II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4500 

To expand youth access to voting, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 11, 2022 

Ms. WARREN (for herself, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. 

MARKEY, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, and Ms. HIRONO) introduced the following 

bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and 

Administration 

A BILL 

To expand youth access to voting, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Youth Voting Rights Act’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Sense of Congress. 

Sec. 3. Findings. 

Sec. 4. Enforcement of the 26th Amendment. 

Sec. 5. Treatment of public institutions of higher education as voter registration agencies under National Voter Registration Act of 1993. 

Sec. 6. Pre-registration of minors for voting in Federal elections. 

Sec. 7. On-campus polling locations. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 4500 IS

Sec. 8. Prohibition of residency requirements. 

Sec. 9. Requirements for voter identification. 

Sec. 10. Grants to States for activities to encourage involvement of youth in 

election activities. 

Sec. 11. Studies and data collection. 

1 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

2 It is the Sense of Congress that— 

3 (1) 50 years ago, our Nation came together 

4 unanimously to expand the franchise to those 18 

5 years of age and older and to outlaw age-based dis6 crimination in accessing the franchise; 

7 (2) 50 years later, the promises of the 26th 

8 Amendment to the Constitution of the United States 

9 (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘26th Amendment’’) 

10 remain unfulfilled although the reasons that moti11 vated its ratification endure; and 

12 (3) pursuant to section 2 of the 26th Amend13 ment, Congress is empowered to enforce the article 

14 by appropriate legislation and acts accordingly in 

15 this Act. 

16 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 

17 Congress finds the following: 

18 (1) Over 50 years ago, on July 1, 1971, this 

19 Nation ratified into the Constitution of the United 

20 States the 26th Amendment, lowering the voting age 

21 from 21 to 18 years of age and outlawing the denial 

22 or abridgement of the right to vote on account of 

23 age. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 4500 IS

1 (2) Support for the 26th Amendment was near2 ly unanimous. The proposed constitutional amend3 ment passed with bipartisan supermajorities, passing 

4 in the Senate with a vote of 94–0, and passing in 

5 the House of Representatives with a vote of 401–19. 

6 The 26th Amendment was approved by the requisite 

7 38 States in less than 100 days, making it the 

8 quickest constitutional amendment to be ratified in 

9 United States history. 

10 (3) Support for lowering the voting age to 18 

11 was championed across the aisle. President Dwight 

12 Eisenhower, former Commander of the Allied 

13 Forces, included the issue in his 1954 State of the 

14 Union Address. Moreover, President Richard Nixon 

15 emphasized his support for the 26th Amendment 

16 during its certification ceremony, describing that 

17 young people serve a critical role by infusing the 

18 practice of democracy with ‘‘some idealism, some 

19 courage, some stamina, some high moral purpose 

20 that this Nation always needs, because a country, 

21 throughout history, we find, goes through ebbs and 

22 flows of idealism.’’. Similarly, Senate Majority Lead23 er Michael Mansfield and Senator Ted Kennedy 

24 were key advocates of the measure, having first pro25 posed a statutory route for lowering the voting age 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 4500 IS

1 in the Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1970 

2 (Public Law 91–285), in addition to supporting a 

3 path through constitutional ratification. 

4 (4) The Voting Rights Act Amendments of 

5 1970 (Public Law 91–285) marked the first Federal 

6 law to enfranchise youth and outlaw age discrimina7 tion in accessing the franchise. In title III of that 

8 Act, Congress declared, with strong bipartisan sup9 port, that the 21-year age requirement— 

10 (A) ‘‘denies and abridges the inherent con11 stitutional rights of citizens eighteen years of 

12 age but not yet twenty-one years of age to 

13 vote’’; 

14 (B) has the effect of denying those 

15 disenfranchised ‘‘the due process and equal pro16 tection of the laws that are guaranteed to them 

17 under the Fourteenth Amendment’’; and 

18 (C) ‘‘does not bear a reasonable relation19 ship to any compelling State interest.’’. 

20 (5) The age-based expansion of the franchise 

21 via the Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1970 was 

22 ultimately found by a strongly divided Supreme 

23 Court to be unconstitutional as applied to State and 

24 local races and constitutional as applied to Federal 

25 races. Thus, to ensure uniform election administraVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:00 Jul 12, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4500.IS S4500

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 4500 IS

1 tion in Federal and State races, a constitutional so2 lution was required. 

