An Act To Allow Residents To Register Online To Vote
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1570
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: ACKLEY, COREY, DAUGHTRY, RYKERSON, TIPPING
Amends: 21-A MRSA §121-A, 21-A MRSA §131

Legislative Document
No. 1570
H.P. 1132
House of Representatives, April 16, 2019
An Act To Allow Residents To Register Online To Vote
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative ACKLEY of Monmouth.
Cosponsored by Representatives: COREY of Windham, DAUGHTRY of Brunswick, 
RYKERSON of Kittery, TIPPING of Orono.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  21-A MRSA §121-A, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 534, §5, is amended to 
read:
§121-A.  Deadline for registration
The deadline for receipt of voter registration applications submitted by mail or by a 
3rd person is the close of business on the 21st day before election day.  The deadline for 
receipt of voter registration applications submitted online is the 7th day before election 
day.  The deadline for in-person registration is the close of the polls on election day.
Sec. 2.  21-A MRSA §131 is enacted to read:
§131.  Online registration
1.  Online registration.  A person who is qualified under section 111, subsections 1 
to 3 to vote under this article and who possesses a valid driver's license or nondriver 
identification card issued by the Secretary of State may submit a voter registration 
application under section 152, subsection 1 on the Secretary of State's publicly accessible 
website.
2.  Application.  A voter registration application submitted under this section must 
contain:
A.  The legal name of the voter, in one of the following combinations:
(1)  First name and last name;
(2)  First initial, middle name and last name; or
(3)  First name, middle name or middle initial and last name;
B.  Residence address, including street, street number, apartment number, town and 
zip code;
C.  Date of birth;
D.  Most recent prior residence where registered to vote, including the municipality, 
county and state, and the name under which previously registered, if changed;
E.  Notification that failure to complete the entire application may prevent 
registration;
F.  Choice of political party if the applicant desires to enroll in a political party or an 
indication that the applicant chose not to enroll in a party;
G.  The unique identifying number on the applicant's driver's license or nondriver 
identification card issued by the Secretary of State;
H.  An affirmation by the applicant that the information provided in the application is 
truthful and that the applicant is qualified to register in the State;
I.  A place for the applicant to respond to the questions concerning the voter's 
qualifications as required by the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002, Public Law 
107-252; and
J.  Any other information the Secretary of State determines necessary to establish the 
identity of the applicant or to carry out the purposes of this article.
3.  Procedure.  An applicant may register to vote under this section no later than the 
7th day before election day as set forth in section 121-A.  Upon receipt of an application 
under subsection 2, the Secretary of State shall verify that:
A.  The applicant has a valid driver's license or nondriver identification card issued 
by the Secretary of State and that the unique identifying number for the card provided 
by the applicant matches the unique identifying number for the card in the Secretary 
of State's records;
B.  The date of birth provided by the applicant matches the date of birth of the 
applicant in the Secretary of State's records; and
C.  The applicant is a citizen of the State and that the information provided by the 
applicant matches the information in the Secretary of State's records.
After verifying the information under this subsection, the Secretary of State shall notify 
the registrar of the voting district in which the applicant resides, revise the central voter 
registration system and send confirmation of registration to the applicant either 
electronically or by mail.  If the Secretary of State is unable to verify any information 
required by this section, the Secretary of State shall reject the application as void and 
send notification of and reason for the rejection to the applicant either electronically or by 
mail within 5 days of the rejection.
4. 
Alternative 
registration 
procedure 
for 
participants 
in 
Address 
Confidentiality Program.  The Secretary of State may establish different criteria under 
subsection 2, paragraphs A, B and D for an applicant who is certified by the Secretary of 
State as a program participant in the Address Confidentiality Program in Title 5, section 
90-B.
5.  Registration software.  The Secretary of State shall procure and use computer 
software to administer the procedures in subsection 3 to provide immediate verification to 
the extent possible.
6.  Rules.  The Secretary of State may adopt rules to carry out the purposes of this 
section.  Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined 
by Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
SUMMARY
This bill allows online application for voter registration by an eligible resident of the 
State through the Secretary of State's publicly accessible website.