52 U.S.C. § 20505 — Mail registration
submitted 33 years ago by Pub. L. 103-31 to r/title-52-VOTING-AND-ELECTIONS · 305 words · no verdicts yet
States must accept the federal mail voter registration form, and may also design their own version that meets federal standards. States must make these forms widely available, and may require someone who registered by mail to vote in person the first time, unless certain exceptions apply.
(a) Form. Every state* must accept and use the mail voter registration form the Election* Assistance Commission designs under section 20508(a)(2), for registering voters in federal elections. A state may also design its own mail registration form, as long as it meets all the criteria in section 20508(b). Either form must also be accepted for a registrant to report a change of address.
(b) Availability of forms. The state's chief election official must make these forms available for distribution through government and private groups, with special focus on organized voter registration drives.
(c) First-time voters. A state may require someone to vote in person, rather than by mail, if they registered to vote in that jurisdiction by mail and have never voted there before. But this rule doesn't apply to someone who: is entitled to vote absentee under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act; has a right to vote other than in person under section 20102(b)(2)(B)(ii); or has a right to vote other than in person under any other federal law.
(d) Undelivered notices. If the notice telling someone what happened to their mail registration application (required under section 20507(a)(2)) is sent by mail that can't be forwarded, and it comes back undelivered, the registrar can follow the removal procedure in section 20507(d).
Each State* shall accept and use the mail voter registration application form prescribed by the Federal Election* Commission pursuant to section 20508(a)(2) of this title for the registration of voters in elections for Federal office*.
In addition to accepting and using the form described in paragraph (1), a State may develop and use a mail voter registration form that meets all of the criteria stated in section 20508(b) of this title for the registration of voters in elections for Federal office.
A form described in paragraph (1) or (2) shall be accepted and used for notification of a registrant’s change of address.
The chief State election official of a State shall make the forms described in subsection (a) available for distribution through governmental and private entities, with particular emphasis on making them available for organized voter registration programs.
Subject to paragraph (2), a State may by law require a person to vote in person if—
the person was registered to vote in a jurisdiction by mail; and
the person has not previously voted in that jurisdiction.
Paragraph (1) does not apply in the case of a person—
who is entitled to vote by absentee ballot under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act [52 U.S.C. 20301 et seq.];
who is provided the right to vote otherwise than in person under section 20102(b)(2)(B)(ii) of this title; or
who is entitled to vote otherwise than in person under any other Federal law.
If a notice of the disposition of a mail voter registration application under section 20507(a)(2) of this title is sent by nonforwardable mail and is returned undelivered, the registrar may proceed in accordance with section 20507(d) of this title.
Source credit: (Pub. L. 103–31, § 6, May 20, 1993, 107 Stat. 79.)
- 1993Enacted · Pub. L. 103-31 · 107 Stat. 79
A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 103-31 on 1993-05-20.
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