Senate
File
2078
-
Introduced
SENATE
FILE
2078
BY
SALMON
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
voter
registration,
including
verification
1
of
voter
citizenship.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
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2078
Section
1.
NEW
SECTION
.
48A.33A
Verification
of
1
citizenship.
2
1.
The
United
States
citizenship
of
each
registrant
shall
3
be
verified
as
provided
in
subsection
2
before
the
person
4
is
allowed
to
cast
a
regular
ballot.
The
citizenship
of
a
5
registrant
shall
be
verified
as
provided
in
subsection
2
only
6
once.
7
2.
a.
The
registrar
shall
attempt
to
verify
the
citizenship
8
of
the
registrant
using
the
driver’s
license
database
9
maintained
by
the
department
of
transportation.
If
the
10
registrar
confirms
that
the
registrant
is
a
citizen
of
the
11
United
States,
the
registrant’s
voter
registration
shall
be
12
made
active
and
the
registrant
shall
be
allowed
to
cast
a
13
regular
ballot.
14
b.
If
the
registrar
is
unable
to
verify
the
registrant’s
15
citizenship
pursuant
to
paragraph
“a”
,
the
registrar
shall
16
attempt
to
verify
the
registrant’s
citizenship
using
17
appropriate
federal
databases,
including
but
not
limited
to
18
the
systematic
alien
verification
for
entitlements
system
19
and
the
e-verify
system
of
the
United
States
citizenship
and
20
immigration
services.
If
the
registrar
confirms
that
the
21
registrant
is
a
citizen
of
the
United
States,
the
registrant’s
22
voter
registration
shall
be
made
active
and
the
registrant
23
shall
be
allowed
to
cast
a
regular
ballot.
24
c.
(1)
If
the
registrar
is
unable
to
verify
the
25
registrant’s
citizenship
pursuant
to
paragraph
“a”
or
“b”
,
the
26
registrar
shall
inform
the
registrant
by
mail
requesting
that
27
the
registrant
produce
one
of
the
following
documents
verifying
28
the
registrant’s
United
States
citizenship:
29
(a)
A
birth
certificate
showing
birth
in
the
United
States.
30
(b)
A
certificate
of
naturalization.
31
(c)
A
certification
of
citizenship.
32
(d)
A
report
of
birth
abroad
of
a
United
States
citizen.
33
(e)
A
United
States
passport.
34
(2)
If
the
registrar
confirms
that
the
registrant
is
35
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3
S.F.
2078
a
citizen
of
the
United
States,
the
registrant’s
voter
1
registration
shall
be
made
active
and
the
registrant
shall
be
2
allowed
to
cast
a
regular
ballot.
If
the
registrar
is
unable
3
to
confirm
that
the
registrant
is
a
United
States
citizen,
the
4
registrant
shall
not
be
registered
to
vote.
5
3.
The
state
registrar
of
voters
shall
verify
the
United
6
States
citizenship
of
each
registered
voter
as
provided
in
7
subsection
2
whose
citizenship
was
not
verified
pursuant
to
8
subsection
2
at
the
time
of
registration.
The
state
registrar
9
of
voters
shall
cancel
the
registration
of
a
voter
found
to
be
10
ineligible
pursuant
to
section
48A.30.
11
4.
This
section
does
not
prohibit
a
person
whose
voter
12
registration
was
rejected
or
canceled
pursuant
to
this
13
section
but
who
later
attains
United
States
citizenship
from
14
registering
to
vote.
15
EXPLANATION
16
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
17
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
18
This
bill
relates
to
voter
registration.
19
The
bill
requires
a
county
commissioner
of
registration
to
20
verify
the
U.S.
citizenship
of
a
person
prior
to
registering
21
the
person
to
vote
and
allowing
the
person
to
cast
a
regular
22
ballot.
The
bill
requires
the
commissioner
to
first
attempt
to
23
verify
the
citizenship
of
the
registrant
using
the
department
24
of
transportation’s
driver’s
license
database.
If
the
25
commissioner
is
unable
to
verify
the
registrant’s
citizenship
26
using
the
driver’s
license
database,
the
commissioner
27
shall
attempt
to
do
so
using
appropriate
federal
databases,
28
including
but
not
limited
to
systematic
alien
verification
29
for
entitlement
and
e-verify
systems
of
the
U.S.
citizenship
30
and
immigration
services.
If
the
commissioner
cannot
verify
31
the
registrant’s
citizenship
using
federal
databases,
the
32
commissioner
shall
request
that
the
registrant
produce
a
33
document,
listed
in
the
bill,
that
verifies
the
registrant’s
34
citizenship.
If
the
commission
is
unable
to
verify
the
35
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3
S.F.
2078
registrant’s
citizenship,
the
registrant
shall
not
be
1
registered
to
vote.
The
bill
requires
the
state
registrar
of
2
voters
to
verify
the
U.S.
citizenship
of
current
registered
3
voters
and
to
cancel
the
registration
of
registered
voters
4
whose
citizenship
cannot
be
verified.
5
-3-
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ss/ns
3/
3