GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

1983 SESSION

 

 

CHAPTER 854

HOUSE BILL 1112

 

AN ACT TO AMEND CHAPTER 163 OF THE GENERAL STATUTES TO AUTHORIZE REGISTRATION OF VOTERS BY DRIVER LICENSE EXAMINERS OF THE DIVISION OF MOTOR VEHICLES.

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

 

Section 1.  Chapter 163 of the General Statutes is amended by adding the following new section:

"§ 163-81. Driver license examiners authorized to accept applications to register voters.-(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the State Board of Elections is authorized to appoint as special registration commissioners duly appointed driver license examiners of the Division of Motor Vehicles.

The State Board of Elections may appoint such number of license examiners as it deems necessary as special registration commissioners, and the persons appointed shall serve at the pleasure of the State Board of Elections, and may be removed as a registration commissioner at any time for any reason satisfactory to the Board.

Before entering upon the duties of the office each special registration commissioner shall take the oath of office prescribed in Section 7 of Article VI of the North Carolina Constitution.

(b)       Special registration commissioners appointed under this section are authorized to accept applications to register persons who are qualified for registration regardless of that person's voting precinct or county of residence in the State. The special registration commissioners appointed pursuant to this section shall possess those qualifications set forth in G.S. 163-41(b), and shall have the same authority to accept applications to register voters as is conferred upon registration officials in this Chapter.

(c)       The Division of Motor Vehicles shall, pursuant to the rules and regulations adopted by the State Board of Elections, afford a person who applies for original issuance, renewal or correction of a driver's license an opportunity to complete an application to register to vote or to update his registration if the voter has changed his address or moved from one precinct to another or from one county to another. The necessary forms shall be prescribed by the State Board of Elections. All applications shall be forwarded to the appropriate County Board of Elections.

Registration shall become effective as provided in G.S. 163- 67(a).

(d)       The State Board of Elections is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this section."

Sec. 2.  There is appropriated from the Highway Fund to the Division of Motor Vehicles of the Department of Transportation the sum of nine hundred thirty-four thousand one hundred fifteen dollars ($934,115) for fiscal year 1983-84 and the sum of nine hundred forty-seven thousand three hundred seventy-five dollars ($947,375) for fiscal year 1984-85 in a reserve to implement G.S. 163-81.  Use of funds from this reserve shall be subject to the approval of the Director of the Budget.

Sec. 3.  This act is effective upon ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 20th day of July, 1983.