Amendment ID: S2545-7

Amendment 7

Strengthening Incarcerated Voting Provisions

Ms. Rausch, Mr. Hinds, Ms. Chang-Diaz, Ms. Comerford and Mr. Eldridge move that the proposed new draft be amended in section 16, in line 414, by inserting after the word “all” the following words:- municipal preliminaries and elections and;

and further moves to amend said section 16, in line 416, by inserting after the word “purposes” the following words:- , including without limitation providing such eligible individuals with access to a writing implement sufficient to properly complete the registration and application forms and conveying to federal postal authorities any completed registration and application forms on the next day with postal mail service;

and further moves to amend said section 16, in lines 417-418, by striking out subsection (iii) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:- (iii) ensure the receipt, private voting, whenever possible, and timely return of mail ballots by an eligible individual who is incarcerated, including without limitation access to a writing implement sufficient to properly complete the ballots; provided, however, that notwithstanding any special or general law to the contrary, no employee, contractor, agent, official, or representative of the department of corrections shall open or inspect any completed mail ballot or in any way examine a mail ballot in the process of being completed by an eligible incarcerated individual; and provided, further, that the department of corrections shall convey to federal postal authorities any completed mail ballots on the next day with postal mail service;.