PRINTER'S NO. 585
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
623
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY MARKOSEK, SANCHEZ, BIZZARRO, BURGOS, D. WILLIAMS,
ISAACSON, CIRESI, T. DAVIS, FREEMAN, SCHLOSSBERG,
PISCIOTTANO, LONGIETTI, SCHWEYER, HILL-EVANS, DELLOSO,
MALAGARI, WARREN, BRIGGS, O'MARA, MATZIE, McCLINTON,
INNAMORATO AND SAINATO, FEBRUARY 24, 2021
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, FEBRUARY 24, 2021
AN ACT
Establishing the Future Voters Program; providing for prevoter
registration of eligible high school students; and imposing
powers and duties on the Secretary of Education, the
Secretary of the Commonwealth and each county commission.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Future Voters
Act.
Section 2. Legislative finding and declaration.
(a) Finding.--The General Assembly is committed to promoting
and fostering civic participation and granting equal access to
voter registration for all voters. The General Assembly
recognizes the importance of promoting and fostering lifelong
civic participation and finds that:
(1) Many emerging adults are denied access to the most
popular form of voter registration, motor voter. If an
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individual obtains a driver's license at 16 or 17 years of
age, the individual may not understand the importance of the
right to vote and may fail to register to vote when the
individual reaches 18 years of age.
(2) A statistical analysis of all registered voters in
this Commonwealth revealed that in 2018, only 8.1% of
registrants were 18 to 24 years of age. Denial of motor voter
to so many emerging adults may contribute to lower voter
registration levels in the youngest voter age groups.
However, some studies show that emerging and young adults who
vote are likely to continue to do so.
(3) The representational disparities in voter
registration rates and voting within the emerging and young
adult electorate will improve by enacting election policies
that engage all emerging and young adults in this
Commonwealth.
(b) Declaration.--The General Assembly declares that this
act which allows eligible youths at least 16 years of age to
preregister to vote is intended to increase voter turnout in
emerging and young adults.
Section 3. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"County commission." A registration commission established
under 25 Pa.C.S. § 1203 (relating to commissions).
"Eligible student." An individual enrolled in a school
entity in this Commonwealth who is 16 or 17 years of age.
"Future voter." An eligible student who, except for age,
meets all the qualifications for voting prescribed by the
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Constitution of Pennsylvania and the laws of this Commonwealth
and who provides information related to voter registration to
the Department of State or the appropriate county commission to
facilitate preregistration to vote.
"Program." The Future Voter Program established under this
act.
"School entity." As defined in section 111.1 of the act of
March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code
of 1949.
"Secretary." The Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth.
"Sign up." A procedure that allows an eligible student to
register to vote prior to the time that the eligible student
will be 18 years of age by the next election.
"SURE system." The Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors as
defined in 25 Pa.C.S. § 1102 (relating to definitions).
Section 4. Future Voter Program.
(a) Establishment.--The secretary, in consultation with the
Secretary of the Commonwealth, shall establish the Future Voter
Program for use by school entities to provide age-appropriate
instructions to students in grades one through twelve on topics
related to civics and civic participation, including educational
programming on the history of the Constitution of the United
States and the Constitution of Pennsylvania.
(b) Program components.--
(1) On September 17 of each school year, or on the
preceding Friday when September 17 falls on a nonschool day,
"Constitution and Citizenship Day" shall be observed by each
school entity as part of the school entity's program. As part
of this observance, a school entity may designate particular
laws or may develop school-entity specific programming
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related to civics and civic participation for special
observance.
(2) During the observance of "Constitution and
Citizenship Day" in accordance with paragraph (1), each
school entity shall, as resources permit, coordinate a voter
registration event in each history or social studies class
scheduled for eligible students. The voter registration event
shall:
(i) Be a component of each school entity's program.
(ii) Make voter sign-up or voter registration
available to all eligible students.
(iii) Provide all students who will be 18 years of
age or older by the time of the next general election the
opportunity to register to vote online in the classroom.
(iv) Make voter registration applications available
in the classroom. Eligible students who do not possess a
driver's license or State identification card shall be
provided a voter registration application. This
subparagraph shall not be construed to prevent or
prohibit eligible students who hold a driver's license or
State identification card from requesting and receiving a
voter registration application.
(v) Include adequate time for eligible students to
complete the voter registration process in class.
