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An Act To Require the Secretary of State To Verify Voter Signatures
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  21-A MRSA §196-A, sub-§1, ¶I  is enacted to read:
 
I.  The Secretary of State and registrars may use the central voter registration system to verify signatures for primary petitions, nomination petitions, statewide direct initiatives of legislation and people's veto referenda.
Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §335, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1985, c. 161, §6, is amended to read:
 
3. How signed.   The voter must personally sign histhe voter's name in such a manner as to satisfy the registrar of his municipalitySecretary of State that hethe voter is a registered voter and enrolled in the party named on the petition. Either the voter or the circulator of the petition must print the voter's name.
Sec. 3. 21-A MRSA §335, sub-§7, ¶B, as amended by PL 2005, c. 453, §48, is further amended to read:
 
B. The registrar, or clerk at the request or upon the absence of the registrar, of each municipality concernedSecretary of State shall certify which names on a petition appear in the central voter registration system as registered and enrolled voters in thata municipality and may not certify any names that do not satisfy subsection 3.
Sec. 4. 21-A MRSA §354, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1985, c. 161, §6, is amended to read:
 
3. How signed.   The voter must personally sign histhe voter's name in such a manner as to satisfy the registrar of his municipalitySecretary of State that hethe voter is a registered voter. Either the voter or the circulator of the petition must print the voter's name.
Sec. 5. 21-A MRSA §354, sub-§7, ¶B, as amended by PL 1999, c. 264, §1, is further amended to read:
 
B. Petitions must be delivered to the registrar, or clerk at the request or upon the absence of the registrar,Secretary of State for certification by 5 p.m. on May 25th in the election year in which the petitions are to be used, except that petitions for a slate of candidates for the office of presidential elector must be delivered for certification by 5 p.m. on August 8th in the election year in which the petitions are to be used.
Sec. 6. 21-A MRSA §354, sub-§7, ¶C, as amended by PL 2005, c. 453, §50, is further amended to read:
 
C. The registrar, or clerk at the request or upon the absence of the registrar, of each municipality concernedSecretary of State shall certify which names on a petition appear in the central voter registration system as registered voters in thata municipality and may not certify any names that do not satisfy subsection 3.
Sec. 7. Fund central signature verification within current budget. The Secretary of State shall establish a system to centralize voter signature verification. The Secretary of State shall establish the system within existing budgeted resources, except that the Secretary of State may seek additional grant funding.
 
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Secretary of State rather than the registrars to verify signatures on petitions. The Secretary of State is required to verify the signatures on primary petitions, nomination petitions, citizen initiatives and people's veto referenda. The Secretary of State is required to fund the system of centralized voter signature verification within existing budgeted resources, although the Secretary of State may seek outside grant funding.