3 (6) A variety of reasons were advanced to sup4 port ratification of the 26th Amendment. The 

5 emerging themes included— 

6 (A) the value of idealism, courage, and 

7 moral purpose that youth provide in reener8 gizing the practice of democracy; 

9 (B) the increased political competence of 

10 young people compared to prior generations, 

11 due to greater access to information through 

12 standardized education and technology such as 

13 then-widely available television sets; 

14 (C) the increased responsibilities assumed 

15 by the group as they fought in war, assumed 

16 debt, and lived independently; 

17 (D) a general recognition of the Nation’s 

18 expansion toward a more inclusive suffrage; and 

19 (E) the stemming of unrest by encouraging 

20 institutionalized mechanisms to advance 

21 change. 

22 (7) In referring the 26th Amendment to the 

23 States for ratification, Congress invoked the Voting 

24 Rights Act and the principles protected by the 14th 

25 Amendment to the Constitution of the United 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 4500 IS

1 States, explaining that ‘‘[F]orcing young voters to 

2 undertake special burdens-obtaining absentee ballots, 

3 or traveling to one centralized location in each city, 

4 for example-in order to exercise their right to vote 

5 might well serve to dissuade them from participating 

6 in the election. This result, and the election proce7 dures that create it, are at least inconsistent with 

8 the purpose of the Voting Rights [A]ct, which 

9 sought to encourage greater political participation on 

10 the part of the young; such segregation might even 

11 amount to a denial of their 14th Amendment right 

12 to equal protection of the laws in the exercise of the 

13 franchise.’’. 

14 (8) According to the Center for Information & 

15 Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (re16 ferred to in this Act as ‘‘CIRCLE’’) of Tufts Uni17 versity, a record-high 28 percent of young people 

18 voted in the 2018 midterm elections, more than dou19 bling the record-low 13 percent youth turnout in 

20 2014. Still, young people vote at lower levels than 

21 older adults. 

22 (9) Lower youth voting rates are not a sign of 

23 generational apathy but of systemic barriers and 

24 issues with the culture of political engagement that 

25 have plagued young people of various generations for 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 4500 IS

1 decades. Individuals that were part of older genera2 tions voted at similar rates as individuals in the Mil3 lennial and Gen Z generations when those older gen4 erations were youth. For the first presidential elec5 tion in which a generation’s entire 18–24 age cohort 

6 was eligible to vote (1972 for Boomers, 1992 for 

7 Gen X, and 2008 for Millennials), each participated 

8 at about 50 percent. 

9 (10) The outsized reliance by young voters on 

10 provisional ballots in recent years demonstrates the 

11 structural obstacles young voters face due to voter 

12 restrictions. A 2016 survey found that 1 in 4 

13 Millennials voted provisionally in the 2016 race, 

14 compared to 6 percent of Baby Boomers, and 2 per15 cent of the Greatest Generation. 

16 (11) In addition to voting provisionally at dis17 proportionate rates, young voters’ provisional ballots 

18 are also disproportionally rejected. As determined by 

19 a recent Federal court, voters aged 18 to 21 in Flor20 ida had their provisional ballots rejected at a rate 

21 more than 4 times higher than the rejection rate for 

22 provisional ballots cast by voters between the ages of 

23 45 to 64. 

24 (12) Similarly, young voters experience a higher 

25 rejection rate of vote-by-mail ballots compared to 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
8 

•S 4500 IS

1 older voters. One study found that voters aged 18 to 

2 21 had their vote-by-mail ballots rejected at a rate 

3 of over 5 times that of voters between the ages of 

4 45 to 64 and over 8 times those over the age of 65. 

5 These rejection rates trend with those of voters of 

6 color. For example, the study found that the rate of 

7 rejection of vote-by-mail ballots for Hispanic and Af8 rican American voters is over 2 times that of White 

9 voters. 

10 (13) Moreover, when special burdens are re11 moved, young people vote more frequently. Once 

12 polling places were finally situated on campuses dur13 ing the early voting period, pursuant to successful 

14 26th Amendment litigation, one study found that on 

15 12 campuses alone, nearly 60,000 registered voters 

16 participated in the 2018 general election through 

17 early in-person voting. Young voters, people of color, 

18 and those who did not cast a ballot in 2016 dis19 proportionately voted at the on-campus voting loca20 tions. Voter turnout is bolstered by on-campus vot21 ing locations because those locations lower the op22 portunity costs for voting for all registered voters, 

23 particularly for young registered voters. 

