I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3153

To amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require States 

to permit individuals to register to vote in an election for Federal 

office on the date of the election. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 23, 2003

Mr. SABO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on House Administration 

A BILL

To amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to 

require States to permit individuals to register to vote 

in an election for Federal office on the date of the 

election.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Same Day Voter Reg5 istration Act of 2003’’. 
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1 SEC. 2. REQUIRING STATES TO PERMIT VOTER REGISTRA2 TION ON DATE OF ELECTION. 

3 (a) DESIGNATION OF POLLING PLACES AS VOTER

4 REGISTRATION AGENCIES.—Section 7(a)(2) of the Na5 tional Voter Registration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1973gg–

6 5(a)(2)) is amended—

7 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara8 graph (A); 

9 (2) by striking the period at the end of sub10 paragraph (B) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

11 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub12 paragraph: 

13 ‘‘(C) each polling place in the State at which 

14 ballots are cast in an election for Federal office 

15 which is not otherwise designated as a voter reg16 istration agency under subparagraph (A) or (B) or 

17 paragraph (3).’’. 

18 (b) SPECIAL RULES.—Section 7(a) of such Act (42 

19 U.S.C. 1973gg–5(a)) is amended by adding at the end the 

20 following new paragraph: 

21 ‘‘(8) In the case of a polling place at which ballots 

22 are cast in an election for Federal office which is des23 ignated as a voter registration agency, the following rules 

24 shall apply: 
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1 ‘‘(A) At the option of the State, the polling 

2 place shall serve as a voter registration agency only 

3 on the date of the election. 

4 ‘‘(B) On the date of the election, the polling 

5 place may not make services available under this 

6 section to any eligible applicant who does not cast a 

7 ballot at the polling place on such date. 

8 ‘‘(C) Clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) of paragraph 

9 (6)(B) shall not apply with respect to any forms dis10 tributed by the polling place on the date of the elec11 tion.’’. 

12 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 8(a)(1) of 

13 such Act (42 U.S.C. 1973gg–6(a)(1)) is amended—

14 (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘agency,’’ 

15 and inserting ‘‘agency (other than an agency subject 

16 to subparagraph (D)),’’; 

17 (2) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara18 graph (C); 

19 (3) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as sub20 paragraph (E); and 

21 (4) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the fol22 lowing new subparagraph: 

23 ‘‘(D) in the case of registration on the date 

24 of the election at a polling place designated as 

25 a voter registration agency under paragraph 
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1 (2)(C), if the valid voter registration form of 

2 the applicant is accepted at the polling place; 

3 and’’. 

4 SEC. 3. TRANSMITTAL OF COMPLETED APPLICATIONS TO 

5 STATE ELECTION OFFICIAL. 

6 Section 7(d) of the National Voter Registration Act 

7 of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1973gg–5(d)) is amended—

8 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘paragraph 

9 (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs (2) and (3)’’; and 

10 (2) by adding at the end the following new 

11 paragraph: 

12 ‘‘(3) In the case of a registration application accepted 

13 on the date of an election by a voter registration agency 

14 described in paragraph (2)(C), the agency shall transmit 

15 the application to the appropriate State election official 

16 at the time the agency transmits the ballots cast in the 

17 election to the official.’’. 

18 SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

19 The amendments made by this Act shall apply with 

20 respect to the regularly scheduled general election for Fed21 eral office held during November 2004 and each subse22 quent election for Federal office.

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