Whiz Kids/Slow Pokes Voter Registration.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 386

Short Title: Whiz Kids/Slow Pokes Voter Registration. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Meyer and Smith (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 25, 2025
*S386-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO ENSURE PRO CRASTINATORS THEIR R IGHT TO VOTE BY 2
ESTABLISHING SAME -DAY REGISTRATION ON EL ECTION DAY AND TO 3
ENGAGE OVERACHIEVING TEENAGERS IN VOTING BY RECODIFYING THE 4
PROGRAM TO PREREGISTER INDIVIDUALS SIXTEEN AND SEVENTEEN YEARS 5
OF AGE. 6
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 7
8
PART I. SAME-DAY VOTER REGISTRATION ON ELECTION DAY 9
SECTION 1.1. G.S. 163-82.6B reads as rewritten: 10
"§ 163-82.6B. Same-day registration. 11
(a) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, an individual who is qualified 12
to register to vote may register in person and then vote in the person 's county of residence on 13
election day or at an early voting site in the individual's county of residence during the period for 14
early voting provided under Part 5 of Article 14A of this Chapter. 15
(b) To register and vote under this section, an individual shall do all of the following: 16
(1) Complete a voter registration application form as prescribed in G.S. 163-82.4. 17
(2) Provide proof of residence by presenting a HAVA document listing the 18
individual's current name and residence address. 19
(3) Present photo identification in accordance with G.S. 163-166.16. 20
(c) An applicant who registers under this section shal l vote a retrievable ballot as 21
provided in G.S. 163-166.45 immediately after submitting the voter registration application form. 22
If a person declines to vote immediately, the registration shall be processed, and the person may 23
later vote at an early voting site under this section in the same election if the early voting period 24
has not closed. 25
(d) Within two business days of the individual's registration under this section, the county 26
board of elections in conjunction with the State Board shall verify the No rth Carolina drivers 27
license or social security number in accordance with G.S. 163-82.12, update the statewide 28
registration database, search for possible duplicate registrations, and proceed under 29
G.S. 163-82.7 to verify the applicant's address. The applic ant's vote shall be counted unless the 30
county board determines that the applicant is not qualified to vote in accordance with this 31
Chapter. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Chapter, if the Postal Service returns the 32
first notice required under G.S. 163-82.7(c) as undeliverable before the close of business on the 33
business day before canvass, the county board shall not register the applicant and shall retrieve 34
the applicant's ballot and remove that ballot's votes from the official count. 35
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 386-First Edition
(e) For purposes of this section, a "HAVA document" is any of the following that shows 1
the name and address of the individual: 2
(1) A current utility bill. 3
(2) A current bank statement. 4
(3) A current government check. 5
(4) A current paycheck. 6
(5) Another current government document. 7
(6) A current document issued from the institution who issued the photo 8
identification shown by the voter pursuant to G.S. 163-166.16. 9
(f) Any person who will become qualified by age to register and vote in the general 10
election for which a partisan or nonpartisan primary is held, even though not so qualified by the 11
date of the primary, may register for the primary and general election prior to the primary and 12
then vote in the primary and general election after being registered in accordance with the 13
provisions of this section." 14
SECTION 1.2. G.S. 163-59 reads as rewritten: 15
"§ 163-59. Right to participate or vote in party primary. 16
No person shall be entitled to vote or otherwise participate in the primary election of any 17
political party unless that person complies with all of the following: 18
(1) Is a registered voter. 19
(2) Has declared and has had recorded on the registration book or record the fact 20
that the voter affiliates with the political party in whose primary the voter 21
proposes to vote or participate. 22
(3) Is in good faith a member of that party. 23
Notwithstanding the previous paragraph, any unaffiliated voter who is authorized under 24
G.S. 163-119 may also vote in the primary if the voter is otherwise eligible to vote in that primary 25
except for subdivisions (2) and (3) of the previous paragraph. 26
Any person who will become qualified by age to register and vote in the general election for 27
which the primary is held, even though not so qualified by the date of the primary, shall be 28
entitled to register for the primary and general election prior to the primary and then to vote in 29
the primary after being registered. Such person may register not earlier than 60 days nor later 30
than the last day for making application to register under G.S. 163-82.6(d) prior to the primary. 31
