Chapter 555
AN ACT
HB 2910
Relating to elections; creating new
provisions; and amending ORS 247.015 and 247.017.
Be It Enacted by the People of
the State of
SECTION 1. Section 2 of this 2007 Act is added to and
made a part of ORS chapter 247.
SECTION 2. (1) Subject to subsection (2) of this
section, an otherwise qualified person who is at least 17 years of age may
register to vote.
(2) A person who
registers to vote under subsection (1) of this section may not vote in an election
until the person attains the age of 18 years.
SECTION 3. ORS 247.015 is amended to read:
247.015. (1) A qualified
person absent from the state may register by mailing to the county clerk for
the county in which the person resides a completed registration card or a
signed statement containing the information required on a registration card.
[(2) An otherwise qualified person who will attain the age of 18 years
on or before the date of the election may register after the 60th day before
the election.]
[(3)] (2) On written request from a qualified person who by
physical incapacity cannot register in the office of the county clerk, the
county clerk of the county in which the person resides
shall send the person a registration card or register the person at the person’s
residence.
[(4)] (3) An otherwise qualified person who will become a
United States citizen after the 21st calendar day immediately preceding an
election may register before the 20th day before the election. The county clerk
of the county in which the person resides shall cancel the person’s
registration before the election unless the person appears before the county
clerk and provides evidence of citizenship.
SECTION 4. ORS 247.017 is amended to read:
247.017. (1) The
Department of Transportation shall make a voter registration card [shall be] available to any person at any
office of the department [of
Transportation] where licenses or renewal applications are distributed or
received.
(2) When a person who is
at least [18] 17 years of age
applies for issuance or renewal of an Oregon driver license, as defined in ORS
801.245, or issuance of a state identification card under ORS 807.400 or
submits a change of address application form at a department office where
driver license issuance or renewal applications, state identification card
applications or change of address applications are distributed or received, department
personnel shall inform the person [shall
be informed] that the person may register to vote at the department office.
Department personnel shall ask the applicant [shall be asked] whether the applicant is registered to vote at the
applicant’s current address and if not, whether the applicant would like to
register to vote at the department office.
(3) Each office shall deliver
in a timely manner the completed voter registration cards to the county clerk
or elections officer of the county in which the office is located. The county
clerk or elections officer of the county where the office is located shall
forward the registration card to the county clerk or elections officer of the
county in which the applicant resides. The county clerk or elections officer
may reject any registration card in accordance with ORS 247.174. The Secretary
of State shall determine by rule the time and manner the completed registration
cards are to be delivered to the appropriate county clerk or elections officer.
(4) The department shall
develop a driver license issuance or renewal and voter registration application
procedure and a state identification card issuance and voter registration
application procedure and a change of address and voter registration
application procedure that allows an applicant for a license, renewal, state
identification card or change of address to register to vote by providing the
information required by ORS 247.171 and the information required for the
issuance or renewal of a license or for issuance of a state identification
card. The Secretary of State shall approve the voter registration portion of
each application procedure and change of address procedure.
(5) The voter
registration portion of an application described in subsection (4) of this
section shall comply with provisions of the National Voter Registration Act of
1993 (P.L. 103-31).
(6) The Secretary of
State shall adopt rules establishing procedures for meeting the requirements of
subsection (3) of this section.
(7) Information relating
to the failure of an applicant under this section to sign the voter
registration portion of an application for issuance or renewal of a driver
license, issuance of a state identification card or for a change of address [shall] may not be used for other
than voter registration purposes.
Approved by the Governor June 22, 2007
Filed in the office of Secretary of State June 27, 2007
Effective date January 1, 2008
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