House Bill 446 - Safeguarding Voting Rights

• Establishes automatic voter registration at Division of Motor Vehicles offices (effective January 1, 2022) and other public agencies (effective January 1, 2023), with applicants able to decline registration and maintain confidentiality of declinations.

• Creates online voter registration system allowing individuals with valid North Carolina driver's licenses or special identification cards to register or update voter information on a secure State Board website (effective December 1, 2021).

• Reduces absentee ballot witness requirement from two persons to one person, with alternative options for notarization or witness certification, and establishes ballot drop boxes at county election offices at least 15 days before elections.

• Modifies early voting hours by allowing counties to extend Saturday early voting closing time from 3:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. and provides flexibility for county boards to deviate more than two hours from standard schedules.

• Treats election day (Tuesday after first Monday in November in even-numbered years) as a paid state holiday for state employees and encourages private employers to allow voting time off.