24 (14) Young people are passionate about polit25 ical issues and often want to engage in the political 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
9 

•S 4500 IS

1 process, but they face barriers to participation. For 

2 example, they may face structural obstacles such as 

3 proof requirements that obscure a young person’s 

4 right to vote, barriers to voter registration, inacces5 sible or poorly equipped polling places, campus ger6 rymanders, over-reliance on provisional ballots, and 

7 unfair treatment of provisional and vote-by-mail bal8 lots. Some of these barriers are acute for the young9 est voters who are particularly transient and move 

10 every year, thereby struggling to update their voter 

11 registration, or who are less likely to have a driver’s 

12 license to use as voter identification. Youth voters 

13 are similarly vulnerable to confusion about their 

14 right to vote from their campus residences. Although 

15 the Supreme Court summarily affirmed the right of 

16 college students to vote from their campus resi17 dences in 1979, pursuant to the 26th Amendment, 

18 misinformation and disinformation persist about this 

19 right. Congress finds that students indeed have a 

20 right to vote from their campus residences. Relat21 edly, many young people have not been taught about 

22 elections and voting, including the practicalities of 

23 registering and casting a ballot and the reasons why 

24 their voices and votes matter in democracy. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
10 

•S 4500 IS

1 (15) Studies reinforce the habit-forming nature 

2 of voting, making it all the more important that vot3 ing becomes normalized at an early age through un4 obstructed access to the ballot. For example, a re5 cent study found that on average, voting in 1 elec6 tion increases the probability of voting in a future 

7 election by 10 percentage points. 

8 (16) According to CIRCLE, youth without col9 lege experience also tend to vote at lower rates than 

10 young people in college. For example, in 2018, 28 

11 percent of youth (ages 18–29) voted, while the Insti12 tute for Democracy & Higher Education of Tufts 

13 University estimated that 40 percent of college stu14 dents cast a ballot. There are disparities by age, and 

15 even among youth; the youngest group (ages 18 and 

16 19) vote at lower rates. There are also disparities by 

17 urbanicity, with young people in rural areas and 

18 other civic deserts having lower voter turnout. 

19 (17) According to CIRCLE, low-income youth 

20 are acutely impacted, since their economic struggles 

21 translate into multiple logistical barriers to voting. A 

22 recent survey of low-income youth found that young 

23 voters reported barriers to voting, including— 

24 (A) confusion with voter identification 

25 rules (88 percent); 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
11 

•S 4500 IS

1 (B) confusion about the impact of voter 

2 disenfranchisement (42 percent reported lack of 

3 clarity about whether someone who paid a fine 

4 for driving under the influence could vote or if 

5 someone with a suspended driver’s license could 

6 vote); 

7 (C) confusion about the location of polling 

8 places (39 percent did not know where to vote); 

9 and 

10 (D) a high lack of confidence that they 

11 would be fully prepared to vote if an election 

12 happened ‘‘next week’’ (only half of surveyed 

13 youth reported confidence). 

14 (18) Moreover, youth reported negative voting 

15 experiences due to failure to see young people work16 ing at the polls (87 percent), failure to see poll 

17 workers that look like them (74 percent), and not 

18 believing that election officials make an effort to en19 sure that people like them can vote (59 percent). 

20 (19) Presidential election years are particularly 

21 consequential for youth voter engagement. For ex22 ample, 61 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds were reg23 istered to vote in 2008, compared to 49 percent in 

24 2010. Moreover, youth who registered to vote are 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
12 

•S 4500 IS

1 considerably more likely to vote. Among youth reg2 istered in 2008, 84 percent cast a ballot. 

3 (20) While direct youth voter registration, out4 reach, and engagement is typically heightened in the 

5 Summer and Fall months leading up to presidential 

6 elections, unprecedented obstacles have presented 

7 themselves amid the COVID–19 pandemic as the 

8 economy slowed, the Nation shut down, and institu9 tions of higher education, technical and vocational 

10 schools, and high schools changed their normal oper11 ations. 

12 (21) The 2020 primary cycle shed light on the 

13 unique obstacles faced by young voters in uncertain 

14 times as they were displaced from the college 

15 domiciles where they would eventually return. Con16 fused and misinformed about their right to vote 

17 from campus despite the temporary relocation, these 

18 voters had to adjust for the first time to obtaining, 

19 printing, properly filling out and submitting along 

20 with required proofs, and mailing postage-required 

21 official forms and paperwork, such as voter registra22 tion forms, absentee ballot requests, and absentee 

23 ballots. 

24 (22) The 2020 election resulted in unprece25 dented voter turnout overall, boasting the highest 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
13 

•S 4500 IS

1 turnout in United States history, with 17,000,000 

2 more voters compared to the last presidential cycle. 

