Replacement of registration and enrollment records; damaged, unusable or lost

§ 5-608. Replacement of registration and enrollment records; damaged, unusable or lost. 1. If the registration or enrollment records of any voter shall be lost, mutilated, defaced or destroyed, the board of elections shall, except as provided in subdivision two hereof, require him to reregister or reenroll. Such reregistration or reenrollment shall be deemed to have taken effect as of the date of the original registration or enrollment.

2. If one or both of the registration records of the voter are still in the possession of the board of elections and it is possible therefrom to duplicate the lost or damaged record, the board of elections shall prepare a new record containing all the information required, using the original serial number, and shall paste photostatic copies of the voter's signature in each space on the new record where his signature was placed on the original record.

3. When the spaces for signature or for other entries, on a registration poll record are filled so as to render a record no longer usable, the board of elections shall prepare a second poll record. All pertinent information shall be copied from the original poll record on to the second poll record. The registration signature on the original poll record shall be photostated and pasted on the back in the space for the registration signature on the second poll record. Within the space reserved for remarks shall be imprinted "Record Continued--2nd Poll Record", or "3rd Poll Record", as appropriate.

4. The active but unusable poll record shall be kept in a special file for active continued registrations until such time as the next poll record may be cancelled, at which time the poll records are stamped "cancelled" and fastened together when placed in the cancellation file.

5. All mutilated or defaced registration records which are replaced by new records under the provisions of this section shall be stamped across the face with the words "Record Replaced", without obliterating any of the entries thereon and shall be kept on file by the board of elections.

6. If the records of an entire election district or a large segment thereof are lost, mutilated, defaced or destroyed, or are determined by the board of elections to be so inaccurate or incomplete as to be unusable, such board may, upon due notice, require re-registration of all qualified voters resident within such district. In such event, the board shall fix and determine additional days of local registration for such re-registration.