Florida Senate - 2017                                     SB 602
       
       
        
       By Senator Garcia
       
       36-00716-17                                            2017602__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the presidential preference
    3         primary; amending s. 97.041, F.S.; authorizing certain
    4         preregistered voter registration applicants to vote in
    5         the presidential preference primary; prohibiting such
    6         persons from voting on any other race, amendment, or
    7         ballot measure on the ballot; providing that such
    8         persons are not considered electors for purposes of
    9         the Florida Election Code; amending s. 98.461, F.S.;
   10         requiring the supervisor of elections to generate a
   11         separate precinct register containing preregistered
   12         voter registration applicants eligible to vote in the
   13         presidential preference primary; providing an
   14         effective date.
   15          
   16  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   17  
   18         Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 97.041, Florida
   19  Statutes, is amended to read:
   20         97.041 Qualifications to register or vote.—
   21         (1)(a) A person may become a registered voter only if that
   22  person:
   23         1. Is at least 18 years of age;
   24         2. Is a citizen of the United States;
   25         3. Is a legal resident of the State of Florida;
   26         4. Is a legal resident of the county in which that person
   27  seeks to be registered; and
   28         5. Registers pursuant to the Florida Election Code.
   29         (b)1. A person who is otherwise qualified may preregister
   30  on or after that person’s 16th birthday and may vote in any
   31  election occurring on or after that person’s 18th birthday.
   32         2. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the
   33  contrary, a person who has preregistered pursuant to
   34  subparagraph 1. and who will be 18 years of age on or before the
   35  day of the next presidential general election may vote in the
   36  presidential preference primary for purposes of selecting a
   37  candidate for nomination for President of the United States or
   38  selecting delegates to a political party’s national nominating
   39  convention. However, such person may not vote in any other race,
   40  amendment, or ballot measure that is scheduled to appear on the
   41  ballot in an election held concurrently with the presidential
   42  preference primary. Other than voting in a presidential
   43  preference primary in accordance with this subparagraph, the
   44  person is otherwise not considered an elector for purposes of
   45  this code until that person’s 18th birthday.
   46         Section 2. Subsection (3) is added to section 98.461,
   47  Florida Statutes, to read:
   48         98.461 Registration application, precinct register;
   49  contents.—
   50         (3) For a presidential preference primary conducted
   51  pursuant to s. 103.101, the supervisor of elections must
   52  generate a separate precinct register containing the names of
   53  persons who have preregistered to vote pursuant to s.
   54  97.041(1)(b) and who will be 18 years of age on or before the
   55  day of the next presidential general election. The precinct
   56  register must contain the same information concerning electors
   57  required by subsection (2).
   58         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2017.