A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to allow individuals who meet the criteria to register to vote or change voter registration online.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 163‑82.5 reads as rewritten:
"§ 163‑82.5.  Distribution of application forms.
(a)	The State Board of Elections shall make the forms described in G.S. 163‑82.3 available for distribution through governmental and private entities, with particular emphasis on making them available for organized voter registration drives.
(b)	The State Board of Elections shall make the forms available for completion and submission on a secure Internet Web site in accordance with this Article."
SECTION 2.  Article 7A of Chapter 163 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 163‑82.5A.  Online voter registration.
(a)	An individual who meets all of the following criteria may register to vote or change voter registration online:
(1)	The individual is eligible to register to vote.
(2)	The individual possesses one of the following that is current and valid:
a.	North Carolina drivers license issued under Article 2 of Chapter 20 of the General Statutes, including a learner's permit or a provisional license.
b.	Special identification card for nonoperators issued under G.S. 20‑37.7.
(b)	The State Board of Elections shall establish a secure Internet Web site to permit individuals described in subsection (a) of this section to complete and submit voter registration applications online.
(c)	The secure Web site established under subsection (b) of this section shall allow an individual described in subsection (a) of this section to submit:
(1)	An application for any of the following:
a.	Voter registration.
b.	Reporting of a change of name, address, or party affiliation. If the individual is already registered to vote and the change of address is to another county, it shall be treated as an application to register to vote.
(2)	Information to establish that the individual is eligible under this section to register online.
(3)	The individual's e‑mail address.
(d)	Upon receipt of an individual's application under subsection (c) of this section, the county board of elections in conjunction with the State Board of Elections shall verify the North Carolina drivers license or Social Security number in accordance with G.S. 163‑82.12, update the statewide registration database and search for possible duplicate registrations, and proceed under G.S. 163‑82.7 to verify the person's address.
(e)	If the State Board verifies the North Carolina drivers license or Social Security number in accordance with G.S. 163‑82.12, the Division of Motor Vehicles shall transfer the digital signature of the applicant in the Division of Motor Vehicles records to the State Board.
(f)	If the State Board cannot verify the North Carolina drivers license or Social Security number in accordance with G.S. 163‑82.12, the State Board shall so notify the individual submitting the application by e‑mail, if provided, and in accordance with this Article. That individual shall be offered an opportunity to register in accordance with G.S. 163‑82.6 or G.S. 163‑82.6A, as applicable."
SECTION 3.  G.S. 163‑82.10(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a)	Official Record. – The State voter registration system is the official voter registration list for the conduct of all elections in the State. The State Board of Elections and the county board of elections may keep copies of voter registration data, including voter registration applications, in any medium and format expressly approved by the Department of Cultural Resources pursuant to standards and conditions established by the Department and mutually agreed to by the Department and the State Board of Elections. A completed and signed registration application form, if available, described in G.S. 163‑82.3, once approved by the county board of elections, becomes backup to the official registration record of the voter. Full or partial social security numbers, dates of birth, the identity of the public agency at which the voter registered under G.S. 163‑82.20, any electronic mail address submitted under this Article or Article 21A of this Chapter, any electronic data associated with online registration under G.S. 163‑82.5A, and drivers license numbers that may be generated by the voter, the State Board of Elections, or a county board of elections in the voter registration process are confidential and shall not be considered public records and subject to disclosure to the general public under Chapter 132 of the General Statutes. Cumulative data based on those items of information may be publicly disclosed as long as information about any individual cannot be discerned from the disclosed data. Disclosure of information in violation of this subsection shall not give rise to a civil cause of action. This limitation of liability does not apply to the disclosure of information in violation of this subsection as a result of gross negligence, wanton conduct, or intentional wrongdoing that would otherwise be actionable. The signature of the voter, either on the paper application or an electronically captured image of it, may be viewed by the public but may not be copied or traced except by election officials for election administration purposes. Any such copy or tracing is not a public record."
SECTION 4.  This act becomes effective December 1, 2017.