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LD266 • 2025

An Act to Require the Updating of Voter Registration Signatures

An Act to Require the Updating of Voter Registration Signatures

Elections
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Representative Katrina Smith
Last action
2025-05-21
Official status
Reports Read On motion by Senator HICKMAN of Kennebec the Majority Ought Not to Pass Report ACCEPTED in concurrence. PREVAILED Roll Call Ordered Roll Call Number 203 Yeas 19 - Nays 13 - Excused 3 - Absent 0 Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act to Require the Updating of Voter Registration Signatures

An Act to Require the Updating of Voter Registration Signatures Sponsor: Representative Katrina Smith Reference committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP/OTP-AM

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Require the Updating of Voter Registration Signatures Sponsor: Representative Katrina Smith Reference committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP/OTP-AM

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Filed

Plain English: Page 1 - 132LR0456(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.

  • Page 1 - 132LR0456(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.
  • 266 2 Date: (Filing No.
  • H- ) 3VETERANS AND LEGAL AFFAIRS 4 Reproduced and distributed under the direction of the Clerk of the House.
  • 5STATE OF MAINE 6HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 7132ND LEGISLATURE 8FIRST SPECIAL SESSION 9 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT “ ” to H.P.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-21 Senate

    Reports Read On motion by Senator HICKMAN of Kennebec the Majority Ought Not to Pass Report ACCEPTED in concurrence. PREVAILED Roll Call Ordered Roll Call Number 203 Yeas 19 - Nays 13 - Excused 3 - Absent 0 Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)

  2. 2025-05-20 House

    Reports READ . On motion of Representative SUPICA of Bangor, the Majority Ought Not to Pass Report was ACCEPTED . ROLL CALL NO. 153 (Yeas 77 - Nays 69 - Absent 4 - Excused 0 - Restricted - 1) Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.

  3. 2025-05-15 Committee

    Reported Out; ONTP/OTP-AM

  4. 2025-03-17 Committee

    Work Session Held

  5. 2025-03-17 Committee

    Voted; Divided Report

  6. 2025-02-25 Committee

    Referred to Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs.

  7. 2025-02-11 Committee

    Refer Approved by Chairs/Leads; REFER TO OTHER

  8. 2025-02-11 Committee

    Reported Out; REFER TO OTHER

Official Summary Text

An Act to Require the Updating of Voter Registration Signatures
Sponsor:
Representative Katrina Smith
Reference committee:
Veterans and Legal Affairs
Latest committee action:
Reported Out; ONTP/OTP-AM

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Printed on recycled paper
132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 266
H.P. 169 House of Representatives, January 28, 2025
An Act to Require the Updating of Voter Registration Signatures
Received by the Clerk of the House on January 23, 2025. Referred to the Committee on
State and Local Government pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative SMITH of Palermo.
Cosponsored by Representatives: COLLINS of Sidney, DAIGLE of Fort Kent, FLYNN of
Albion, GUERRETTE of Caribou, HYMES of Waldo, LANCE of Paris.

Page 1 - 132LR0456(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §152, sub-§7 is enacted to read:
37. Signatures updated. Beginning January 1, 2026, a voter signature entered into the
4 central voter registration system is valid for 5 years from the time the signature was last
5 updated. The registrar in each municipality shall check the central voter registration system
6 annually and notify those voters whose signatures expire in that calendar year and provide
7 to those voters a voter signature registration update form prescribed by the Secretary of
8 State. The registrar shall update the central voter registration system with the updated
9 signatures pursuant to subsection 2.
10Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §161, sub-§6 is enacted to read:
116. Review and update signatures. Beginning January 1, 2026 and annually
12 thereafter, the registrar in each municipality shall review the central voter registration
13 system and notify those voters whose signatures expire during that calendar year. The
14 registrar shall provide to a voter whose signature expires in that year a voter signature
15 registration update form pursuant to section 152, subsection 7.
16SUMMARY
17 This bill stipulates that, beginning January 1, 2026, a voter signature is valid for 5 years
18 from the time it was last updated. It also requires the registrar from each municipality to
19 review the central voter registration system annually and notify those voters whose
20 signatures expire in that calendar year and provide those voters with a voter signature
21 registration update form. The bill also requires the registrar to update the central voter
22 registration system with the updated signatures.
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