[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 496 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 496

To amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require States 
 to permit individuals to register to vote in an election for Federal 
                  office on the date of the election.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 1, 2005

   Mr. Sabo introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                   Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 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 
2005''.

SEC. 2. REQUIRING STATES TO PERMIT VOTER REGISTRATION ON DATE OF 
              ELECTION.

    (a) 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--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of subparagraph (A);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (B) 
        and inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) 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).''.
    (b) 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.''.
    (c) Conforming Amendment.--Section 8(a)(1) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
1973gg-6(a)(1)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``agency,'' and 
        inserting ``agency (other than an agency subject to 
        subparagraph (D)),'';
            (2) by striking ``and'' at the end of subparagraph (C);
            (3) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as subparagraph (E); 
        and
            (4) 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''.

SEC. 3. 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.''.

SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall apply with respect to the 
regularly scheduled general election for Federal office held during 
November 2006 and each subsequent election for Federal office.
                                 <all>