Senate Bill 2501 Summary

• Requires registered voters to be affiliated with a political party to vote in that party's primary election, effective October 2, 2023; unaffiliated voters may only vote in nonpartisan elections held with primaries.

• Allows voters to select or change party affiliation by completing a uniform statewide voter registration application, with changes effective 30 days before elections (except primary elections where changes are effective for subsequent elections only).

• Directs the Secretary of State to establish a uniform statewide voter registration application by rule that includes party affiliation designation and can be used for initial registration, address changes, party affiliation changes, name changes, and signature updates.

• Makes it a crime of vote fraud (punishable by $500-$5,000 fine or up to 1 year in jail) for any person to vote in a primary election for a candidate of a party other than the party in which the person is registered.

• Authorizes circuit and municipal clerks to enter and process voter party affiliation information in the Statewide Elections Management System; requires county registrars to notify voters registered without party affiliation that they may change affiliation as provided in the act.