Senate Passes H.R. 3295 Election Reform
Legislation
On April 11, 2002, the Senate, by unanimous consent, passed an
amended version of H.R. 3295, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Equal
Protection of Voting Rights Act of 2002. This election reform bill
includes SSA-related provisions concerning the use of Social
Security numbers for voter registration, election administration,
and computerized voter registration lists.
Specifically the bill would:
- Permit any State or political subdivision to use the Social
Security number issued by the Commissioner of Social Security for
the purpose of establishing identification of individuals and may
require individuals to furnish their Social Security number if
required by the State for the administration of voter registration
or other election law.
- Require the Commissioner of Social Security to verify certain
information for States or localities that maintain a computerized
centralized statewide voter registration list. It would require
SSA to provide to State/localities, upon their request,
verification of the Social Security number of an individual and
whether such individual is shown on our records as being deceased
for voter registration purposes. The information that any
state/locality receives from Social Security may only be shared
with election officials.
- Require the Commissioner of Social Security to prescribe the
place and manner for the exchange of this information to protect
and prevent the misuse of information.
- Require the Commissioner of Social Security to determine if a
request for a record of an individual should not be granted based
on exceptional circumstances, such as the safety of the individual
or interference with an investigation.
- Require individuals who are registering to vote to meet
certain registration requirements. Specifically, the bill would
allow States to require an individual, who registers to vote by
mail, to submit at least the last four digits of the individual's
Social Security number with the registration if the information
matches an existing State record bearing the same number, name and
date of birth provided in the registration.
The House version of the bill passed in December 2001. The Senate
amended H.R. 3295 by inserting the language of S. 565, which was
approved on April 11, 2002, by a vote of 99 to 1. The Senate has
requested a conference with the House to reconcile differences
between the House and Senate versions of H.R. 3295. |
|