In addition, persons who will become qualified by age to register and vote in the general election 32
for which the primary is held, who do not register during the special period may register to vote 33
after such period as if they were qualified on the basis of age, but until they are qualified by age 34
to vote, they may vote only in primary elections. The person also may register and vote in the 35
primary and general election pursuant to G.S. 163-82.6B." 36
SECTION 1.3. G.S. 163-82.6(d) reads as rewritten: 37
"(d) Registration Deadlines for a Primary or Election. – In Except as provided in 38
G.S. 163-82.6B, in order to be valid for a primary or election, the form: 39
(1) If submitted by mail, must be postmarked at least 25 days before the primary 40
or election, except that any mailed application on which the postmark is 41
missing or unclear is validly submitted if received in the mail not later than 20 42
days before the primary or election, 43
(2) If submitted in person, by facsimile transmission, or by tr ansmission of a 44
scanned document, must be received by the county board of elections by a 45
time established by that board, but no earlier than 5:00 P.M., on the 46
twenty-fifth day before the primary or election, 47
(3) If submitted through a delegatee who violates the duty set forth in subsection 48
(a) of this section, must be signed by the applicant and given to the delegatee 49
not later than 25 days before the primary or election, except as provided in 50
subsection (f) of this section." 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Senate Bill 386-First Edition Page 3
SECTION 1.4. G.S. 163-166.12(d), as amended by Section 3A.4(c) of S.L. 2024-57, 1
reads as rewritten: 2
"(d) Voting When Identification Numbers Do Not Match. – Regardless of whether an 3
individual has registered by mail or by another method, if the individual has provided with the 4
registration form a drivers license number or last four digits of a Social Security number but the 5
computer validation of the number as required by G.S. 163-82.12 did not result in a match, and 6
the number has not been otherwise validated by the county board, in the first election in which 7
the individual votes that individual shall submit with the ballot the form of identification 8
described in subsection (a) or subsection (b) of this section, depending upon whether the ballot 9
is voted in person or absentee. If that i dentification is provided no later than 12:00 P.M. on the 10
third business day after the election and the county board does not determine that the individual 11
is otherwise ineligible to vote a ballot, the failure of identification numbers to match shall not 12
prevent that individual from registering to vote and having that individual's vote counted. If the 13
individual registers and votes under G.S. 163-82.6B, the identification documents required in 14
that section, rather than those described in subsection (a) or (b) of this section, apply." 15
SECTION 1.5. G.S. 163-283 reads as rewritten: 16
"§ 163-283. Right to participate or vote in party primary. 17
No person shall be entitled to vote or otherwise participate in the primary election of any 18
political party unless that person complies with all of the following: 19
(1) Is a registered voter. 20
(2) Has declared and has had recorded on the registration book or record the fact 21
that the voter affiliates with the political party in whose primary the voter 22
proposes to vote or participate. 23
(3) Is in good faith a member of that party. 24
Notwithstanding the previous paragraph, any unaffiliated voter who is authorized under 25
G.S. 163-119 may also vote in the primary if the voter is otherwise eligible to vote in that primary 26
except for subdivisions (2) and (3) of the previous paragraph. 27
Any person who will become qualified by age to register and vote in the general election for 28
which the primary is held, even though not so qualified by the date of the primary election, shall 29
be entitled to register while the registration books are open during the regular registration period 30
prior to the primary and then to vote in the primary after being registered, provided however, 31
under full-time and permanent registration, such an individual may register no t earlier than 60 32
days nor later than the last day for making application to register under G.S. 163-82.6(d) prior to 33
the primary. In addition, persons who will become qualified by age to register and vote in the 34
general election for which the primary is held, who do not register during the special period may 35
register to vote after such period as if they were qualified on the basis of age, but until they are 36
qualified by age to vote, they may vote only in primary elections. The person also may register 37
and vote in the primary and general election pursuant to G.S. 163-82.6B." 38
SECTION 1.6. G.S. 163-283.1 reads as rewritten: 39
"§ 163-283.1. Voting in nonpartisan primary. 40
Any person who will become qualified by age to register and vote in the general election for 41
