An Act To Enhance Voter Registration for Persons with Disabilities
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 1306
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: PATRICK, LONGSTAFF, JACKSON, BEAULIEU, BRIGGS, FOWLE, GILBERT, RUSSELL, SAUCIER, SCHNECK
Amends: 21-A MRSA §181

Legislative Document 
No. 1306 
S.P. 449 
In Senate, April 2, 2013 
An Act To Enhance Voter Registration for Persons with Disabilities 
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed. 
DAREK M. GRANT 
Secretary of the Senate 
Presented by Senator PATRICK of Oxford. 
Cosponsored by Representative LONGSTAFF of Waterville and 
Senator: JACKSON of Aroostook, Representatives: BEAULIEU of Auburn, BRIGGS of 
Mexico, FOWLE of Vassalboro, GILBERT of Jay, RUSSELL of Portland, SAUCIER of 
Presque Isle, SCHNECK of Bangor. 
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repealed and the following enacted in its place: 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.