filing with the state secretary a temporary or permanent mail voter termination request in a form prescribed by the secretary and made available in paper and electronic formats or so indicating using the secure online portal provided by the state secretary pursuant to paragraph (a)(6).

(vii) No mail voting application shall be deemed to be seasonably filed for a particular preliminary, primary or election unless it is mailed by the voter on or before the tenth business day preceding the preliminary, primary or election or otherwise submitted by the voter no later than 5:00 P.M. on the seventh business day preceding the preliminary, primary or election.

And further moves to amend said section 11, in line 209, by inserting after the word “year” the following words:- or to become a permanent mail voter;

And further moves to amend the bill by inserting at the end thereof the following new section:-

SECTION XX. Any registered voter who requested and cast a vote by mail ballot in both the 2020 state primary and 2020 election shall be automatically enrolled as a permanent mail voter pursuant to section 11 of this act.