which a nonpartisan primary is held, even though not so qualified by the date of the primary, 42
shall be entitled to register for the primary and general election prior to the primary and then to 43
vote in the primary after being registered. Such a person may register not earlier than 60 days nor 44
later than the last day for making application to register under G.S. 163-82.6(d) prior to the 45
primary. The person also may register and vote in the primary and general election pursuant to 46
G.S. 163-82.6B." 47
48
PART II. PREREGISTRATION 49
SECTION 2.1. G.S. 163-82.1 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 50
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 4 Senate Bill 386-First Edition
"(d) Preregistration. – A person who is at least 16 years of age but will not be 18 years of 1
age by the date of the next election and who is otherwise qualified to register may preregister to 2
vote and shall be automatically registered upon reaching the age of eligibility following 3
verification of the person's qualifications and address in accordance with G.S. 163-82.7." 4
SECTION 2.2. G.S. 163-82.3(a) is amended by adding a new subdivision to read: 5
"(5) Preregister to vote." 6
SECTION 2.3. G.S. 163-82.4(e)(2) reads as rewritten: 7
"(2) The following question questions and statement: 8
a. "Will you be 18 years of age on or before election day?" and boxes for 9
the applicant to check to indicate whether the applicant will be 18 10
years of age or older on election day. 11
b. "Are you at least 16 years of age and understand that you must be 18 12
years of age on or before election day to vote? " and boxes for the 13
applicant to check to indicate whether the applicant is at least 16 years 14
of age and understands that the applicant must be at least 18 years of 15
age or older by election day to vote. 16
c. "If you checked "no' in response to this question, both of these 17
questions, do not submit this form."" 18
SECTION 2.4. G.S. 163-82.19(a) reads as rewritten: 19
"(a) Voter Registration at Drivers License Offices. – The Division of Motor Vehicles 20
shall, pursuant to the rules adopted by the State Board of Elections, modify its forms so that any 21
eligible person who applies for original issuance, renewal or correction of a drivers license, or 22
special identification card issued under G.S. 20-37.7 may, on a part of the form, complete an 23
application to register to vote, or to update the voter's registration if the voter has changed his or 24
her address or moved from one precinct to another or from one county to another. another, or to 25
preregister to vote. The person taking the application shall ask if the applicant is a citizen of the 26
United States. If the applicant states that the applicant is not a citizen of the United States, or 27
declines to answer the question, the person taking the application shall inform the applicant that 28
it is a felony for a person who is not a citizen of the United States to apply to register to vote. The 29
application shall state in clear language the penalty for violation of this section. The necessary 30
forms shall be prescribed by the State Board of Elections. The form must ask for the previous 31
voter registration address of the voter, if any. If a previous address is listed, and it is not in the 32
county of residence of the applicant, the appropriate county board of elections shall treat the 33
application as an authorization to cancel the previous reg istration and also process it as such 34
under the procedures of G.S. 163-82.9. If a previous address is listed and that address is in the 35
county where the voter applies to register, the application shall be processed as if it had been 36
submitted under G.S. 163-82.9. 37
Registration shall become effective as provided in G.S. 163-82.7. Applications to register to 38
vote accepted at a drivers license office under this section until the deadline established in 39
G.S. 163-82.6(d)(2) shall be treated as timely made for an election, and no person who completes 40
an application at that drivers license office shall be denied the vote in that election for failure to 41
apply earlier than that deadline. 42
All applications shall be forwarded by the Department of Transportation to the ap propriate 43
board of elections not later than five business days after the date of acceptance, according to rules 44
which shall be promulgated by the State Board of Elections. Those rules shall provide for a 45
paperless, instant, electronic transfer of applicati ons to the appropriate board of elections. All 46
applications for preregistration shall be forwarded to the State Board of Elections." 47
SECTION 2.5. G.S. 163-82.20 reads as rewritten: 48
"§ 163-82.20. Voter registration at other public agencies. 49
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General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Senate Bill 386-First Edition Page 5
(b) Duties of Voter Registration Agencies. – A voter registration agency described in 1
subsection (a) of this section shall, unless the applicant declines, in writing, to register to vote:or 2
