§ 9-19h — Availability of admissions information and materials at certain state agencies and libraries. Application for admission through Department of Motor Vehicles. Electronic application system.

Connecticut § 9-19h

• Jurisdiction: Connecticut
• Title 9: Elections
• Ch. 143: Electors: Qualifications and Admission

Text

(a) The Department of Social Services, the Labor Department and the Department of Motor Vehicles shall make voter registration information and materials available to the public. Such information and materials shall be placed in public areas of the offices of such departments. The State Library and the libraries of the state's public institutions of higher education shall also make such information and materials available to users of the libraries. The Secretary of the State shall provide such departments, such libraries and any libraries open to the public with suitable nonpartisan literature, materials and voter registration application forms authorized under sections 9-23g and 9-23h. The secretary shall also provide to the Department of Social Services, the Labor Department and the Department of Motor Vehicles any furniture needed to display such literature, materials and forms. (b) (1) In addition to the requirements of subsection (a) of this section, and except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall include an application for the admission of an elector with each application form provided for a motor vehicle operator's license and a motor vehicle operator's license renewal, which are issued under subpart (B) of part III of chapter 246, and with each application form provided for an identity card issued under section 1-1h . Such application form for the admission of an elector (A) shall be subject to the approval of the Secretary of the State, (B) shall not include any provisions for the witnessing of the application, and (C) shall contain a statement that (i) specifies each eligibility requirement, (ii) contains an attestation that the applicant meets each such requirement, and (iii) requires the signature of the applicant under penalty of perjury. The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall accept any such completed application for admission which is submitted in person, by mail or through an electronic system pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection. Except as provided in said subdivision, the applicant shall state on such form, under penalty of perjury, the applicant's name, bona fide residence address, date of birth, whether the applicant is a United States citizen, party enrollment, if any, prior voting address, if registered previously, and that the applicant's privileges as an elector are not forfeited by reason of conviction of a felony. No Social Security number on any such application form for the admission of an elector filed prior to January 1, 2000, may be disclosed to the public or to any governmental agency. The commissioner shall indicate on each such form the date of receipt of such application to ensure that any eligible applicant is registered to vote in an election if it is received by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles by the last day for registration to vote in an election. The commissioner shall provide the applicant with an application receipt, on a form approved by the Secretary of the State and on which the commissioner shall record the date that the commissioner received the application, using an official date stamp bearing the words “Department of Motor Vehicles”. The commissioner shall provide such receipt whether the application was submitted in person, by mail or through an electronic system pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection. The commissioner shall forthwith transmit the application to the registrars of voters of the applicant's town of residence. If a registration application is accepted within five days before the last day for registration to vote in a regular election, the application shall be transmitted to the registrars of voters of the town of voting residence of the applicant not later than five days after the date of acceptance. The procedures in subsections (c), (d), (f) and (g) of section 9-23g which are not inconsistent with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, P.L. 103-31, as amended from time to time, shall apply to applications made under this section. The commissioner is not an admitting official and may not restore, under the provisions of section 9-46a , electoral privileges of persons convicted of a felony. (2) (A) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall provide an electronic system, subject to the approval of the Secretary of the State, to effectuate the purposes of subdivision (1) of this subsection regarding application for admission of an elector, except that the condition that an applicant state and attest to meeting each eligibility requirement may be waived for any such eligibility requirement verified independently by said commissioner through a federally approved identity verification program or other evidence acceptable to said commissioner. Such electronic system may provide for the transmittal to the Secretary of an applicant's signature on file with said commissioner. The use of any such electronic system shall comply with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, P.L. 103-31, as amended from time to time. (B) (i) Unless otherwise provided in this subparagraph, if the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles determines that a person applying for a motor vehicle operator's license, a motor vehicle operator's license renewal or an identity card meets each eligibility requirement for admission as an elector, said commissioner shall forthwith transmit an application for such person's admission as an elector to the registrars of voters of the town of residence of such person through an electronic system pursuant to this subdivision, in accordance with the provisions of subdivision (1) of this subsection, except that no such application shall be transmitted if such person declines to apply for such admission. (ii) If said commissioner determines that a person applying for a motor vehicle operator's license, a motor vehicle operator's license renewal or an identity card is not a United States citizen, said commissioner shall not provide such person an opportunity to apply for admission as an elector through an electronic system pursuant to this subdivision and shall not transmit any application for such admission on behalf of such person. (iii) If said commissioner cannot determine whether a person applying for a motor vehicle operator's license, a motor vehicle operator's license renewal or an identity card is a United States citizen, such person shall attest to his or her United States citizenship as a precondition of said commissioner processing such person's application for admission as an elector through an electronic system pursuant to this subdivision.

Legislative History

(P.A. 88-347, S. 1, 4; P.A. 92-238; P.A. 93-262, S. 32, 87; 93-384, S. 27; P.A. 94-121, S. 14, 33; P.A. 99-268, S. 39, 46; P.A. 00-169, S. 22; P.A. 01-26, S. 6; P.A. 02-83, S. 3; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 21-2, S. 87.) History: P.A. 88-347, S. 1 effective April 1, 1989; P.A. 92-238 designated existing section as Subsec. (a) and added Subsec. (b) requiring commissioner to include application for admission of an elector with each operator's license and license renewal application and identity card application; P.A. 93-262 replaced references to department on aging and department of income maintenance with references to department of social services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-384 substantially revised application form requirements and procedure under Subsec. (b); P.A. 94-121 amended Subsec. (b) by requiring application form to contain statement instead of elector's oath, changing penalty of false statement to penalty of perjury, deleting requirement that applicant submit satisfactory identification to commissioner, requiring commissioner to indicate date of receipt on application, to “forthwith transmit”, instead of “promptly forward”, application to registrars, and to so transmit application within five days if accepted within five days before last day for registration to vote in a regular election, amending Subsec. references to Sec. 9-23g and inserting provision re consistency with National Voter Registration Act of 1993, effective January 1, 1995; P.A. 99-268 amended Subsec. (b) by repealing requirement that form include request for applicant to furnish Social Security number and extending prohibition on disclosure of Social Security numbers on forms to the public or to any governmental agency, effective January 1, 2000; P.A. 00-169 revised effective date of P.A. 99-268 but without affecting this section; P.A. 01-26 made technical changes and eliminated an obsolete reporting requirement in Subsec. (b); P.A. 02-83 amended Subsec. (b) to make a technical change and require Commissioner of Motor Vehicles to accept completed applications for admission submitted by mail and to provide applicants with application receipts, effective January 1, 2003; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 21-2 amended Subsec. (b) to designate existing provisions Subsec. (b)(1) and delete “not later than January 1, 1994,” therein, to redesignate former Subdivs. (1) to (3) as Subparas. (A) to (C), to redesignate former Subparas. (A) to (C) as clauses (i) to (iii), to add references to Subdiv. (2) re electronic system for elector admission application and to add Subdiv. (2) re such electronic system, effective June 23, 2021.