SB 206

Current law allows a voter who is indefinitely confined because of age, physical

illness, infirmity, or disability to have, by signing a statement to that effect, an

absentee ballot sent to the voter automatically every election. The voter is not

required to submit a copy of his or her voter identification with the request to receive

absentee ballots automatically, but is required to notify the municipal clerk when the

voter is no longer indefinitely confined.

This bill does all of the following:

1. Requires that the voter's statement claiming that he or she is indefinitely

confined be made under oath.

2. If the voter is under the age of 65, requires that the voter's statement be

signed by a physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse

who has primary responsibility for the treatment and care of the voter.

4. Specifies that the existence of an outbreak or epidemic of a communicable

disease in a voter's community does not qualify the voter as indefinitely confined.

5. Provides that a voter's status as indefinitely confined is removed every two

years unless the voter submits a renewal application.

6. Specifies that the penalty for making a false statement for the purpose of

qualifying as indefinitely confined is a Class I felony, which is a fine not to exceed

$10,000 or imprisonment not to exceed three years and six months, or both.

6. Requires the Elections Commission to facilitate the removal of the

indefinitely confined status of each voter who received that status between March

12, 2020, and November 6, 2020. A voter whose indefinitely confined status is so

removed must submit a new application for indefinitely confined status in order to

continue receiving absentee ballots automatically.

Because this bill creates a new crime or revises a penalty for an existing crime,

the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties may be requested to prepare a

report.