SP0449, LD 1306, item 1, An Act To Enhance Voter Registration for Persons with Disabilities

An Act To Enhance Voter Registration for Persons with Disabilities

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §181, sub-§1, ¶B, as amended by PL 2003, c. 407, §14 and c. 689, Pt. B, §6, is further amended to read:

B. Outside agencies , or their successors, that include the following:

(1) The Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Family Independence Services' office for family independence, Bureau of Health and Bureau of Rehabilitation office of aging and disability services and office of substance abuse and mental health services;

(2) The uniformed service recruitment offices;

(3) The public high schools; and

(4) The offices of municipal clerks and registrars . ;

(5) The Department of Labor, Bureau of Rehabilitation Services;

(6) All state agencies that provide state-funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to people with disabilities, including but not limited to agencies that provide benefits under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program; the Women, Infants, and Children Special Supplement Food Program of the United States Child Nutrition Act of 1966; the MaineCare program; or the statewide food supplement program;

(7) All state agencies that provide state-funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to persons with disabilities; and

(8) Any office providing support services to students with disabilities that is located on a postsecondary school campus designated as part of the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System or the Maine Maritime Academy.

Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §181, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 695, §20, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:

2. Services. At each designated voter registration agency under subsection 1, the following services must be made available:

A. Distribution of voter registration application forms to be processed by mail;

B. Assistance to applicants in completing voter registration application forms to the same degree as is provided by the office with regard to the completion of its own forms, unless the applicant refuses such assistance; and

C. Acceptance of completed voter registration application forms for transmittal to the appropriate state election official.

Voter registration services must be made available for persons with disabilities in their homes if the designated voter registration agency under subsection 1 provides services to such persons in their homes.

Sec. 3. 21-A MRSA §181, sub-§§3, 4 and 5 are enacted to read:

3. Prohibitions. A person who provides services described in subsection 2 may not:

A. Seek to influence an applicant’s political preference or party enrollment;

B. Display political preference or party allegiance;

C. Make any statement to an applicant or take any action the purpose or effect of which is to discourage the applicant from registering to vote; or

D. Make any statement to an applicant or take any action the purpose or effect of which is to lead the applicant to believe that a decision to register or not to register has any bearing on the availability of services or benefits.

4. Person may decline to register. A person may decline to register to vote under this section. Information relating to a declination to register to vote may not be used for any purpose other than voter registration.

5. Transmittal deadline. A completed registration application accepted at a designated voter registration agency must be transmitted in accordance with section 121, subsection 1-A.

summary

This bill adds state agencies, including agencies that provide services to persons with disabilities, to the list of agencies where voter registration services must be made available. It specifies which services must be made available at these agencies and prohibits certain actions by persons who provide these services that would improperly influence a person's registration decisions.

SP0449 LD 1306	Session - 126th Maine Legislature		LR 1233 Item 1
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