3 The unprecedented trend tracked for youth voters as 

4 well. 2020 was the first election in which the major5 ity of voters under the age of 30 voted. States with 

6 the highest youth voter rates were those with more 

7 robust registration and vote by mail laws, such as 

8 those with pre-registration, same day registration, 

9 election day registration, early voting, and accessible 

10 no-excuse vote by mail opportunities. 

11 (23) The response to increased voter turnout 

12 has been an unprecedented number of State legisla13 tive proposals to make it harder to cast a valid bal14 lot, such as the imposition of limitations on the 

15 availability of drop-boxes, the counting of out-of-pre16 cinct ballots, and the inclusion of student identifica17 tion as valid voter identification where required. 

18 Pressures have also mounted on the local level, with 

19 continued efforts to prevent or remove on-campus 

20 polling locations, which are key to youth engagement 

21 since they allow students to vote where they study, 

22 work, eat, and sleep. 

23 (24) State and local election administration im24 pacts youth at large, including high school youth in 

25 their ability to pre-register in advance of turning 18, 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
14 

•S 4500 IS

1 college students matriculating in traditional public 

2 and private 2- or 4-year institutions of higher edu3 cation or vocational and technical programs, and the 

4 most vulnerable or overlooked youth populations, 

5 such as those in less stable housing and those who 

6 do not pursue college education. 

7 (25) The 14th and 26th Amendments, and the 

8 Elections Clause of section 4 of article I and Guar9 antee Clause of section 4 of article IV, of the Con10 stitution empower Congress to protect the right to 

11 vote in Federal elections. 

12 SEC. 4. ENFORCEMENT OF THE 26TH AMENDMENT. 

13 Title III of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 

14 10701 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 303. PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION; STANDARD OF RE17 VIEW; FEES. 

18 ‘‘(a) PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION.—Any person eight19 een years of age and older who is aggrieved by a denial 

20 or abridgment of the right of a citizen of the United States 

21 to vote on account of age may commence a civil action 

22 in any appropriate district court of the United States for 

23 relief. 

24 ‘‘(b) STANDARD OF REVIEW.—A denial or abridg25 ment of the right of a citizen of the United States to vote 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
15 

•S 4500 IS

1 on account of age shall be established in a private right 

2 of action under subsection (a) if a qualification or pre3 requisite to voting or standard, practice, or procedure— 

4 ‘‘(1) has the effect of denying or abridging to 

5 citizens eighteen years of age and older the due 

6 process or equal protection of the laws that are 

7 guaranteed to them under the 14th and 26th 

8 Amendments of the Constitution of the United 

9 States; and 

10 ‘‘(2) is not necessary to advance any compelling 

11 interest of a State or political subdivision. 

12 ‘‘(c) FEES AND COSTS.—The court, in an action 

13 under this section, shall allow the plaintiff, if the pre14 vailing party, to recover from the defendant reasonable at15 torneys’ and expert witness fees, and other costs of the 

16 action.’’. 

17 SEC. 5. TREATMENT OF PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER 

18 EDUCATION AS VOTER REGISTRATION AGEN19 CIES UNDER NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRA20 TION ACT OF 1993. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 7(a)(2) of the National 

22 Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20506(a)(2)) 

23 is amended— 

24 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara25 graph (A); 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
16 

•S 4500 IS

1 (2) by striking the period at the end of sub2 paragraph (B) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

3 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub4 paragraph: 

5 ‘‘(C) all offices within public institutions of 

6 higher education, as defined in section 101 and 

7 section 102(c) of the Higher Education Act of 

8 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001; 20 U.S.C. 1002(c)), 

9 that provide assistance to students.’’. 

10 (b) APPLICATION.—Section 4(b) of the National 

11 Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20503(b)) is 

12 amended— 

13 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as 

14 subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, and indent15 ing appropriately; 

16 (2) by striking ‘‘STATES.—This Act’’ and in17 serting ‘‘STATES.—’’; 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para19 graph (2), this Act’’; and 

20 (3) by adding at the end the following new 

21 paragraph: 

22 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION OF CERTAIN REQUIRE23 MENTS.—Notwithstanding paragraph (1), in the 

24 case of a State described in paragraph (1)(B), sub25 section (a)(3)(B), section 7, and paragraphs (1)(C), 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
17 

•S 4500 IS

1 (5) and (6) of section 8(a) shall apply, but only with 

2 respect to institutions described in section 

3 7(a)(2)(C).’’. 

