[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2226 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2226

   To require States to permit individuals to register to vote in an 
        election for Federal office on the date of the election.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 23, 2002

 Mr. Wellstone introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
         referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require States to permit individuals to register to vote in an 
        election for Federal office on the date of the election.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Same Day Voter Registration Act of 
2002''.

SEC. 2. SAME DAY VOTER REGISTRATION.

    (a) Requiring States To Permit Voter Registration on Date of 
Election.--
            (1) Designation of polling places as voter registration 
        agencies.--Section 7(a)(2) of the National Voter Registration 
        Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1973gg-5(a)(2)) is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``and'' at the end of subparagraph 
                (A);
                    (B) by striking the period at the end of 
                subparagraph (B) and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                subparagraph:
                    ``(C) each polling place in the State at which 
                ballots are cast in an election for Federal office 
                which is not otherwise designated as a voter 
                registration agency under subparagraph (A) or (B) or 
                paragraph (3).''.
            (2) Special rules.--Section 7(a) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
        1973gg-5(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(8) In the case of a polling place at which ballots are 
        cast in an election for Federal office which is designated as a 
        voter registration agency, the following rules shall apply:
                    ``(A) At the option of the State, the polling place 
                shall serve as a voter registration agency only on the 
                date of the election.
                    ``(B) On the date of the election, the polling 
                place may not make services available under this 
                section to any eligible applicant who does not cast a 
                ballot at the polling place on such date.
                    ``(C) Clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) of paragraph 
                (6)(B) shall not apply with respect to any forms 
                distributed by the polling place on the date of the 
                election.''.
            (3) Conforming amendment.--Section 8(a)(1) of such Act (42 
        U.S.C. 1973gg-6(a)(1)) is amended--
                    (A) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``agency,'' 
                and inserting ``agency (other than an agency subject to 
                subparagraph (D)),'';
                    (B) by striking ``and'' at the end of subparagraph 
                (C);
                    (C) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as 
                subparagraph (E); and
                    (D) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the 
                following new subparagraph:
                    ``(D) in the case of registration on the date of 
                the election at a polling place designated as a voter 
                registration agency under paragraph (2)(C), if the 
                valid voter registration form of the applicant is 
                accepted at the polling place; and''.
    (b) Transmittal of Completed Applications to State Election 
Official.--Section 7(d) of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 
(42 U.S.C. 1973gg-5(d)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``paragraph (2)'' and 
        inserting ``paragraphs (2) and (3)''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(3) In the case of a registration application accepted on 
        the date of an election by a voter registration agency 
        described in paragraph (2)(C), the agency shall transmit the 
        application to the appropriate State election official at the 
        time the agency transmits the ballots cast in the election to 
        the official.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply with respect to the regularly scheduled general election for 
Federal office held during November 2002 and each subsequent election 
for Federal office.
                                 <all>