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An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Secretary of State Regarding Automatic Voter Registration
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §232, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 409, §6 and affected by §9, is amended to read:
 
1. Application for driver's license or nondriver identification card; creation of pending voter registration record.   If an individual applies for a driver's license or nondriver identification card from the bureau, unless the individual opts out under section 234, the bureau shall scanrecord the documentation provided by the individual and create a pending voter registration record for that individual, which must be stored electronically in the bureau's database. The pending voter registration record and the record of the accompanying scanned documentation must be in a searchable, auditable format.
Sec. 2.  21-A MRSA §232, sub-§1-A  is enacted to read:
 
1-A.  Creation of pending voter registration record in other circumstances.     If an individual has previously applied for a driver's license or nondriver identification card from the bureau and the bureau has recorded the necessary documentation provided by that individual, unless the individual opts out under section 234, the bureau shall create a pending voter registration record for that individual whenever the individual appears in person at the bureau's office to conduct other transactions. The pending voter registration record and the record of the accompanying documentation must be in a searchable, auditable format.
Sec. 3. Report. By January 1, 2021, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over voter registration matters on the progress made toward implementing automatic voter registration and the estimated time required to complete all activities necessary for implementation. The report may include recommended legislation for the proper implementation of the automatic voter registration system, including recommended adjustments to the implementation date. The joint standing committee may report out legislation to the First Regular Session of the 130th Legislature based on the report.
Sec. 4. Effective date. Those sections of this Act that amend the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 21-A, section 232, subsection 1 and enact Title 21-A, section 232, subsection 1-A take effect January 1, 2022.
 
SUMMARY
This bill, which is reported out by the Joint Standing Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs pursuant to Public Law 2019, chapter 409, section 7, implements the recommendations of the Secretary of State for implementation of the automatic voter registration system. The committee has not taken a position on the substance of the bill and by reporting this bill out the committee is not suggesting and does not intend to suggest that it agrees or disagrees with any aspect of this bill. The committee is reporting the bill out for the sole purpose of obtaining a printed bill that can be referred to the committee for a public hearing and subsequent committee action in the normal course. The committee is taking this action to ensure clarity and transparency in the legislative review of the proposal.
The bill replaces the requirement that the Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles scan documentation that will be used to create a pending voter registration record for an individual who has not opted out of automatic voter registration and who applies for a driver's license or nondriver identification card with a requirement that the bureau record the individual's documentation for pending voter registration record purposes. The bill also authorizes the bureau to create a pending voter registration record for an individual who has previously applied for a driver's license or nondriver identification card and submitted documentation sufficient to create a pending voter registration record if the individual appears before the bureau to conduct another transaction and does not opt out of automatic voter registration.
The bill directs the Secretary of State to submit, by January 1, 2021, a report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over voter registration matters on the progress made toward implementing automatic voter registration and the estimated time required to complete all activities necessary for implementation. The joint standing committee may report out legislation to the First Regular Session of the 130th Legislature based on the report.