SB 488 — An Act amending Title 25 (Elections) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in preliminary provisions relating to voter registration, further providing for definitions; in registration system, further providing for SURE system; in voter registration, further providing for qualifications to register and for government agencies, providing for preregistration data entry and further providing for preparation and distribution of applications; and, in changes in records, further providing for death of registrant.

PRINTER'S NO.    460

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                        SENATE BILL
                        No. 488
                                                  Session of
                                                    2025

     INTRODUCED BY COLLETT, STREET, SAVAL, COMITTA, KEARNEY, HAYWOOD,
        KANE, COSTA, SANTARSIERO AND MUTH, MARCH 21, 2025

     REFERRED TO STATE GOVERNMENT, MARCH 21, 2025


                                       AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 25 (Elections) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
 2      Statutes, in preliminary provisions relating to voter
 3      registration, further providing for definitions; in
 4      registration system, further providing for SURE system; in
 5      voter registration, further providing for qualifications to
 6      register and for government agencies, providing for
 7      preregistration data entry and further providing for
 8      preparation and distribution of applications; and, in changes
 9      in records, further providing for death of registrant.
10      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
11   hereby enacts as follows:
12      Section 1.    Section 1102 of Title 25 of the Pennsylvania
13   Consolidated Statutes is amended by adding definitions to read:
14   § 1102.    Definitions.
15      Subject to additional definitions contained in subsequent
16   provisions of this part which are applicable to specific
17   provisions of this part, the following words and phrases when
18   used in this part shall have the meanings given to them in this
19   section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
20      * * *
21      "Preregistrant."       A person who is at least 16 years of age,
 1   but not yet 18 years of age, who is otherwise eligible to
 2   register to vote in accordance with this part.
 3      "Preregistration."      A process in which a preregistrant
 4   submits the information necessary for voter registration and
 5   inclusion into the SURE system in accordance with this part
 6   prior to the time at which the preregistrant is eligible to
 7   actively register to vote under section 1301 (relating to
 8   qualifications to register).
 9      * * *
10      Section 2.      Section 1222(c) of Title 25 is amended by adding
11   paragraphs to read:
12   § 1222.    SURE system.
13      * * *
14      (c)    Requirements.--The SURE system shall be developed as a
15   single, uniform integrated computer system. All commissions
16   shall be connected electronically to the SURE system and shall
17   maintain their registration records in the system. The SURE
18   system shall, at a minimum, do all of the following:
19             * * *
20             (22)    Contain a code to enable identification and
21      tracking of preregistration status.
22             (23)    Automatically activate the registration of a
23      preregistrant no later than the preregistrant's 18th
24      birthday.
25      * * *
26      Section 3.      Section 1301(a) of Title 25 is amended and the
27   section is amended by adding a subsection to read:
28   § 1301.    Qualifications to register.
29      (a)    Eligibility.--[An] Except as provided in subsection
30   (a.1), an individual [who] shall be eligible to register to vote

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 1   if the individual:
 2             (1)     will be at least 18 years of age on the day of the
 3      next election[, who];
 4             (2)     has been a citizen of the United States for at least
 5      one month prior to the next election and [who] has resided in
 6      this Commonwealth and the election district where the
 7      individual offers to vote for at least 30 days prior to the
 8      next ensuing election; and
 9             (3)     has not been confined in a penal institution for a
10      conviction of a felony within the last five years [shall be
11      eligible to register as provided in this chapter].
12      (a.1)    Preregistration.--Notwithstanding subsection (a)(1), a
13   preregistrant may preregister to vote, provided that the
14   preregistrant may not vote in any election before reaching 18
15   years of age. The department shall provide guidance within 90
16   days of the effective date of this subsection to assist
17   commissions in implementing preregistration.
18      * * *
19      Section 4.       Section 1325(b)(4) of Title 25 is amended to
20   read:
21   § 1325.    Government agencies.
22      * * *
23      (b)    Forms.--An agency designated in subsection (a) shall
24   provide a form for office visits or, if the agency provides
25   services to persons with disabilities, for home visits which
26   contains all of the following:
27             * * *
28             (4)   The statement "In order to be qualified to register
29      to vote, you must be at least 18 years of age on the day of
30      the next election, you must have been a citizen of the United

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 1      States for at least one month prior to the next election and
 2      have resided in Pennsylvania and the election district where
 3      you plan to vote for at least 30 days prior to the next
 4      election, and you must not have been confined in a penal
 5      institution for a conviction of a felony within the last five
 6      years[."]. You may preregister to vote if you are at least 16
 7      years of age, provided you may not vote in an election until
 8      you reach 18 years of age."
 9             * * *
10      Section 5.       Title 25 is amended by adding a section to read:
11   § 1326.1.       Preregistration data entry.
12      In the case of preregistration, each commission shall enter
13   preregistration information into the SURE system upon receipt of
14   the information and ensure that each preregistrant is actively
15   registered to vote no later than the preregistrant's 18th
16   birthday.
17      Section 6.       Sections 1327(a)(4)(iii) and (b)(1)(ii) and
18   1505(a) of Title 25 are amended to read:
19   § 1327.    Preparation and distribution of applications.
20      (a)    Form.--
21             * * *
22             (4)    A voter registration application shall be printed on
23      stock of good quality and shall be of suitable uniform size.
24      Nothing in this part shall prohibit the design and use of an
25      electronic voter registration application which includes the
26      applicant's digitized or electronic signature. The
27      registration application shall contain the following
28      information; however, the information may be provided on a
29      separate form for voter registration made under section 1323
30      or 1325:

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 1                   * * *
 2                   (iii)    Notice that the applicant must be a citizen of
 3             the United States for at least one month prior to the
 4             next election and a resident of this Commonwealth and the
 5             election district for at least 30 days and must be at
 6             least 18 years of age by the day of the next ensuing
 7             election, unless the individual is at least 16 years of
 8             age and preregisters to vote, and has not been confined
 9             in a penal institution for a conviction of a felony
10             within the last five years. The notice required in this
11             subparagraph shall be in print identical to the
12             declaration under subsection (b).
13                   * * *
14      (b)    Registration declaration.--
15             (1)   The official voter registration application shall
16      contain a registration declaration. On the declaration, the
17      applicant shall state all of the following:
18                   * * *
19                   (ii)    On the day of the next ensuing election, the
20             applicant shall be at least 18 years of age[.], unless
21             the applicant is preregistering to vote in the next
22             election in which the individual reaches 18 years of age.
23                   * * *
24   § 1505.    Death of registrant.
25      (a)    Department of Health.--A commission shall cancel the
26   registration of a registered elector or the preregistration of a
27   preregistrant reported dead by the Department of Health. The
28   Department of Health shall, within 60 days of receiving notice
29   of the death of an individual [18] 16 years of age or older,
30   send the name and address of residence of that individual to a

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1   commission in a manner and on a form prescribed by the
2   department. The commission shall promptly update information
3   contained in its registration records.
4      * * *
5      Section 7.   This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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