4 SEC. 6. PRE-REGISTRATION OF MINORS FOR VOTING IN 

5 FEDERAL ELECTIONS. 

6 (a) PRE-REGISTRATION OF MINORS FOR VOTING IN

7 FEDERAL ELECTIONS.—The National Voter Registration 

8 Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20501 et seq.) is amended by in9 serting after section 8 the following new section: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 8A. PRE-REGISTRATION PROCESS FOR MINORS. 

11 ‘‘(a) REQUIRING IMPLEMENTATION OF PRE-REG12 ISTRATION PROCESS.—Each State shall implement a 

13 process under which— 

14 ‘‘(1) an individual who is a resident of the State 

15 may apply to register to vote in elections for Federal 

16 office in the State at any time on or after the date 

17 on which the individual turns 16 years of age; 

18 ‘‘(2) if the individual is not 18 years of age or 

19 older at the time the individual applies under para20 graph (1) but would be eligible to vote in such pri21 mary or general elections if the individual were 18 

22 years of age, the State shall ensure that the indi23 vidual is registered to vote in elections for Federal 

24 office in the State that are held on or after the date 

25 on which the individual turns 18 years of age; and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
18 

•S 4500 IS

1 ‘‘(3) the activities the State implements in 

2 order to comply with sections 5 and 7 shall include 

3 pre-registration services (to the same extent as reg4 istration services) for qualifying individuals, as de5 scribed in this subsection. 

6 ‘‘(b) PERMITTING AVAILABILITY OF PROCESS FOR

7 YOUNGER INDIVIDUALS.—A State may, at its option, 

8 make the process implemented under subsection (a) avail9 able to individuals who are younger than 16 years of 

10 age.’’. 

11 (b) APPLICATION.—Section 4(b)(2) of the National 

12 Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20503(b)(2)), 

13 as added by section 5(b), is amended— 

14 (1) by striking ‘‘paragraph (1)(B), subsection 

15 (a)(3)(B)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph (1)(B)— 

16 ‘‘(A) subsection (a)(3)(B)’’; 

17 (2) in subparagraph (A), as added by para18 graph (1), by striking the period at the end and in19 serting ‘‘; and’’; and 

20 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub21 paragraph: 

22 ‘‘(B) section 8A shall apply.’’. 

23 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

24 this section shall take effect upon the expiration of the 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
19 

•S 4500 IS

1 90-day period that begins on the date of the enactment 

2 of this Act. 

3 SEC. 7. ON-CAMPUS POLLING LOCATIONS. 

4 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

5 (1) CAMPUS.—The term ‘‘campus’’— 

6 (A) means a geographic site of an institu7 tion of higher education that is permanent in 

8 nature and offers courses in educational or 

9 training programs which are available for stu10 dents to attend in person; and 

11 (B) includes main campuses, branch cam12 puses, and additional locations in the United 

13 States. 

14 (2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

15 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

16 meaning given that term in subsections (a) and (b) 

17 of section 101 and subsections (b) and (c) of section 

18 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

19 U.S.C. 1001(a), 1001(b), 1002(b), 1002(c)). 

20 (3) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

21 the several States and the District of Columbia. 

22 (b) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall ensure that poll23 ing places for each election for Federal office (referred to 

24 in this section as a ‘‘Federal election’’) are made available, 

25 on the date of a Federal election, on— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
20 

•S 4500 IS

1 (1) each campus of any State public institution 

2 of higher education in the State, except any such 

3 campus for which the State has received a waiver 

4 under subsection (e); and 

5 (2) each campus of any other institution of 

6 higher education in the State for which the State 

7 has received the institution’s written permission to 

8 have a polling place on campus. 

9 (c) NON-STATE INSTITUTIONS.—Not less than 90 

10 days before the State’s deadline for certifying polling place 

11 locations in advance of each Federal election, the State 

12 shall request in writing permission to place a polling place 

13 for a Federal election, to be available on the date of that 

14 election, on the campus of each institution of higher edu15 cation that is not a State public institution of higher edu16 cation— 

17 (1) for the next Federal election; or 

18 (2) for a longer period of time, as agreed to by 

19 the State and the institution of higher education. 

