PETITION OF:

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In the Year Two Thousand and Seven.

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An Act relative to the enrollment of voters in the Commonwealth.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 44 of Chapter 51 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2002 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following sentence:— A person registering as a voter who does not establish his enrollment in a political party or political designation as provided herein, shall be recorded as unaffiliated.

SECTION 2. Section 37 of Chapter 53 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2002 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the fifth sentence in its entirety and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:— If the voter was not enrolled with a party prior to the selection of a party ballot he shall continue to be unaffiliated and shall be recorded as unaffiliated in the current annual register of voters; provided, however, that in a presidential primary, the voter shall become enrolled in and shall remain a member of the political party whose ballot he received until he files a certificate, signed under the pains and penalties of perjury, with the board of registrars of voters, requesting to have his enrollment changed to another party or political designation or canceled or by appearing in person before a member of said board and requesting, in writing, that such enrollment be changed or cancelled.

SECTION 3. Section 37A of said chapter is hereby amended in line 3 by striking out the term “unenrolled” and replacing it with the following term:— unaffiliated.

SECTION 4. Section 37A of said chapter is hereby amended by striking out the second and third paragraphs and inserting in place thereof the following paragraphs:—
The officers processing absentee ballots shall cause to be recorded upon the voting lists to be used at the polling place the political party in whose primary the absentee voter has cast his ballot if he is unaffiliated, or the officers charged with the casting of such absentee ballot at the polling place shall so record on the voting list the political party in whose primary the absentee voter has cast his ballot if he is unaffiliated.
If the voter was unaffiliated prior to the selection of a party ballot he shall continue to be unaffiliated and shall be recorded as unaffiliated in the current annual register of voters; provided, however, that, in a presidential primary, the voter shall become enrolled in and shall remain a member of the political party whose ballot he received until he files a certificate, signed under the pains and penalties of perjury with the board of registrars of voters, requesting to have his enrollment changed to another party or political designation or cancelled or by appearing in person before a member of said board and requesting, in writing, that such enrollment be changed or cancelled.

SECTION 5. Section 38A of said chapter is hereby amended in line 4 by striking out the term “unenrolled” and replacing it with the following term:— unaffiliated.