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The Florida Senate

2018 Florida Statutes

Title IX ELECTORS AND ELECTIONS
Chapter 97 QUALIFICATION AND REGISTRATION OF ELECTORS Entire Chapter
SECTION 057
Voter registration by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
F.S. 97.057
97.057 Voter registration by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.—
(1) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall provide the opportunity to register to vote or to update a voter registration record to each individual who comes to an office of that department to:
(a) Apply for or renew a driver license;
(b) Apply for or renew an identification card pursuant to chapter 322; or
(c) Change an address on an existing driver license or identification card.
(2) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall:
(a) Notify each individual, orally or in writing, that:
1. Information gathered for the completion of a driver license or identification card application, renewal, or change of address can be automatically transferred to a voter registration application;
2. If additional information and a signature are provided, the voter registration application will be completed and sent to the proper election authority;
3. Information provided can also be used to update a voter registration record;
4. All declinations will remain confidential and may be used only for voter registration purposes; and
5. The particular driver license office in which the person applies to register to vote or updates a voter registration record will remain confidential and may be used only for voter registration purposes.
(b) Require a driver license examiner to inquire orally or, if the applicant is hearing impaired, inquire in writing whether the applicant wishes to register to vote or update a voter registration record during the completion of a driver license or identification card application, renewal, or change of address.
1. If the applicant chooses to register to vote or to update a voter registration record:
a. All applicable information received by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles in the course of filling out the forms necessary under subsection (1) must be transferred to a voter registration application.
b. The additional necessary information must be obtained by the driver license examiner and must not duplicate any information already obtained while completing the forms required under subsection (1).
c. A voter registration application with all of the applicant’s voter registration information required to establish the applicant’s eligibility pursuant to s. 97.041 must be presented to the applicant to review and verify the voter registration information received and provide an electronic signature affirming the accuracy of the information provided.
2. If the applicant declines to register to vote, update the applicant’s voter registration record, or change the applicant’s address by either orally declining or by failing to sign the voter registration application, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles must note such declination on its records and shall forward the declination to the statewide voter registration system.
(3) For the purpose of this section, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, with the approval of the Department of State, shall prescribe:
(a) A voter registration application that is the same in content, format, and size as the uniform statewide voter registration application prescribed under s. 97.052; and
(b) A form that will inform applicants under subsection (1) of the information contained in paragraph (2)(a).
(4) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles must electronically transmit completed voter registration applications within 24 hours after receipt to the statewide voter registration system. Completed paper voter registration applications received by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall be forwarded within 5 days after receipt to the supervisor of the county where the office that processed or received that application is located.
(5) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles must send, with each driver license renewal extension application authorized pursuant to s. 322.18(8), a uniform statewide voter registration application, the voter registration application prescribed under paragraph (3)(a), or a voter registration application developed especially for the purposes of this subsection by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, with the approval of the Department of State, which must meet the requirements of s. 97.052.
(6) A person providing voter registration services for a driver license office may not:
(a) Seek to influence an applicant’s political preference or party registration;
(b) Display any political preference or party allegiance;
(c) Make any statement to an applicant or take any action the purpose or effect of which is to discourage the applicant from registering to vote; or
(d) Disclose any applicant’s voter registration information except as needed for the administration of voter registration.
(7) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall collect data determined necessary by the Department of State for program evaluation and reporting to the Election Assistance Commission pursuant to federal law.
(8) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles must ensure that all voter registration services provided by driver license offices are in compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
(9) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall retain complete records of voter registration information received, processed, and submitted to the statewide voter registration system by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. These records shall be for the explicit purpose of supporting audit and accounting controls established to ensure accurate and complete electronic transmission of records between the statewide voter registration system and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
(10) The department shall provide the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles with an electronic database of street addresses valid for use as the address of legal residence as required in s. 97.053(5). The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall compare the address provided by the applicant against the database of valid street addresses. If the address provided by the applicant does not match a valid street address in the database, the applicant will be asked to verify the address provided. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall not reject any application for voter registration for which a valid match cannot be made.
(11) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall enter into an agreement with the department to match information in the statewide voter registration system with information in the database of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to the extent required to verify the accuracy of the driver license number, Florida identification number, or last four digits of the social security number provided on applications for voter registration as required in s. 97.053.
(12) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall enter into an agreement with the Commissioner of Social Security as required by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to verify the last four digits of the social security number provided in applications for voter registration as required in s. 97.053.
History.—s. 13, ch. 94-224; s. 2, ch. 2002-189; s. 9, ch. 2005-278; s. 3, ch. 2016-23.