20 (d) ALTERNATIVE POLLING PLACES.—For each in21 stitution of higher education that is not a State public in22 stitution of higher education and that does not give writ23 ten permission as described in subsection (c) for placement 

24 of a polling place on the institution’s campus, the State 

25 shall implement alternative procedures to ensure voting is 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
21 

•S 4500 IS

1 accessible to youth on that campus who are age 18 and 

2 over. Such procedures may include— 

3 (1) offering free shuttles for such youth to 

4 other nearby polling locations; 

5 (2) making available on the campus absentee 

6 voting drop boxes for such youth; or 

7 (3) offering an on-campus early voting option 

8 or a mobile unit on the campus for early voting or 

9 election day voting for such youth. 

10 (e) WAIVERS.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General may, 

12 upon the request of a State, waive the requirement 

13 under subsection (b)(1) with respect to a Federal 

14 election for a campus described in such paragraph 

15 for which the State, in accordance with the guidance 

16 under paragraph (3)— 

17 (A) determines is an unsuitable polling lo18 cation in the State for that Federal election; 

19 and 

20 (B) agrees to require alternative proce21 dures at such campus to ensure voting in Fed22 eral elections is accessible to youth who are age 

23 18 and over for that Federal election. 

24 (2) APPLICATIONS TO INCLUDE ALTERNATIVE

25 PROCEDURES.—To request a waiver under paraVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:00 Jul 12, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4500.IS S4500

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
22 

•S 4500 IS

1 graph (1) with respect to a Federal election and for 

2 a campus described in subsection (b)(1), a State 

3 shall submit an application to the Attorney General 

4 that includes information on the alternative proce5 dures the State will require the State public institu6 tion of higher education to implement with respect 

7 to that Federal election for that campus to ensure 

8 voting is accessible to youth who are age 18 and 

9 over. Such procedures may include— 

10 (A) offering free shuttles for such youth to 

11 other polling locations; 

12 (B) making available on the campus absen13 tee voting drop boxes for such youth; or 

14 (C) offering an on-campus early voting op15 tion or a mobile unit on the campus for early 

16 voting or election day voting for such youth. 

17 (3) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 180 days after 

18 the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney Gen19 eral shall issue guidance on the administration of 

20 this section, including guidance on the coverage 

21 under this section of campuses and institutions of 

22 higher education, as defined in subsection (a), ac23 ceptable reasons for allowing a waiver under this 

24 subsection, and alternative procedures described in 

25 paragraph (2), with respect to a campus described 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
23 

•S 4500 IS

1 in subsection (b)(1). Such guidance shall include 

2 considerations of issues relating to the accessibility 

3 of the campus, including— 

4 (A) the inability to modify the physical at5 tributes of the campus to make the campus ac6 cessible for voting; 

7 (B) the proximity of the campus to local 

8 population centers; 

9 (C) the ability of youth age 18 and over 

10 who are from historically disadvantaged com11 munities to access the campus; 

12 (D) the ability of the institution of higher 

13 education to comply with other Federal or State 

14 laws relating to Federal elections at that cam15 pus location; and 

16 (E) the number of students enrolled at the 

17 institution of higher education in the year of 

18 the relevant Federal election. 

19 (f) ENFORCEMENT.— 

20 (1) ATTORNEY GENERAL.—The Attorney Gen21 eral may bring a civil action in an appropriate dis22 trict court for such declaratory or injunctive relief as 

23 is necessary to carry out this section. 

24 (2) PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION.— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
24 

•S 4500 IS

1 (A) A person who is aggrieved by a viola2 tion of this section may provide written notice 

3 of the violation to the chief election official of 

4 the State involved. 

5 (B) If the violation is not corrected within 

6 90 days after receipt of a notice under subpara7 graph (A), or within 20 days after receipt of 

8 the notice if the violation occurred within 120 

9 days before the date of a Federal election, the 

10 aggrieved person may bring a civil action in an 

11 appropriate district court for declaratory or in12 junctive relief with respect to the violation. 

13 (C) If the violation occurred within 30 

14 days before the date of a Federal election, the 

15 aggrieved person need not provide notice to the 

16 chief election official of the State under sub17 paragraph (A) before bringing a civil action 

18 under subparagraph (B). 

