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.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Same Day Voter Reg-
istration Act of 2003’’.
SEC. 2. REQUIRING STATES TO PERMIT VOTER REGISTRA-
TION ON DATE OF ELECTION. 
(a) DESIGNATION OF POLLING PLACES AS VOTER 
REGISTRATION AGENCIES.—Section 7(a)(2) of the Na-
tional Voter Registration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1973gg–
5(a)(2)) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara-
graph (A); 
(2) by striking the period at the end of sub-
paragraph (B) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
paragraph: 
‘‘(C) each polling place in the State at which 
ballots are cast in an election for Federal office 
which is not otherwise designated as a voter reg-
istration agency under subparagraph (A) or (B) or 
paragraph (3).’’. 
(b) SPECIAL RULES.—Section 7(a) of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 1973gg–5(a)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new paragraph: 
‘‘(8) In the case of a polling place at which ballots 
are cast in an election for Federal office which is des-
ignated as a voter registration agency, the following rules 
shall apply:
‘‘(A) At the option of the State, the polling 
place shall serve as a voter registration agency only 
on the date of the election. 
‘‘(B) On the date of the election, the polling 
place may not make services available under this 
section to any eligible applicant who does not cast a 
ballot at the polling place on such date. 
‘‘(C) Clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) of paragraph 
(6)(B) shall not apply with respect to any forms dis-
tributed by the polling place on the date of the elec-
tion.’’. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 8(a)(1) of 
such Act (42 U.S.C. 1973gg–6(a)(1)) is amended—
(1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘agency,’’ 
and inserting ‘‘agency (other than an agency subject 
to subparagraph (D)),’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara-
graph (C); 
(3) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as sub-
paragraph (E); and 
(4) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the fol-
lowing new subparagraph: 
‘‘(D) in the case of registration on the date 
of the election at a polling place designated as 
a voter registration agency under paragraph
(2)(C), if the valid voter registration form of 
the applicant is accepted at the polling place; 
and’’. 
SEC. 3. TRANSMITTAL OF COMPLETED APPLICATIONS TO 
STATE ELECTION OFFICIAL. 
Section 7(d) of the National Voter Registration Act 
of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1973gg–5(d)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘paragraph 
(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs (2) and (3)’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(3) In the case of a registration application accepted 
on the date of an election by a voter registration agency 
described in paragraph (2)(C), the agency shall transmit 
the application to the appropriate State election official 
at the time the agency transmits the ballots cast in the 
election to the official.’’. 
SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
The amendments made by this Act shall apply with 
respect to the regularly scheduled general election for Fed-
eral office held during November 2004 and each subse-
quent election for Federal office.
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