SB0594: SUMMARY OF INTRODUCED BILL IN COMMITTEE (Senate-passed version) (Date Completed: 10-25-23)

CONTENT

The bill would amend Chapter XXIII (Registration of Electors) of the Michigan Election Law to allow an individual to register to vote through the electronic voter registration interface by providing the last four digits of the applicant's Social Security number and other identifying information. Currently, an application through the interface can only be made with a driver's license or State identification card. Additionally, the bill would require the Secretary of State (SOS) to develop a process for an applicant to submit an electronic signature through the interface.

The bill would take effect on June 30, 2025.

Electronic Voter Registration Eligibility

Generally, Section 23 (Registration of Electors) of the Law governs the qualifications for and process of voter registration in the State. The Law currently allows individuals to register to vote electronically through the SOS electronic voter registration interface.

Currently, only an individual who possesses the following is eligible to submit an electronic voter registration application:

-- The qualifications of an elector (citizenship of the United States, not less than 17.5 years of age, a resident of Michigan, and a resident of the city or township in which they are attempting to register to vote).

-- A valid official State personal identification card, an enhanced official State personal identification card, a valid operator's or chauffeur's license, or an enhanced driver license.

Additionally, the Law prohibits an individual from using the electronic voter registration interface if the individual meets any of the following conditions:

-- The individual ordered a duplicate of an operator's or chauffeur's license, an enhanced driver license, an official State personal identification card, or an enhanced official State personal identification card the same day as submitting an electronic voter registration application.

-- The individual submitted a change of address for an operator's or chauffeur's license, an enhanced driver license, an official State personal identification card, or an enhanced official State personal identification card within the 10 days before submitting an electronic voter registration application.

-- The individual had an expired operator's or chauffeur's license, an expired enhanced driver license, an expired official State personal identification card, or an expired enhanced official State personal identification card.

The bill would delete the eligibility requirements and the prohibitions described above. Instead, the bill would allow an applicant to register through the interface with the identifying information and in the manner described below.

Proposed Requirements for Electronic Voter Registration

To authenticate the identity of a voter registration applicant submitting an electronic voter registration application through the interface, the voter registration applicant would have to provide one of the following:

-- The identification number for the applicant on a valid operator's or chauffeur's license.

-- The identification number for the applicant on a valid official State personal identification card.

-- The identification number for an applicant on an enhanced driver license.

-- The identification number for an applicant on an enhanced official State personal identification card.

-- The last four digits of a valid Social Security number for the applicant if the applicant did not have an identification number for an identification as provided above.

If a voter registration applicant did not have an identification number for an identification as provided above, and that voter registration applicant submitted a voter registration application that provided the last four digits of the applicant's Social Security number, the electronic voter registration interface would have to do the following:

-- Authenticate the identity of the applicant under a process developed by the SOS that verified the last four digits of the applicant's Social Security number, the applicant's full name, and the applicant's date of birth.

-- Except as otherwise provided below, require the applicant's assent to use the applicant's most recent digitized signature contained in the qualified voter file.

Submitting and Updating an Applicant's Signature

If a digitized signature for a voter registration applicant were not contained in the qualified voter file, the voter registration applicant would be required to electronically submit an image of the applicant's signature through the electronic voter registration interface and assent to the use of this signature image as the applicant's signature for voter registration purposes. The SOS would have to develop a process for a voter registration applicant as described above to electronically submit a high-quality digitized image of the applicant's signature through the electronic voter registration interface, as well as a process for transmitting the digitized image of that applicant's signature to the qualified voter file.

A registered elector who wished to provide a new or additional signature for the registered elector's registration record could utilize the electronic voter registration interface to submit electronically an image of the registered elector's signature and assent to the use of that signature image as the registered elector's signature for voter registration purposes. The registered elector would need the registered elector's identity authenticated under the procedures described above before the image of the registered elector's signature would be accepted for inclusion in the qualified voter file. The registered elector would have to submit the image of the registered elector's signature using the process developed by the SOS.

MCL 168.509ii Legislative Analyst: Abby Schneider