§1323. Application with driver's license application.

(a) General rule.--

(1) The Department of Transportation shall provide for simultaneous application for voter registration in conjunction with the process under 75 Pa.C.S. § 1510 (relating to issuance and content of driver's license). An application under this subsection shall serve as an application to register to vote unless the applicant fails to sign the voter registration application. The secretary has the primary responsibility for implementing and enforcing the driver's license voter registration system created under this section. The secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, may promulgate regulations for implementing this section.

(2) An application for voter registration submitted to the Department of Transportation under this subsection shall be considered as updating any previous voter registration information by a registrant.

(3) Any change of address submitted to the Department of Transportation for the purposes of driver licensing shall serve as notification of change of address for voter registration for the registrant involved unless the registrant indicates that the change of address is not for voter registration purposes.

(b) Process.--

(1) The Department of Transportation shall provide for an application for voter registration as part of a driver's license application.

(2) The format of the driver's license/voter registration application shall be determined and prescribed by the secretary and the Secretary of Transportation.

(3) The voter registration application portion of the application shall contain all the requirements of an official voter registration application specified in section 1327 (relating to preparation and distribution of applications). The voter registration portion of the application:

(i) may not require any information that duplicates information required in the driver's license portion of the form, other than a second signature; and

(ii) may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registration, to enable the commission to assess the eligibility of the applicant and to administer voter registration and other parts of the election process.

(c) Transmission.--

(1) The Department of Transportation shall forward completed applications or contents of the completed voter registration applications in machine-readable format to the department by the close of registration for the ensuing election.

(2) The department shall transmit the material to the appropriate commission within ten days after the date of its receipt by the Department of Transportation. If a voter registration application is received by the Department of Transportation within five days before the last day to register before an election, the application shall be transmitted to the appropriate commission not later than five days after the date of its receipt by the Department of Transportation.

(3) Upon receipt of the completed voter registration information from the department, the commission shall make a record of the date of the receipt of the application and process the application. No applicant shall be deemed eligible to vote until the commission has received and approved the application.

(3.1) After the Department of Transportation is connected to the SURE system and notwithstanding paragraphs (1), (2) and (3), the Department of Transportation shall transmit electronically the contents of a completed voter registration application within five days of receipt of the application. Upon receipt of the information from the Department of Transportation, a commission shall make a record of the date of the receipt of the application and process the application in accordance with section 1328 (relating to approval of registration applications). If the commission of the county of residence has not been connected to the SURE system, the Department of Transportation shall forward the completed application or contents of the completed application to the department in accordance with paragraph (1). No applicant shall be deemed eligible to vote until the commission has received and approved an application in accordance with section 1328.

(4) Changes of address shall comply with the following:

(i) Before the Department of Transportation is connected to the SURE system, the Department of Transportation shall notify the department of changes of address received under subsection (a)(3). The department shall notify the commission of the county of the registrant's former residence. After the Department of Transportation is connected to the SURE system, the Department of Transportation shall notify the commission of the county of the registrant's former residence. If the registrant has moved to an address outside this Commonwealth, the commission shall verify the address change in accordance with section 1901 (relating to removal of electors). Except as provided in subparagraph (ii), if the registrant confirms in accordance with section 1901(d) that he has moved to another county, the commission shall cancel the registration and forward the registrant's registration information to the commission of the registrant's new county of residence. Except as provided in subparagraph (ii), if the registrant has moved to an address within the commission's jurisdiction, the commission shall promptly update the registration record of the registrant in accordance with section 1328. All changes of address received by the Department of Transportation under this section at least 30 days before an election must be processed by the commission for the ensuing election. For the purpose of this paragraph, the term "registration information" means the registration card and any other record of registration maintained by a commission.

(ii) In the case of changes of address received by the Department of Transportation which do not contain a signature of the registrant, the commission receiving the change of address notification shall mail a notice to the registrant at the new residence address requesting verification of the address change. If the change of address is to a new residence outside the commission's jurisdiction, the commission shall mail the following notice:

Date.................

Office of the Registration Commission

.......... County, Pennsylvania

....... (Address and Telephone No. of County)

We have been notified by the Department of Transportation that you recently changed your address from ................. (old residence address) to ............... (new residence address) and that this change of address is to serve as a change of address for voter registration purposes. Unless you notify this office within ten days from the date of this notice that this information is not correct, your voter registration will be transferred to ........ County. You may notify this office by writing your residence address, the date and your signature on the bottom of this form and mailing this notice to this office. You need not notify this office if this information is correct.

............................

Chief Clerk

If the address change is within the commission's jurisdiction, the commission shall mail a voter's identification card to the registrant at the new residence address.

(iii) If the registrant does not return the notice under subparagraph (ii) within the ten-day period, the commission shall process the change of address according to subparagraph (i). If the registrant notifies the commission that the information is incorrect and the commission is satisfied with the registrant's explanation of the discrepancy, the address of the registrant's registration shall remain unchanged. If the verification notification or voter identification card is returned by the post office as undeliverable as addressed or with a forwarding address, the commission shall send a confirmation notice to the registrant's address of former residence in accordance with section 1901(d)(2).

(5) Upon notification and confirmation of any change of address, a commission shall promptly update information contained in its registration record.

(d) Prohibition.--An individual who is not a qualified elector is ineligible to register to vote under this section.

(e) Effect.--Failure to properly complete a voter registration application shall not affect the validity of an application for a driver's license, a renewal application or an identification card application.

(f) Use of information.--No information regarding a declination to register to vote in connection with an application made under this section may be used for any purpose other than voter registration.

(g) Staff.--Agents and employees working on behalf of the Department of Transportation assisting in the completion of voter registration applications shall conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the following principles:

(1) They shall not seek to influence an applicant's political preference or party registration or display political preference or party allegiance.

(2) They shall not make a statement to an applicant or take an action the purpose or effect of which is to discourage the applicant from registering to vote.

(3) Applicants wishing to register to vote under this section shall be given the same degree of assistance with the voter registration application as with all other Department of Transportation forms.

Agency employees who violate this subsection shall be removed from employment, provided that the agency at its discretion may impose a penalty of suspension without pay for at least 30 days, but not more than 120 days, if it finds that the violation does not warrant termination.

Notation

Cross References.  Section 1323 is referred to in sections 1321, 1326, 1327, 1406, 1801 of this title.