Section 654:34 Change of Registration.
I. Change of registration of a voter whose party membership has been previously registered.
(a) Any legal voter whose party membership has been registered may change such registration by appearing in person before the supervisors of the checklist for his town or ward any time they meet, except as prohibited by paragraph IV, and stating to them under oath or affirmation, if required, that:
(1) He intends to affiliate with and generally supports the candidates of the party with which he offers to register, in which case he shall be registered as a member of such party; or
(2) He does not wish to be registered as a member of any party, in which case his party designation shall be removed from the checklist.
(b) He may also change such registration at any primary, upon making oath or affirmation to the same effect, but he shall not be permitted in such case to vote the ballot of any party at such primary.
II. Change of registration of a voter who has been registered as an undeclared voter.
(a) Any legal voter who has been registered as an undeclared voter may register as a member of the party of the voter's choice by appearing before the supervisors of the checklist for the voter's town or ward any time they meet, except as prohibited by paragraph IV, and stating to them, under oath or affirmation, if required, that the voter intends to affiliate with and generally supports the candidates of the party with which the voter offers to register, in which case the voter shall be registered as a member of such party.
(b) A voter may also register as a member of a party at any primary by requesting to be registered as a member and voting the ballot of the party of the voter's choice. A voter may also register once again as an undeclared voter after voting in a primary as a registered member of a party by returning the card provided for in paragraph V to the person at the polls designated by the town or city clerk to accept the card. All such cards shall be in the possession of the supervisors of the checklist at the close of the polls on election day.
III. Notwithstanding any provision of paragraphs I and II to the contrary, no person who has voted in a primary may thereafter on the day of said primary change the person's party registration, unless, prior to voting in the primary, the person was registered as an undeclared voter, in which case the person may once again register as an undeclared voter, as provided in subparagraph II(b).
IV. No person, who is already registered to vote, whether his party membership has been previously registered or not, shall affiliate with a party or disaffiliate from a party between the first Wednesday in June and the day before the state primary election.
V. (a) At any primary, the supervisors of the checklist shall make available within the polling place a card to enable a voter who was registered as an undeclared voter but who changed registration on the day of the primary in order to vote as a registered member of a party to change registration so that the voter is registered once again as an undeclared voter. The card shall be in substantially the following form:
Name ____________________
(Print)
Address ____________________
____________________
____________________
I hereby request that my political party registration be changed as follows:
From: Democrat [ ] or Republican [ ] or Libertarian [ ] To: Undeclared [ ] Signed under the pains and penalties of perjury.
____________________
(b) The supervisors of the checklist, upon receipt of such a card, shall keep it until their next session of supervisors of the checklist for changing party registration at which time the sender's party registration shall be changed as indicated on the card.
Source. 1979, 400:3, 4; 436:1. 1981, 308:3-5. 1987, 129:2. 1993, 193:2-5, eff. Aug. 8, 1993.