HB257 Summary

• Requires the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency, judges of probate, license commissioners, and other license issuing officials to collect voter registration information simultaneously when issuing, renewing, or updating driver licenses or nondriver identification cards.

• Applicants may opt-out of voter registration by signed statement, and information about applicants who decline is protected as confidential and limited to voter registration purposes only.

• License issuing officials must forward completed voter registration applications to the Secretary of State within five days, who then forwards signed applications to county boards of registrars within five days; unsigned applications are retained by the Secretary of State for at least four years.

• A voter registration application submitted through this process updates any previous registration and authorizes cancellation of registration in other counties or states; address changes on driver license renewals automatically serve as voter registration address changes.

• Information collected is not a public record, and license issuing officials are not required to determine voter eligibility; the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency and Secretary of State may adopt rules to implement the process; the act becomes effective the first day of the third month after passage and approval.