(vi) Allow students who are 16 or 17 years of age to
sign up to register to vote, including by mail. Except as
provided in subsection (d), the name of a student who
signs up to register to vote under this subparagraph may
not be added to the SURE system until the student reaches
18 years of age.
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(c) Duties of secretary.--The secretary, in consultation
with the Secretary of the Commonwealth or the county
commissions, shall:
(1) Distribute voter registration materials to school
entities for use by eligible students to register to vote at
school on "Constitution and Citizenship Day" or on any other
school day that may be designated by a school entity.
(2) Notify each school entity of the availability of
voter registration materials by electronic mail or in any
other appropriate manner.
(3) Consult with the Secretary of the Commonwealth to
provide registration methods that enable the electronic
collection of information on the number of eligible students
who registered to vote on "Constitution and Citizenship Day."
(d) Duties of Secretary of the Commonwealth.--The Secretary
of the Commonwealth shall, in consultation with the county
commissions, do the following:
(1) Provide for the registration of students who have
attained 16 years of age and who hold a valid Pennsylvania
driver's license or identification card as part of the
program by submitting a voter registration application
electronically on the Department of State's publicly
accessible Internet website. The Secretary of the
Commonwealth may accept the last four digits of a student's
Social Security number if the student does not hold a valid
driver's license or identification card. Each student must
attest to the truth of the information provided on the
application by affirmatively accepting the information as
true.
(2) For each electronic registration application
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received under paragraph (1), obtain a digital copy of the
applicant's driver's license or State identification card
signature from the Department of Transportation.
(3) Provide for the maintenance and storage of pending
registration records for all future voters who are not 18
years of age in a database engineered to ensure that no
pending registration record will be recorded in or otherwise
transferred to the SURE system until the future voter is 18
years of age and is no longer in pending status.
(4) Assign a unique identifier to future voters who are
under 18 years of age.
(5) Permit each county commission to have access to the
future voter database and to allow a county commission to
send notices to future voters related to registration status
or any other information related to voter registration.
(e) Disclosure not authorized.--Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, information that is otherwise disclosable
under the act of February 14, 2008 (P.L.6, No.3), known as the
Right-to-Know Law, shall not be deemed public information and,
except for the purpose of processing and delivering ballots,
shall not be disclosed on any eligible student until the
eligible student reaches 18 years of age.
(f) Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to prohibit a school entity from designating any other
school day or time to facilitate the intent and purpose of this
act.
Section 5. Voter registration applications.
(a) Completeness.--
(1) A voter registration application received by the
Department of State or a county commission through the
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program shall be considered complete only if the application
contains the information required under 25 Pa.C.S. § 1301
(relating to qualifications to register), provided that an
eligible student who registers to vote through the program
shall not be considered to be registered unless the eligible
student will be 18 years of age by the date of the next
election. An eligible student shall:
(i) Attest to the truth of the information provided
on the application by affirmatively accepting the
information as true.
(ii) If signing up to register by mail, provide a
signature for voter registration purposes.
(iii) Affirmatively acknowledge that the student
will not vote until the student reaches 18 years of age.
(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law or
regulation, an eligible student who signs up to register to
vote through the program shall be classified as pending,
unless the eligible student will be 18 years of age by the
date of the next election.
(b) Incomplete application.--If an application is not
complete, the county commission shall promptly mail a
verification notice to the eligible student. The verification
notice shall require the eligible student to provide the missing
information.
(c) Removal from pending status.--When a future voter
reaches 18 years of age, the future voter's registration
application shall be removed from pending status.
(d) Disclosure not authorized.--
(1) The personal identifiable information of eligible
students under 18 years of age who sign up or register to
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vote through the program shall be exempt from public
inspection, copying and disclosure under the act of February
14, 2008 (P.L.6, No.3), known as the Right-to-Know Law,
except for the purpose of processing and delivering ballots.
(2) A county commission shall not include the personal
identifiable information contained in an eligible student's
voter registration application on the master list of
prospective jurors prepared by the county under 42 Pa.C.S. §
4521 (relating to selection of prospective jurors) and no
eligible student shall be qualified to serve as a juror under
42 Pa.C.S. § 4521 until the eligible student reaches 18 years
of age.
Section 6. Regulations.
The secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of the
Commonwealth, shall promulgate and adopt guidelines to
administer the provisions of this act.
Section 7. Effective date.
This act shall take effect immediately.
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