preregister to vote, do each of the following: 3
(1) Distribute with each applic ation for service or assistance, and with each 4
recertification, renewal, or change of address relating to such service or 5
assistance: 6
a. The voter registration application form described in G.S. 163-82.3(a) 7
or (b); or 8
b. The voter registration agency's own form, if it is substantially 9
equivalent to the form described in G.S. 163-82.3(a) or (b) and has 10
been approved by the State Board of Elections, provided that the 11
agency's own form may be a detachable part of the agency's paper 12
application or may be a pape rless computer process, as long as the 13
applicant is required to sign an attestation as part of the application to 14
register.register or preregister. 15
(2) Provide a form that contains the elements required by section 7(a)(6)(B) of 16
the National Voter Registration Act; andAct. 17
(3) Provide to each applicant who does not decline to register or preregister to 18
vote the same degree of assistance with regard to the completion of the 19
registration application as is provided by the office with regard to the 20
completion of its own forms. 21
… 22
(e) Prohibitions. – Any person providing any service under subsection (b) of this section 23
shall not: 24
(1) Seek to influence an applicant's political preference or party registration, 25
except that this shall not be construed to prevent the n otice provided by 26
G.S. 163-82.4(d) to be given if the applicant refuses to declare his party 27
affiliation; 28
(2) Display any such political preference or party allegiance; 29
(3) Make any statement to an applicant or take any action the purpose or effect of 30
which is to discourage the applicant from registering or preregistering to vote; 31
or 32
(4) Make any statement to an applicant or take any action the purpose or effect of 33
which is to lead the applicant to believe that a decision to register or preregister 34
or not to register has any bearing on the availability of services or benefits. 35
(f) Confidentiality of Declination to Register. – No information relating to a declination 36
to register or preregister to vote in connection with an application made at a voter registration 37
agency may be used for any purpose other than voter registration. 38
(g) Transmittal From Agency to Board of Elections. – Any voter registration or 39
preregistration application completed at a voter registration agency shall be accepted by that 40
agency in lieu of the applicant's mailing the application. Any such application so received shall 41
be transmitted to the appropriate board of elections not later than five business days after 42
acceptance, according to rules which shall be promulgated by the State Board of Elections. 43
… 44
(i) Ineligible Applications Prohibited. – No person shall make application to register or 45
preregister to vote under this section if that person is ineligibl e on account of age, citizenship, 46
lack of residence for the period of time provided by law, or because of conviction of a felony." 47
SECTION 2.6. G.S. 163-82.23 reads as rewritten: 48
"§ 163-82.23. Voter registration at public high schools. 49
Every public high school shall make available to its students and others who are eligible to 50
register or preregister to vote the application forms described in G.S. 163-82.3, and shall keep a 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 6 Senate Bill 386-First Edition
sufficient supply of the forms so that they are always available. A local board of education may, 1
but is not required to, designate high school employees to assist in completing the forms. Only 2
employees who volunteer for this duty may be designated by boards of education." 3
SECTION 2.7. G.S. 115C-47(59) reads as rewritten: 4
"(59) To Encourage Student Voter Registration. Registration and Preregistration. – 5
Local boards of education are encouraged to adopt policies to promote student 6
voter registration. registration and preregistration. These policies may include 7
collaboration with county boards of elections to conduct voter registration and 8
preregistration in high schools. Completion and submission of voter 9
registration and preregistration forms shall not be a course requirement or 10
graded assignment for students." 11
SECTION 2.8. G.S. 115C-81.45(d)(1b)b. reads as rewritten: 12
"b. Instruction on the importance of voting and otherwise participating in 13
the democratic process, including instruction on voter 14
registration.registration and preregistration." 15
SECTION 2.9. The State Board of Elections and the Department of Public 16
Instruction are encouraged to improve outreach to high school students on voter registration and 17
preregistration programs when students are eligible to do either, including the curriculum element 18
on instruction in voter registration and preregistration, as provided by G.S. 115C-47(59) and 19
voter registration in public high schools authorized in G.S. 163-82.23. 20
21
PART III. EFFECTIVE DATE 22
SECTION 3.1. This act is effective when it becomes law. 23