19 (D) The court, in an action under this sec20 tion, shall allow the plaintiff, if the prevailing 

21 party, to recover from the defendant reasonable 

22 attorneys’ and expert witness fees and other 

23 costs of the action. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
25 

•S 4500 IS

1 SEC. 8. PROHIBITION OF RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS. 

2 (a) APPLICABILITY TO ALL ELECTIONS FOR FED3 ERAL OFFICE.—Section 202 of the Voting Rights Act of 

4 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10502) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (a)— 

6 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph 

7 (1)— 

8 (i) by striking ‘‘the offices of Presi9 dent and Vice President’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘Federal office’’; and 

11 (ii) by striking ‘‘presidential elections’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘elections for Federal of13 fice’’; 

14 (B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘their 

15 President and Vice President’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘Federal office’’; 

17 (C) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘, and in some cases, the twenty19 sixth amendment, including the right to vote 

20 from a college domicile; and’’; and 

21 (D) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘presi22 dential elections’’ and inserting ‘‘elections for 

23 Federal office’’; 

24 (2) in subsection (b)— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
26 

•S 4500 IS

1 (A) by striking ‘‘voting for President and 

2 Vice President’’ and inserting ‘‘voting in elec3 tions for Federal office’’; and 

4 (B) by striking ‘‘presidential elections’’ and 

5 inserting ‘‘elections for Federal office’’; 

6 (3) in subsection (c)— 

7 (A) by striking ‘‘election for President and 

8 Vice President’’ and inserting ‘‘election for Fed9 eral office’’; and 

10 (B) by striking ‘‘electors for President and 

11 Vice President, or for President and Vice Presi12 dent,’’ and inserting ‘‘Federal office,’’ each 

13 place the term appears; 

14 (4) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘the choice of 

15 electors for President and Vice President or for 

16 President and Vice President’’ and inserting ‘‘Fed17 eral office’’; 

18 (5) in subsection (e)— 

19 (A) by striking ‘‘election for President and 

20 Vice President’’ and inserting ‘‘election for Fed21 eral office’’; and 

22 (B) by striking ‘‘the choice of electors for 

23 President and Vice President, or for President 

24 and Vice President,’’ and inserting ‘‘Federal of25 fice’’; and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
27 

•S 4500 IS

1 (6) in subsection (f)— 

2 (A) by striking ‘‘election for President and 

3 Vice President’’ and inserting ‘‘election for Fed4 eral office’’; and 

5 (B) by striking ‘‘for the choice of electors 

6 for President and Vice President, or for Presi7 dent and Vice President,’’ and inserting ‘‘for 

8 Federal office’’. 

9 (b) PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION RELATING TO RESI10 DENCE REQUIREMENTS FOR VOTING.—Section 202 of the 

11 Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10502) is further 

12 amended by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(j) PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION.—Any person who 

14 is aggrieved by a violation of this section may commence 

15 a civil action in any appropriate district court of the 

16 United States for relief. The court, in an action under this 

17 section, shall allow the plaintiff, if the prevailing party, 

18 to recover from the defendant reasonable attorneys’ and 

19 expert witness fees and other costs of the action.’’. 

20 SEC. 9. REQUIREMENTS FOR VOTER IDENTIFICATION. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Help America 

22 Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21081 et seq.) is amended— 

23 (1) by redesignating sections 304 and 305 as 

24 sections 305 and 306, respectively; and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
28 

•S 4500 IS

1 (2) by inserting after section 303 the following 

2 new section: 

3 ‘‘SEC. 304. TREATMENT OF STUDENT IDENTIFICATION 

4 CARDS AS VOTER IDENTIFICATION. 

5 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—To the extent that a State or 

6 local jurisdiction has a voter identification requirement, 

7 the State or local jurisdiction shall treat a student identi8 fication card issued by an institution of higher education 

9 as meeting such voter identification requirement. 

10 ‘‘(b) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—For 

11 purposes of this section, the term ‘institution of higher 

12 education’ has the meaning given that term in subsections 

13 (a) and (b) of section 101 and subsections (b) and (c) of 

14 section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

15 U.S.C. 1001(a), 1001(b), 1002(b), 1002(c)).’’. 

16 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT RELATING TO EN17 FORCEMENT.—Section 401 of such Act (52 U.S.C. 21111) 

18 is amended by striking ‘‘and 303’’ and inserting ‘‘, 303, 

19 and 304’’. 

20 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The table of contents 

21 of such Act is amended— 

22 (1) by redesignating the items relating to sec23 tions 304 and 305 as relating to sections 305 and 

24 306, respectively; and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
29 

•S 4500 IS

1 (2) by inserting after the item relating to sec2 tion 303 the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 304. Treatment of student identification cards as voter identification.’’. 

3 SEC. 10. GRANTS TO STATES FOR ACTIVITIES TO ENCOUR4 AGE INVOLVEMENT OF YOUTH IN ELECTION 

5 ACTIVITIES. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle D of title II of the Help 

7 America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. et seq.) is amended 

8 by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘PART 7—GRANTS TO ENCOURAGE YOUTH 

10 INVOLVEMENT IN ELECTION ACTIVITIES 

11 ‘‘SEC. 297. GRANTS TO ENCOURAGE YOUTH INVOLVEMENT 

12 IN ELECTION ACTIVITIES. 

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall make 

14 grants to eligible States to increase the involvement of 

15 youth, including those under 18 years of age, in public 

16 election activities in the State. 

