Section 183.5. Uniform procedures for the commissions relating to accepting or rejecting applications on the SURE system

(a) A commission shall be responsible for making the final decision to accept or reject an applicant’s application to register to vote in accordance with section 1328 of the act (relating to approval of registration applications).

(b) A commission shall verify the signature of a registrant in the following manner:

(1) If a registrant, either in person or in writing, requests a change of name, party affiliation, or address within the same county, the commission shall attempt to verify the signature of the voter.

(2) If the commission verifies that the signature is valid and from the registrant in question, the commission shall:

(i) Make the change.

(ii) Send the registrant, by nonforwardable mail, a voter identification card that reflects the change, as provided by section 1328(c) of the act.

(3) If the commission is not satisfied that the request is from the registrant in question, the commission shall mail a notice to the applicant, directing the applicant to appear at the office of the commission to answer, under oath, any questions that the commission considers necessary. If the applicant fails to appear as directed, the commission may not make the change requested, and shall inform the applicant in writing of this decision.

(c) Except as provided at subsection (d), a commission shall use reasonable efforts to ascertain information that is necessary for voter registration and is incomplete, inconsistent or unclear on an applicant’s application form. Reasonable efforts shall include mailing a notice to the applicant or contacting the applicant by phone, if available. The commission shall notify the applicant of the reason the application could not be accepted and provide the opportunity for the applicant to complete the form.

(d) If an applicant fails to designate political party affiliation on a VRMA, the commission shall register the applicant without indicating political party affiliation, and the commission shall notify the applicant that the applicant will not be permitted to vote for candidates in a primary election.

(e) The commission need not correspond with an applicant, in accordance with section 1322 of the act (relating to in-person voter registration), if the applicant makes application to register to vote in person with the commission, and the commission rejects the application in the applicant’s presence. In accordance with section 1322(a) of the act, if the commission accepts the application, it shall mail the applicant an identification card as provided by section 1328(c) of the act.

(f) The following items on a VRMA and any other approved voter registration form are additional or optional information and may not be considered when determining the acceptance or rejection of the application as provided in section 1327(a) of the act (relating to preparation and distribution of applications):

(1) Sex.

(2) Telephone number.

(3) Race.

(4) Date.

(5) Prior registration information.

(6) Alternate mailing address.

(i) The applicant may provide an alternate mailing address, separate from the residence address. The alternate mailing address may only be used for mailing information to the applicant.

(ii) In accordance with section 1328(c) of the act, the voter identification card shall be mailed to the applicant’s address of residence.

(7) Unique identifier.

(8) The last four digits of an applicant’s Social Security number if the applicant’s driver’s license number is provided.

The provisions of this § 183.5 adopted December 27, 2002, effective January 27, 2003, 32 Pa.B. 6340.