On the recordMarch 6, 2019
Mr. Chairman, since the United States has a very mobile population--roughly 40 million Americans, or 14 percent of the United States population, move each year--voters rarely inform elected officials when they move, and voters can often be on the voter rolls in two or even more different States at one time. Unless States have an efficient way of communicating with one another, it is possible that they may not be able to identify an individual who is on the rolls in two different States. This bill, H.R. 1, makes it more difficult for States to use systems provided for under the National Voter Registration Act and under HAVA. Under current law, States can send out cards and go through a process, which was upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States in Ohio in 2018. What my amendment does, simply, is require that new State residents applying for a driver's license notify the State if they intend to use their new residency for the purpose of voting; and if so, the amendment would mandate that the new State notify the applicant's previous State of residence so its chief election official can update voter lists accordingly. The amendment protects voters who are only making temporary moves to another State, while enabling States to more efficiently manage the voter registration file for the vast majority of applicants who are making a permanent move to a new State. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.





