GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1991

H	1 

HOUSE BILL 105

Short Title:  Motor Voter.	(Public)
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Sponsors: Representatives Michaux; Bowman, Gottovi, H. Hunter, Luebke, Mavretic, and Warner.
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Referred to:  Courts, Justice, Constitutional Amendments & Referenda.
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February 20, 1991

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR USE OF DRIVERS LICENSE APPLICATIONS AND APPLICATIONS FOR SPECIAL IDENTIFICATION CARDS AS APPLICATIONS FOR VOTER REGISTRATION.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1. G.S. 163-81 reads as rewritten:
"§ 163-81.  Driver license examiners to accept applications to register voters.
(a)	Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
drivers license examiners are ex officio special registration commissioners for the purpose of this section. No additional oath is required.
(b)	Special registration commissioners appointed under this section are authorized to accept applications to register persons who are qualified for registration regardless of that person's voting precinct or county of residence in the State. The special registration commissioners appointed pursuant to this section shall have the same authority to accept applications to register voters as is conferred upon registration officials in this Chapter.
(c)	The Division of Motor Vehicles shall, pursuant to the rules adopted by the State Board of Elections, modify its forms so that any eligible person who applies for original issuance, renewal or correction of a driver's license or special identification card issued under G.S. 20-37.7 may, on a detachable part of the form, complete an application to register to vote or to update his registration if the voter has changed his address or moved from one precinct to another or from one county to another.  Such application shall be under oath. The necessary forms shall be prescribed by the State Board of Elections. All applications shall be forwarded by the Department of Transportation to the appropriate county board of elections.  The form must ask for the previous voter registration address of the voter, if any.  If a previous address is listed, and it is not in the county of residence of the applicant, the appropriate county board of elections shall treat the application as an authorization to cancel the previous registration and also process it as such under the procedures of G.S. 163-72.1(c) through (e).
Registration shall become effective as provided in G.S. 163-67(a).
(d)	The State Board of Elections is authorized to promulgate rules necessary to implement the provisions of this section."
Sec. 2.  G.S. 163-80 reads as rewritten:
"§ 163-80.  Officers authorized to register voters.
(a)	Only the following election officials shall be authorized to register voters:
(1)	Any member of a county board of elections who has been duly appointed pursuant to G.S. 163-22(c) and properly installed as required by G.S. 163-30 and 163-31.
(2)	The supervisor of elections of a county board of elections appointed pursuant to the provisions of G.S. 163-35.
(3)	Precinct registrars and judges of election appointed pursuant to the provisions of G.S. 163-41.
(4)	Special registration commissioners appointed pursuant to the authority and limitation contained in G.S. 163-41(b) , or serving ex officio pursuant to G.S. 163-81.
(5)	Full-time and salaried deputy supervisors of elections employed by the county board of elections and who work under the direct supervision of the board's supervisor of elections appointed pursuant to the provisions contained in G.S. 163-35.
(6)	Local public library employees designated by the governing board of such public library to be appointed by the county board of elections as special library registration deputies. Appointment of such deputies is mandatory for libraries covered by G.S. 153A-272; appointment is optional for other libraries. Persons appointed under this subsection shall be given the oath contained in G.S. 163-41(b), and shall be authorized to accept applications to register on those days and during those hours said special deputies are on duty with their respective libraries. If, for good and valid reasons, the local public library director shall request that the county board of elections appoint 'replacement' special library registration deputies before the two-year term ends, the county board of elections shall do so.
(7)	Public high school employees appointed under this subdivision. A local board of education may, but is not required to, designate high school employees to be appointed by the county board of elections as special high school registration commissioners. Only employees who volunteer for this duty, and who are acceptable to the county board of elections, may be designated by boards of education. A special high school registration commissioner may register voters only while on duty as a high school employee and only at times and under arrangements approved by the local school board of education. A person appointed under this subdivision shall take the oath prescribed in G.S. 163-41(b).
(b)	All election officials authorized to register voters under authority of this section shall not be authorized to register voters who reside outside the boundaries of their respective counties except in those specific instances involving municipalities which lie within the boundaries of two or more counties and except as provided by G.S. 163-81. The State Board of Elections shall have authority to promulgate rules for the processing of voters in such instances.
(c)	All election officials authorized by this section to register voters shall register any qualified voter without regard to political party affiliation and without discrimination in any manner whatsoever.
(d)	The State Board of Elections shall promulgate rules for the proper training of those persons qualifying under this section as registrars."
Sec. 3. Section 1 of this act becomes effective with respect to all applications for issuance, renewal, or correction of drivers licenses or special identification cards issued by the Department of Transportation on or after January 1, 1992.  Section 2 of this act becomes effective January 1, 1992.