An Act Regarding the Central Voter Registration System
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 1484
Committee: Legal and Veterans Affairs pursuant to Joint Order,H
Amends: 21-A MRSA §161, 21-A MRSA §162-A, 21-A MRSA §196

Legislative Document. 
No. 1484 
1037 
House of Representatives, May 29,2009 
An Act Regarding the Central Voter Registration System 
Reported by Representative TRINW ARD of Waterville for the Joint Standing Committee 
on Legal and Veterans Affairs pursuant to Joint Order,H.P. 1030. 
Printed on recycled pilper 
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111· 7ll1LC;1&A~~i 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §161, sub-§2-A, as enacted by PL 2005, c. 453, §32, is 
amended to read: 
2-A. 
Maintenance of voter registration information. 
The registrar in each 
municipality shall keep the central voter registration system current at all times for the 
voters in the registrar's municipality. The Secretary of State is authorized to conduct 
maintenance of the central voter registration system. The Secretary of State shall by rule 
determine the program for voter list maintenance required by· the National Voter 
Registration Act of 1993. A registrar may not cancel a voter's registration in the central 
voter registration system solely because the registered voter did not vote in previous 
elections. A voter's registration record in the central voter registration system must be 
cancelled by either the registrar for the voter's municipality or by the Secretary of State 
as follows: 
A. When it is determined that r voter has registered to vote in another jurisdiction in 
the State, the voter registration J ~cord from the fonner jurisdiction must be cancelled; . 
and 
B.When it is determined that the voter has registered to vote in another jurisdiction 
outside of the State, the voter registration record in the State must be cancelled . 
. Sec.2. 21-A MRS A §162-A, sub-§l, as enacted by PL 1993,c. 695, §17, is 
amended to read: 
1. Change of address confirmation notice. Except as provided in section 122, 
subsection 3, a registrar, or the Secretary of State when conducting maintenance of the 
central voter registration system, shall send by forward able mail a· change of addr~ss 
confinnation notice, with a postage prepaid and preaddressed return notice, to the last· 
known place of residence of each person the registrar or the Secretary of State has 
identified as having a change of address. 
If a registrant has moved within the 
municipality's jurisdiction, a registrar shall change the voter's record to reflect the new 
address before sending the change of address confinnation notice. If a registrant has 
moved outside the municipality's jurisdiction, a registrar shall also include information on 
voter registration procedures in the new jurisdiction. 
Sec. 3. 21-A MRSA §162-A, sub .. §2, as amended by PL 2005, c. 453, §33, is 
further amended to read: 
2. Change of voter's status. A votyr's registration may be cancelled in the central 
voter registration system if the voter confirms that the voter has moved from the 
municipalitY's jurisdiction. 
If a voter fails to respond to the change of address 
confinnation notice, the voter must be designated on the incoming voting list and in the 
central voter registration system as inactive. A voter who has been designated as inactive 
and fans to vote for the next 2 general elections must be. cancelled in the central voter 
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registration system. If a voter who is designated as inactive votes at any election prior to 
cancellation in the central voter registration system, the inactive designation of the voter 
must be changed to active. Address verification may be requested at the polls before 
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allowing a voter designated as inactive to vote. Cancellation of a voter's registration 
record in the central voter registration system pursuant to this subsection may be 
performed by either the registrar for the voter's municipality or the Secretary of State. 
Sec. 4. 21-A MRSA §196, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2007, c. 397, §2 and c. 
455, §12, is repealed and the following enacted in its place: 
3. Other reports. The Secretary of State shall make available to any person upon 
request and free of charge the following voter record information in electronic form: . 
either the voter's first name or last name, but not both names in the same report; year of 
birth; enrollment status; electoral districts to include congressional district and county 
only; voter status; the date of registration or the date of change of the voter record if 
applicable; the date of the last stat.ewide election in which each voter voted; and any 
special designations indicating uniformed service voters, overseas voters or township 
voters. The Secretary of State or the registrar also may make available to any person 
upon request and free of charge any other reports that do not contain the names, dates of 
birth or addresses of individual voters. 
Sec. 5. 21-A MRS A §196, last ~, as amended by PL 2007, c. 397, §2, is repealed. 
SUMMARY 
This bill provides that either a municipal registrar or the Secretary of State has the 
authority to cancel voter registration records in the central voter registration system when 
the records are duplicates or when the voter has moved to ano!her jurisdiction. The bill 
gives the Secretary of State the explicit authority to conduct a system-wide program of 
voter list maintenance. 
The bill provides for access to statistical voter registration 
information. The bill repeals the sunset of the ·law regarding the use and distribution of 
central voter registration system information. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Approved: OS/24/09 Mac.. 
124tb MAINE LEGISLATURE' 
LD I Ll'8 Y. 
LR 2005(01) 
An Act Regarding the Central Voter Registration System 
Fiscal Note for Original Bill 
Committee: Legal and Veterans Affairs 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Minor revenue decrease - General Fund 
Minor cost increase - General Fund 
This bill provides that information requested of the Secretary of State from the central voter registration system shall 
be provided free of charge, resulting in a minor decrease in General Fund revenue not requiring any change to the 
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bu?g~t. Additional costs to the Secretary of State associated with provisions in this bill can be Cibsorbed within 
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eXlstmg budgeted resources. 
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LR2005(01) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1