North Carolina SB 457: Automatic Voter Registration.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 457

Short Title: Automatic Voter Registration. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Meyer, Chitlik, and Batch (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 25, 2025
*S457-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR AUTOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION AT DRIVERS 2
LICENSE OFFICES, PUBLIC AGENCIES, COMMUNITY COLLEGES, AND 3
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA 4
AND TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS TO IMPLEMENT AN 5
OUTREACH CAMPAIGN INFORMING CITIZENS ABOUT AUTOMATIC VOTER 6
REGISTRATION. 7
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 8
SECTION 1. G.S. 163-82.3 reads as rewritten: 9
"§ 163-82.3. Voter registration application forms.forms; automatic voter registration at 10
certain agencies. 11
(a) Form Developed by State Board of Elections. – The State Board of Elections shall 12
develop an application form for voter registration. Any person may use the form to apply to do 13
any of the following: 14
... 15
(c) Agency Application Form. Application. – The county board of elections where an 16
applicant resides shall accept as application for any of the purposes set out in subsection (a) of 17
this section a form automatic voter registration developed pursuant to G.S. 163-82.19 or 18
G.S. 163-82.20." 19
SECTION 2. G.S. 163-82.6 reads as rewritten: 20
"§ 163-82.6. Acceptance of application forms. 21
(a) How the Form May Be Submitted. – The county board of elections shall accept any 22
form described in G.S. 163-82.3 if the applicant submits the form by mail, facsimile transmission, 23
transmission of a scanned document, or in person. person or by automatic voter registration 24
pursuant to G.S. 115D-5, 116-11, 163-82.19, or 163-82.20. The applicant may delegate the 25
submission of the form to another person. Any person who communicates to an applicant 26
acceptance of that delegation shall deliver that form so that it is received by the appropriate 27
county board of elections in time to satisfy the registration deadline in subdivision (1) or (2) of 28
subsection (d) of this section for the next election. It shall be a Class 2 misdemeanor for any 29
person to communicate to the applicant acceptance of that delegation and then fail to make a 30
good faith effort to deliver the form so that it is received by the county board of elections in time 31
to satisfy the registration deadline in subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (d) of this section for 32
the next election. It shall be an affirmative defense to a charge of failing to make a good faith 33
effort to deliver a delegated form by the registration deadline that the delegatee informed the 34
applicant that the form would not likely be delivered in time for the applicant to vote in the next 35

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 457-First Edition
election. It shall be a Class 2 misdemeanor for any person to sell or attempt to sell a completed 1
voter registration form or to condition its delivery upon payment. 2
... 3
(d) Registration Deadlines for a Primary or Election. – In order to be valid for a primary 4
or election, the form:form must comply with one of the following: 5
(1) If submitted by mail, must be postmarked at least 25 days before the primary 6
or election, except that any mailed application on which the postmark is 7
missing or unclear is validly submitted if received in the mail not later than 20 8
days before the primary or election,election. 9
(2) If submitted in person, by facsimile transmission, or by transmission of a 10
scanned document, or by automatic voter registration, must be received by the 11
county board of elections by a time established by that board, but no earlier 12
than 5:00 P.M., on the twenty-fifth day before the primary or election,election. 13
(3) If submitted through a delegatee who violates the duty set forth in subsection 14
(a) of this section, must be signed by the applicant and given to the delegatee 15
not later than 25 days before the primary or election, except as provided in 16
subsection (f) of this section. 17
...." 18
SECTION 3. G.S. 163-82.19 reads as rewritten: 19
"§ 163-82.19. Voter Automatic voter registration at drivers license offices; coordination on 20
data interface. 21
(a) Automatic Voter Registration at Drivers License Offices. – The Beginning January 1, 22
2026, the Division of Motor Vehicles shall, pursuant to the rules adopted by in consultation with 23
the State Board of Elections, modify its forms so that implement a method by which any eligible 24
person who applies for original issuance, renewal or correction of a drivers license, or special 25
identification card issued under G.S. 20-37.7 may, on a part of the form, complete an application 26
to register shall be automatically registered to vote, or able to update the voter's registration if 27
the voter has changed his or her address or moved from one precinct to another or from one 28
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