Fiscal Summary

Increase State Revenue - $17,800/One-Time/Strategic Technology Solutions Increase State Expenditures - $72,100/One-Time/Division of Elections

Bill Summary

Under present law, it is a Class D felony offense for any person to intentionally and knowing that such person is not entitled to, register or vote in any manner or attempt to register or vote in any manner where or when such person is not entitled to under present election law.



This bill would add a statewide political party affiliation question to the voter registration form, which would allow voters to declare a statewide political party affiliation or declare to be unaffiliated. This bill would change the affirmation on the voter registration form by adding language acknowledging that a person who selects "unaffiliated" is not eligible to vote in a primary without changing their affiliation before the end of the registration period for the applicable primary election, a person who declares an affiliation is a party member of intends to affiliate with that party, and that voting in an election in which the person is not entitled to vote is a Class D felony offense.



This bill provides a form for registered voters to use when changing their statewide political party affiliations.



This bill requires that each voter registration card include a statement indicating that which statewide political party's primaries the voter is entitled to vote in based on the voter's declaration, if any. This bill does not require the administrator of elections to re-issue registration cards for voters who were registered prior to July 1, 2019, solely for the purposes of indicating that a voter has not yet registered their party affiliation or for modifying the content of the registration cards pursuant to this bill.



Under present law, if a primary election is being held, the application for ballot form must include a place for the voter to indicate the voter's party. This bill instead requires that, if a primary election is being held, the application for ballot form must include a place for the administrator of elections to indicate the voter's statewide political party affiliation as recorded on the voter's permanent registration record as of the registration deadline for the primary election.



Under present law, a registered voter is entitled to vote in a primary election for offices for which the voter is qualified to vote at the polling place where the voter is registered if:



(1) The voter is a bona fide member of and affiliated with the political party in whose primary the voter seeks to vote; or

(2) At the time the voter seeks to vote, the voter declares allegiance to the political party in whose primary the voter seeks to vote and states that the voter intends to affiliate with that party.



This bill instead provides that a registered voter is entitled to vote in a primary election for offices for which the voter is qualified to vote at the polling place where the voter is registered under the following conditions:



(1) If the voter is registered before the registration deadline of that primary election as being affiliated with that statewide political party in whose primary they seek to vote; or

(2) If the voter was registered prior to July 1, 2019, and:



(A) The primary election is the first primary election the voter has participated in following July 1, 2019;

(B) The voter has not changed their voter registration or selected a statewide political party affiliation since July 1, 2019;

(C) The voter at the polling station during the primary election period completes a valid statewide political party affiliation form; and

(D) The voter selects on the registration form the statewide political party of the primary election in which the voter wishes to vote, in which case the declaration of party affiliation must be added to the voter's permanent registration record.



For primary elections, this bill requires the state election commission to provide and the coordinator of elections to post a sign as practicable to the location where ballots are posted stating persons who were registered to vote prior to July 1, 2019, and who have not yet voted in a primary election after July 1, 2019, and who have not changed their voter registration nor selected a statewide political party affiliation since July 1, 2019, may register your party affiliation today by completing a statewide political party affiliation form. The sign must also advise voters that it is a Class D felony offense to vote in an election that they are not entitled to vote in.

