Chapter 273
2011 -- S 0342
Enacted 07/12/11
A N A C T
RELATING TO
EDUCATION -- MAINTENANCE OF VOTER REGISTRATION FILES
Introduced By: Senator Joshua Miller
Date Introduced: February 16, 2011
It is enacted by the General
Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Chapter 16-59 of the General Laws entitled
"Board of Governors for Higher
Education" is hereby
amended by adding thereto the following section:
16-59-25.1.
Maintenance of voter registration files. – (a) In order to better
maintain
voter registration files, all institutions of higher
education shall, on or before August 15th of each
year, electronically transmit a text file or database to
the secretary of state containing the names
and current addresses of those students who have
graduated that year and for whom public
directory information is available. Within fifteen (15) days of
the receipt of the file or database,
the secretary of state may send a letter to each such
student requesting verification as to whether
such student intends to continue to reside in the State of
(b) The letter shall:
(1) Request the
student, if he or she has moved to a new address within
complete a form, enclosed with the letter, allowing him or her
to provide a new address for re-
registration purposes;
(2) Request the
student, if he or she has moved to a new address outside of
to so advise the secretary of state on a form enclosed with
the letter, authorizing his or her
removal from the voter registration list;
(3) Remind the
student to re-register at a new address if he or she subsequently moves
from their current address; and
(4) Make clear that the request for information is strictly
voluntary, that the student has
no obligation to respond to the letter, and that no
student shall be removed from the voter
registration list unless such student responds to the mailing and
authorizes his or her removal
from the voter registration list.
(c) Mailings
conducted pursuant to this section shall not seek address correction from the
postal service. In the event that a letter is nonetheless
returned as undeliverable to the address
where the letter was sent, it shall not serve as a basis
for initiating the confirmation process
established in section 17-9.1-26.
(d) The form letter
used by the secretary of state to implement this provision shall be
adopted in accordance with the rule-making provisions of
chapter 35 of title 42 (The
“Administrative Procedures Act”).
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC00497
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