Bill > H4097

This bill, titled "Relative to automatic voter registration," proposes to amend Chapter 51 of the General Laws to establish a system for automatically updating voter registration information. The bill defines "non-registration agencies" as departments like housing and community development, revenue, and higher education, along with public colleges and universities. It also defines "notice of other registration information changes" as updates to a voter's name, occupation, date of birth, veteran status, or primary phone number, and "notice of residency change" as updates to a voter's primary residence. The core provision is that the state secretary, in collaboration with these agencies and private institutions of higher education, will create a system to automatically update a voter's registration information when they provide a notice of residency change or other registration information changes. This will be facilitated by a secure online portal where agencies can check for discrepancies with the central voter registry and notify the state secretary of any changes. Voters will be notified of these scheduled updates and have 30 days to opt out via a waiver process. The bill also clarifies that this process does not register individuals who haven't already submitted an affidavit of registration and requires the registry of motor vehicles to update its forms to allow voters to opt out of automatic updates.