Florida Senate - 2022 SB 1228
By Senator Taddeo
40-01688-22 20221228__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to online voter registration of
3 students in public high school; creating s. 97.05832,
4 F.S.; requiring each public high school to provide to
5 certain students a voter registration presentation
6 that demonstrates the steps required to register to
7 vote online and offers an opportunity for certain
8 students to register or preregister to vote using the
9 online voter registration system Internet website;
10 requiring the Division of Elections to prepare certain
11 materials and make such materials readily available to
12 each public high school; authorizing the Department of
13 State to adopt rules; creating s. 1003.4661, F.S.;
14 requiring each public high school to provide to
15 certain students a voter registration presentation;
16 providing requirements for the presentation; requiring
17 each public high school, and each public high school’s
18 principal, or his or her designee, to provide certain
19 notice of the presentation; prohibiting a teacher from
20 requiring, pressuring, or otherwise incentivizing a
21 student to take certain actions; requiring teachers to
22 allow students to opt out of the presentation;
23 requiring teachers to use certain materials;
24 prohibiting teachers presenting the voter registration
25 presentation from distributing, collecting, or
26 otherwise handling physical voter registration
27 applications; requiring certain voter registration and
28 preregistration to occur online; authorizing the State
29 Board of Education to adopt rules; providing an
30 effective date.
31
32 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
33
34 Section 1. Section 97.05832, Florida Statutes, is created
35 to read:
36 97.05832 Online voter registration in public high school
37 government classes.—
38 (1) Each public high school shall provide to each student
39 taking the United States Government course required under s.
40 1003.4282(3)(d) a voter registration presentation that consists
41 exclusively of a demonstration of the steps required to register
42 to vote online, including a visual demonstration of how to use
43 the online voter registration system Internet website created
44 pursuant to s. 97.0525(2), and an opportunity for each student
45 age 16 years or older to register or preregister to vote, as
46 applicable, using such Internet website in accordance with s.
47 1003.4661.
48 (2) The Division of Elections shall prepare all materials
49 necessary for the presentation required by subsection (1),
50 including an instructional guide and a document entitled
51 “Frequently Asked Questions and Answers” for teacher use, and
52 shall make such materials readily available to each public high
53 school. The division shall provide translations of all materials
54 for use in ESOL, as defined in s. 1003.56(2)(c), and home
55 language, as defined in s. 1003.56(2)(b), instruction.
56 (3) The department may adopt rules as necessary to
57 implement this section.
58 Section 2. Section 1003.4661, Florida Statutes, is created
59 to read:
60 1003.4661 Online voter registration in public high school
61 government classes.—
62 (1) Each public high school shall provide to each student
63 taking the United States Government course required under s.
64 1003.4282(3)(d) the voter registration presentation required
65 under s. 97.05832. The presentation must be presented in a
66 location that provides each student with a separate computer
67 with Internet access. A student may be directed to the
68 Department of State’s accessibility Internet website if an
69 available file viewer is necessary for such student to use the
70 online voter registration system Internet website created
71 pursuant to s. 97.0525(2).
72 (2) Each public high school shall provide to each student
73 taking the United States Government course required under s.
74 1003.4282(3)(d) notice through the school’s online communication
75 system of the voter registration presentation 7 days before,
76 with reminder notices provided 1 and 2 days before, the
77 presentation occurs. Additionally, each public high school
78 principal, or his or her designee, shall provide reasonable
79 notice of the presentation to students and their parents through
80 e-mail and telephone messages. Each notice provided pursuant to
81 this subsection must identify any information that may be
82 necessary to register or preregister to vote using the online
83 voter registration system Internet website, including, but not
84 limited to, the last four digits of the student’s social
85 security number and the student’s current and valid Florida
86 driver license number or identification number from a Florida
87 identification card issued under s. 322.051.
88 (3) A teacher may not require, pressure, or otherwise
89 incentivize a student to register or preregister to vote or to
90 designate a political party affiliation and shall allow each
91 student to register or preregister to vote using the online
92 voter registration system Internet website without interference.
93 Each student must be allowed to opt out of the voter
94 registration presentation.
95 (4) A teacher presenting the voter registration
96 presentation shall use the materials provided by the Division of
97 Elections pursuant to s. 97.05832(2) and may not supplement such
98 materials or deviate from the language provided by the division
99 in such materials.
100 (5) All voter registration and preregistration conducted
101 pursuant to this section must occur online. A teacher presenting
102 the voter registration presentation may not distribute, collect,
103 or otherwise handle physical voter registration applications.
104 (6) The State Board of Education may adopt rules as
105 necessary to implement this section.
106 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.