Section 17-4-201

When maintenance activities to be conducted; notice to registered voters; updating voter list; suspense file; names removed from voter list.

(a) Beginning in January, 1996, and each year thereafter during the month of January, the county boards of registrars shall conduct voter list maintenance activities in lieu of the purge activities which were heretofore conducted in the month of August.

(b) Beginning in January, 1997, and in January of every fourth year thereafter, the boards of registrars shall mail a nonforwardable notice to all registered voters in the county. The notice shall be designed and provided for the boards of registrars by the Secretary of State. The notice shall be sent on a postcard providing general information on elections. The notice shall be mailed to the last known address of the voter appearing on the voter registration list. If the notice is returned to the boards of registrars indicating that the voter may have relocated, the board shall send a forwardable notice to the registered voter on which the voter may confirm his or her current address. The forwardable notice shall be mailed no later than 90 days after receipt of the returned nonforwardable notice. The boards of registrars shall record and maintain the dates on which the nonforwardable notice was returned to the board and the date on which the forwardable notice was mailed to the registered voter.

(c) The boards of registrars shall update the voter list for the county using the information reported to the board by the registered voters on the address confirmation cards provided for in subsection (b). If the registered voter does not respond to the forwardable notice on which the registered voter may confirm his or her address within 90 days on the date on which the notice was mailed or if the forwardable notice is returned to the board as undeliverable, the boards of registrars shall place the name of the registered voter on the inactive list of registered voters and in a suspense file in the office of the board. The suspense file shall contain all of the following information:

(1) The name of the registered voter.

(2) The last known address of the registered voter.

(3) The social security number or other personal identification number of the registered voter.

(4) The date on which the name of the registered voter was placed in the suspense file.

(d) The name of a registered voter who does not vote or appear to vote in one of the next two federal elections held after his or her name is placed in the suspense file shall be removed from the voter list.

(e) The names of persons to be removed from the list of registered voters shall be listed by precinct and in alphabetical order and published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county once a week for two consecutive weeks in November or December of each year commencing in November 1996.

(Acts 1995, No. 95-769, p. 1816, §2.)