Senate Bill 1256 (2024) — Voter registration applications
SB 1256
Florida Bills
Florida Senate - 2024 SB 1256 By Senator Martin 33-01465-24 20241256__ Page 1 of 5 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to voter registration applications; 2 amending s. 97.052, F.S.; revising the information 3 that the uniform statewide voter registration 4 application must be designed to elicit; amending s. 5 97.053, F.S.; providing an exception to a requirement 6 that certain voter registration applicants must be 7 registered without party affiliation; amending s. 8 97.057, F.S.; requiring the Department of Highway 9 Safety and Motor Vehicles to notify certain 10 individuals of certain information; requiring a driver 11 license examiner to make specified inquiries; 12 prohibiting the department from changing the party 13 affiliation of an applicant except in certain 14 circumstances; requiring the department to provide an 15 applicant with a certain receipt; revising the methods 16 by which an applicant may decline to register to vote 17 or update certain voter registration information; 18 prohibiting a person providing voter registration 19 services for a driver license office from taking 20 certain actions; requiring the department to ensure 21 that information technology processes and updates do 22 not alter certain information without written consent; 23 requiring the department to be in full compliance with 24 the act within a certain period; providing an 25 effective date. 26 27 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 28 29
Florida Senate - 2024 SB 1256 33-01465-24 20241256__ Page 2 of 5 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Section 1. Paragraph (
j) of subsection (2) of
section 30 97.052, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 31 97.052 Uniform statewide voter registration application.— 32
(2) The uniform statewide voter registration application 33 must be designed to elicit the following information from the 34 applicant: 35 (
j) Party affiliation or, for an applicant who is 36 completing the application to update a voter registration record 37 without changing his or her party affiliation, an indication 38 that the applicant is choosing not to disclose his or her party 39 affiliation. 40
Section 2. Paragraph (
b) of subsection (5) of
section 41 97.053, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 42 97.053 Acceptance of voter registration applications.— 43 (5) 44 (
b) An applicant who fails to designate party affiliation 45 must be registered without party affiliation, except that the 46 party affiliation of an applicant who is updating a voter 47 registration record may not be changed unless the applicant 48 designates and consents in writing to a change in party 49 affiliation. The supervisor must notify the voter by mail that 50 the voter has been registered without party affiliation and that 51 the voter may change party affiliation as provided in s. 52 97.1031. 53
Section 3. Subsection (2) and subsection (6) of
section 54 97.057, Florida Statutes, are amended, and subsection (14) is 55 added to that section, to read: 56 97.057 Voter registration by the Department of Highway 57 Safety and Motor Vehicles.— 58
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(2) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles 59 shall: 60 (
a) Notify each individual, orally or in writing, that: 61 1. Information gathered for the completion of a driver 62 license or identification card application, renewal, or change 63 of address can be automatically transferred to a voter 64 registration application; 65 2. If additional information and a signature are provided, 66 the voter registration application will be completed and sent to 67 the proper election authority; 68 3.
Information provided can also be used to update a voter 69 registration record, except that party affiliation will not be 70 changed unless the individual designates a change in party 71 affiliation and separately consents to such change in writing; 72 4. All declinations will remain confidential and may be 73 used only for voter registration purposes; and 74 5. The particular driver license office in which the person 75 applies to register to vote or updates a voter registration 76 record will remain confidential and may be used only for voter 77 registration purposes. 78 (
b) Require a driver license examiner to inquire orally or, 79 if the applicant is hearing impaired, inquire in writing whether 80 the applicant is registered to vote, is not registered to vote, 81 does not know if he or she is registered to vote, or does not 82 wish to disclose whether he or she is registered to vote. If the 83 applicant is not or does not know whether he or she is 84 registered to vote, the driver license examiner shall inquire 85 whether the applicant wishes to register to vote and, if the 86 applicant is registered to vote, the driver license examiner 87
Florida Senate - 2024 SB 1256 33-01465-24 20241256__ Page 4 of 5 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. shall inquire whether the applicant wishes to register to vote 88 or update a voter registration record during the completion of a 89 driver license or identification card application, renewal, or 90 change of address. 91 1. If the applicant chooses to register to vote or to 92 update a voter registration record: 93 a.
All applicable information received by the Department of 94 Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles in the course of filling out 95 the forms necessary under subsection (1) must be transferred to 96 a voter registration application. 97 b. The additional necessary information must be obtained by 98 the driver license examiner and must not duplicate any 99 information already obtained while completing the forms required 100 under subsection (1). 101 c.
A voter registration application with all of the 102 applicant’s voter registration information required to establish 103 the applicant’s eligibility pursuant to s. 97.041 must be 104 presented to the applicant to review and verify the voter 105 registration information received and provide an electronic 106 signature affirming the accuracy of the information provided. 107 d.
The voter registration application may not be used to 108 change the party affiliation of the applicant unless the 109 applicant designates a change in party affiliation and provides 110 a separate original signature consenting to the party 111 affiliation change. 112 e. After verifying the voter registration information and 113 providing his or her electronic signature, the applicant must be 114 provided with a printed receipt that includes such information 115 and documents any change in party affiliation. 116
Florida Senate - 2024 SB 1256 33-01465-24 20241256__ Page 5 of 5 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. 2. If the applicant declines to register to vote, update 117 the applicant’s voter registration record, or change the 118 applicant’s address by either orally declining or choosing not 119 to disclose the applicant’s voter registration status or by 120 failing to sign the voter registration application, the 121 Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles must note such 122 declination on its records and shall forward the declination to 123 the statewide voter registration system. 124
(6) A person providing voter registration services for a 125 driver license office may not: 126 (
a) Make any change to an applicant’s party affiliation 127 unless the applicant provides a separate original signature 128 consenting to the party affiliation change or discuss or seek to 129 influence an applicant’s political preference or party 130 registration; 131 (
b) Display any political preference or party allegiance; 132 (
c) Make any statement to an applicant or take any action 133 the purpose or effect of which is to discourage the applicant 134 from registering to vote; or 135 (
d) Disclose any applicant’s voter registration information 136 except as needed for the administration of voter registration. 137
(14) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles 138 shall ensure that information technology processes and updates 139 do not alter an applicant’s party affiliation without the 140 written consent of the applicant. 141
Section 4. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor 142 Vehicles must be in full compliance with this act within 3 143 months after this act becomes a law. 144