[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1867 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1867

To extend to individuals evacuated from their residences as a result of 
     Hurricane Katrina the right to use the absentee balloting and 
registration procedures available to military and overseas voters under 
the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

              October 7 (legislative day, October 6), 2005

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To extend to individuals evacuated from their residences as a result of 
     Hurricane Katrina the right to use the absentee balloting and 
registration procedures available to military and overseas voters under 
the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, and for other 
                               purposes.

    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 ``Displaced Citizens Voter Protection 
Act of 2005''.

SEC. 2. APPLICABILITY OF PROTECTIONS FOR ABSENT MILITARY AND OVERSEAS 
              VOTERS TO KATRINA EVACUEES.

    (a) Right of Katrina Evacuees to Use Absentee Balloting and 
Registration Procedures Available to Military and Overseas Voters.--In 
the case of any individual who is an eligible Hurricane Katrina 
evacuee--
            (1) the individual shall be treated in the same manner as 
        an absent uniformed services voter and overseas voter for 
        purposes of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting 
        Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff et seq.), other than section 103(b)(1) 
        (42 U.S.C. 1973ff-2(b)(1)); and
            (2) the individual shall be deemed to be an individual who 
        is entitled to vote by absentee ballot for purposes of the 
        National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and the Help America 
        Vote Act of 2002.
    (b) Definition.--For purposes of this section, the term ``eligible 
Hurricane Katrina evacuee'' means an individual--
            (1) who certifies to the appropriate State election 
        official that the individual is absent from the place of 
        residence where the individual is otherwise qualified to vote 
        as a result of evacuation from an area affected by Hurricane 
        Katrina; and
            (2) who provides the official with an affidavit stating 
        that the individual intends to return to such place of 
        residence after the election or elections involved.
    (c) Effective Date.--This section shall apply with respect to 
elections for Federal office held in calendar years 2006 through 2008.

SEC. 3. REQUIRING DESIGNATED VOTER REGISTRATION AGENCIES TO NOTIFY 
              DISPLACED INDIVIDUALS OF AVAILABILITY OF PROTECTIONS.

    Each motor vehicle authority in a State and each voter registration 
agency designated in a State under section 7(a) of the National Voter 
Registration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1973gg-5(a)) shall take such steps 
as may be necessary to notify individuals to whom services are provided 
of the protections provided by section 2 and of the requirements for 
obtaining those protections, including the requirement to submit an 
affidavit stating that the individual intends to return to the place of 
residence where the individual is otherwise qualified to vote.
                                 <all>