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Government agencies - 25 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 1325Legal Research Home > Pennsylvania Statutes
§ 1325. Government agencies.
(a) General rule.--The secretary shall administer a system
whereby all offices in this Commonwealth that provide public
assistance, each county clerk of orphans' court, including each
marriage license bureau, all offices in this Commonwealth that
provide State-funded programs primarily engaged in providing
services to persons with disabilities and all armed forces
recruitment centers do all of the following:
(1) Distribute voter registration applications with each
application; reapplication; and application for
recertification, renewal or change of address.
(2) Assist applicants with completion of the
registration application unless assistance is refused.
(3) Accept completed registration applications.
(4) Transmit completed applications to the appropriate
commission.
(b) Forms.--An agency designated in subsection (a) shall
provide a form for office visits or, if the agency provides
services to persons with disabilities, for home visits which
contains all of the following:
(1) The question "If you are not registered to vote
where you live now, would you like to apply to register to
vote today?"
(2) If the agency provides public assistance, the
statement "Applying to register or declining to register to
vote will not affect the amount of assistance that you will
be provided by this agency."
(3) Boxes for the applicant to check to indicate whether
the applicant would like to register or decline to register
to vote. In close proximity to the boxes the following words
shall appear in prominent type: "IF YOU DO NOT CHECK EITHER
BOX, YOU WILL BE CONSIDERED TO HAVE DECIDED NOT TO REGISTER
TO VOTE AT THIS TIME."
(4) The statement "In order to be qualified to register
to vote, you must be at least 18 years of age on the day of
the next election, you must have been a citizen of the United
States for at least one month prior to the next election and
have resided in Pennsylvania and the election district where
you plan to vote for at least 30 days prior to the next
election, and you must not have been confined in a penal
institution for a conviction of a felony within the last five
years."
(5) The statement "If you would like help in filling out
the voter registration application form, we will help you.
The decision whether to seek help is yours. You may fill out
the form in private."
(6) The statement "If you believe that someone has
interfered with your right to register or to decline to
register to vote, your right to privacy in deciding whether
to register or in applying to register to vote or your right
to choose your own political party or other political
preference, you may file a complaint with the Secretary of
the Commonwealth, Pennsylvania Department of State,
Harrisburg, PA 17120." The secretary shall establish and
publish a toll-free telephone number for the purpose of
receiving complaints.
(c) Effect.--Failure to check either box under subsection
(b)(3) shall be considered a declination to register to vote.
(d) Staff.--Agency employees assisting in the completion of
voter registration applications shall conduct themselves in a
manner consistent with the following principles:
(1) They shall not seek to influence an applicant's
political preference or party registration or display
political preference or party allegiance.
(2) They shall not make any statement to an applicant or
take any action the purpose of or effect of which is to
discourage the applicant from registering to vote.
(3) They shall not make any statement to an applicant or
take any action the purpose of or effect of which is to lead
the applicant to believe that a decision to register or not
to register has any bearing on the availability of services
or benefits.
Agency employees who violate this subsection shall be removed
from employment, provided that the agency at its discretion may
impose a penalty of suspension without pay for at least 30 days,
but not more than 120 days, if it finds that the violation does
not warrant termination.
(e) Encouraging registration.--An agency designated in
subsection (a) shall provide reasonable space for nonpartisan
signs or posters encouraging voter registration. The signs and
posters shall be provided by the secretary.
(f) Transmission.--An agency designated in subsection (a)
shall forward all completed applications to the appropriate
commission within ten days after the date of receipt. If a voter
registration application is received within five days before the
last day to register before an election, the application shall
be transmitted to the appropriate commission not later than five
days after the date of its receipt by the agency.
(g) Confidentiality.--The identity of the voter registration
agency through which any particular voter is registered in
accordance with this section shall not be disclosed to the
public.
(h) Use of information.--No information relating to a
declination to register to vote in connection with an
application made at an office described in this section may be
used for any purpose other than voter registration.
(i) Assistance.--Each agency shall provide to each applicant
who chooses to register to vote the same degree of assistance
with regard to the completion of the registration application
form as is provided by the office with regard to the completion
of its own forms unless the applicant refuses such assistance.
(j) Regulation.--The secretary shall promulgate regulations
regarding the maintenance and destruction of forms used pursuant
to this section.
Cross References. Section 1325 is referred to in sections
1201, 1321, 1326, 1327, 1406, 1801 of this title.
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Last modified: November 27, 2007 |