Relating to the address confidentiality program

Under current law, the address confidentiality program managed by the secretary of state provides mail forwarding services to program participants who include victims of domestic abuse, domestic abuse assault, sexual abuse, assault, stalking, or human trafficking, and individuals who fear for their own safety or the safety of a household member. This bill allows the secretary to (1) accept as an eligible person’s residential or mailing address the name and other contact information of a shelter at which the eligible person resides in lieu of the shelter’s physical address, (2) cancel an adult participant’s certification or a deceased participant’s certification upon receiving reliable information, and (3) hold a participant’s mail for up to days at the request of the participant. The bill requires the secretary or a county commissioner of elections to cancel a participant’s voter registration if aware that the participant is registered to vote in another state. The bill allows a program participant to register as an absentee voter for the length of the participant’s certification period, rather than annually under current law.