Bill > S503

This bill modifies voter registration and maintenance procedures in Massachusetts by decoupling the municipal census from voter registration processes. Specifically, the bill eliminates the previous requirement that voters who do not respond to municipal census requests for two consecutive years would be removed from active voting lists, replacing this with a potential fine instead. The legislation introduces new provisions for maintaining voter registers, including more precise rules for adding and removing voters from registration lists. Under the new framework, voter names can only be removed from registers under specific circumstances, such as voter request, confirmation of death, notice of relocation, felony conviction, or determination of incorrect registration. The bill establishes an "inactive voters list" for individuals whose residency cannot be immediately confirmed, with a process for notifying voters and potentially removing them from voter rolls after two biennial state elections if they do not respond or vote. The state secretary is tasked with adopting regulations to implement these changes and is encouraged to automate voter registration processes using a central registry. Overall, the bill aims to modernize and streamline voter registration maintenance while providing more protections for voter eligibility.

Budget and Finance, Government Affairs

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S503