Florida Senate - 2016 CS for CS for SB 744
By the Committees on Community Affairs; and Ethics and
Elections; and Senator Bean
578-02868-16 2016744c2
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to addresses of legal residence;
3 amending s. 97.021, F.S.; defining the term “address
4 of legal residence”; amending s. 97.053, F.S.;
5 requiring a complete voter registration application to
6 include the applicant’s address of legal residence;
7 specifying that an applicant’s failure to include
8 additional distinguishing information on an
9 application does not affect his or her qualifications
10 to register or vote; amending s. 97.057, F.S.;
11 conforming a provision; amending s. 98.015, F.S.;
12 providing that a list of valid addresses maintained by
13 a supervisor of elections include certain additional
14 distinguishing information; requiring the supervisor
15 to make reasonable efforts to obtain residence
16 information omitted on voter registration
17 applications; providing an effective date.
18
19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
20
21 Section 1. Present subsections (3) through (44) of section
22 97.021, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (4)
23 through (45), respectively, and a new subsection (3) is added to
24 that section, to read:
25 97.021 Definitions.—For the purposes of this code, except
26 where the context clearly indicates otherwise, the term:
27 (3) “Address of legal residence” means the legal
28 residential address of the elector and includes all information
29 necessary to differentiate one residence from another,
30 including, but not limited to, a distinguishing apartment,
31 suite, lot, room, or dormitory room number or other identifier.
32 Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (5) of section
33 97.053, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
34 97.053 Acceptance of voter registration applications.—
35 (5)(a) A voter registration application is complete if it
36 contains the following information necessary to establish the
37 applicant’s eligibility pursuant to s. 97.041, including:
38 1. The applicant’s name.
39 2. The applicant’s address of legal residence address.
40 Failure to include a distinguishing apartment, suite, lot, room,
41 or dormitory room number or other identifier on a voter
42 registration application does not impact a voter’s eligibility
43 to register to vote or cast a ballot, and such an omission may
44 not serve as the basis for a challenge to a voter’s eligibility
45 or as a reason to not count a ballot.
46 3. The applicant’s date of birth.
47 4. A mark in the checkbox affirming that the applicant is a
48 citizen of the United States.
49 5.a. The applicant’s current and valid Florida driver
50 license number or the identification number from a Florida
51 identification card issued under s. 322.051, or
52 b. If the applicant has not been issued a current and valid
53 Florida driver license or a Florida identification card, the
54 last four digits of the applicant’s social security number.
55
56 In case an applicant has not been issued a current and valid
57 Florida driver license, Florida identification card, or social
58 security number, the applicant shall affirm this fact in the
59 manner prescribed in the uniform statewide voter registration
60 application.
61 6. A mark in the checkbox affirming that the applicant has
62 not been convicted of a felony or that, if convicted, has had
63 his or her civil rights restored.
64 7. A mark in the checkbox affirming that the applicant has
65 not been adjudicated mentally incapacitated with respect to
66 voting or that, if so adjudicated, has had his or her right to
67 vote restored.
68 8. The original signature or a digital signature
69 transmitted by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor
70 Vehicles of the applicant swearing or affirming under the
71 penalty for false swearing pursuant to s. 104.011 that the
72 information contained in the registration application is true
73 and subscribing to the oath required by s. 3, Art. VI of the
74 State Constitution and s. 97.051.
75 Section 3. Subsection (10) of section 97.057, Florida
76 Statutes, is amended to read:
77 97.057 Voter registration by the Department of Highway
78 Safety and Motor Vehicles.—
79 (10) The department shall provide the Department of Highway
80 Safety and Motor Vehicles with an electronic database of street
81 addresses valid for use as an address of the legal residence
82 address as required in s. 97.053(5). The Department of Highway
83 Safety and Motor Vehicles shall compare the address provided by
84 the applicant against the database of valid street addresses. If
85 the address provided by the applicant does not match a valid
86 street address in the database, the applicant will be asked to
87 verify the address provided. The Department of Highway Safety
88 and Motor Vehicles may shall not reject any application for
89 voter registration for which a valid match cannot be made.
90 Section 4. Subsection (12) of section 98.015, Florida
91 Statutes, is amended to read:
92 98.015 Supervisor of elections; election, tenure of office,
93 compensation, custody of registration-related documents, office
94 hours, successor, seal; appointment of deputy supervisors;
95 duties.—
96 (12) Each supervisor shall maintain a list of valid
97 residential street addresses for purposes of verifying the legal
98 addresses of voters residing in the supervisor’s county. To the
99 maximum extent practicable, the list must include information
100 necessary to differentiate one residence from another,
101 including, but not limited to, a distinguishing apartment,
102 suite, lot, room, or dormitory room number or other identifier.
103 If a voter registration application does not include information
104 necessary to differentiate one residence from another, the
105 supervisor shall make all reasonable efforts to obtain such
106 information in order to maintain the list of valid residential
107 street address. The supervisor shall make all reasonable efforts
108 to coordinate with county 911 service providers, property
109 appraisers, the United States Postal Service, or other agencies
110 as necessary to ensure the continued accuracy of such list. The
111 supervisor shall provide the list of valid residential addresses
112 to the statewide voter registration system in the manner and
113 frequency specified by rule of the department.
114 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.