17 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.— 

18 ‘‘(1) APPLICATION.—A State is eligible to re19 ceive a grant under this section if the State submits 

20 to the Commission, at such time and in such form 

21 as the Commission may require, an application con22 taining— 

23 ‘‘(A) a description of the State’s plan; 

24 ‘‘(B) a description of the performance 

25 measures and targets the State will use to deVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:00 Jul 12, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4500.IS S4500

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
30 

•S 4500 IS

1 termine its success in carrying out the plan; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(C) such other information and assur4 ances as the Commission may require. 

5 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS OF PLAN.—A State’s plan 

6 under this subsection shall include— 

7 ‘‘(A) methods to promote the use of the 

8 pre-registration process implemented under sec9 tion 8A of the National Voter Registration Act 

10 of 1993; 

11 ‘‘(B) modifications to the curriculum of 

12 secondary schools in the State to promote civic 

13 engagement; 

14 ‘‘(C) a description of how the State will 

15 provide funding to secondary schools and insti16 tutions of higher education to enable those 

17 schools and institutions to support activities 

18 (including activities carried out by student or19 ganizations) to increase voter registration and 

20 voter turnout, including pre-registration where 

21 allowable; 

22 ‘‘(D) the creation of a paid fellowship pro23 gram for youth to work with State and local 

24 election officials to support youth civic and po25 litical engagement; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
31 

•S 4500 IS

1 ‘‘(E) a description of how the grant fund2 ing will reduce disparities in access to the elec3 toral process among youth who are members of 

4 protected classes, as defined by the Commis5 sion, under Federal law; and 

6 ‘‘(F) such other activities to encourage the 

7 involvement of youth in the electoral process as 

8 the State considers appropriate, including en9 couraging youth to serve as poll workers, dep10 uty voter registrars, or election workers where 

11 allowable, and outreach activities to engage sec12 ondary schools, postsecondary educational insti13 tutions, and the most vulnerable or overlooked 

14 youth populations, such as those in less stable 

15 housing and those who do not pursue college 

16 education. 

17 ‘‘(c) PERIOD OF GRANT; REPORT.— 

18 ‘‘(1) PERIOD OF GRANT.—A State receiving a 

19 grant under this section shall use the funds provided 

20 by the grant over a 2-year period agreed to between 

21 the State and the Commission. 

22 ‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than 6 months after 

23 the end of the 2-year period agreed to under para24 graph (1), the State shall submit to the Commission 

25 a report on the activities the State carried out with 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
32 

•S 4500 IS

1 the funds provided by the grant, and shall include 

2 in the report an analysis of the extent to which the 

3 State met the performance measures and targets in4 cluded in its application under subsection (b)(2). 

5 ‘‘(d) STATE DEFINED.—In this section, the term 

6 ‘State’ means each of the several States, the District of 

7 Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United 

8 States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the 

9 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

10 ‘‘(e) YOUTH ENGAGEMENT FUND.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall es12 tablish a Youth Engagement Fund for the purpose 

13 of making grants under this section. 

14 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATION.— 

15 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Youth 

16 Engagement Fund to carry out this section— 

17 ‘‘(A) for fiscal year 2022, $26,000,000; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(B) for each subsequent fiscal year, the 

20 difference between $26,000,000 and the amount 

21 of unobligated funds in the Youth Engagement 

22 Fund as of the close of the preceding fiscal 

23 year. 

24 ‘‘(3) AVAILABILITY.—Funds appropriated pur25 suant to the authorization of appropriations in paraVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:00 Jul 12, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4500.IS S4500

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
33 

•S 4500 IS

1 graph (2) shall remain available for a period of 10 

2 years from the fiscal year in which appropriated.’’. 

3 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

4 of such Act is amended by adding at the end of the items 

5 relating to subtitle D of title II the following: 

‘‘PART 7—GRANTS TO ENCOURAGE YOUTH INVOLVEMENT IN ELECTION

ACTIVITIES

‘‘Sec. 297. Grants to encourage youth involvement in election activities.’’. 

6 SEC. 11. STUDIES AND DATA COLLECTION. 

7 (a) GAO STUDY.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

9 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comp10 troller General of the United States shall submit to 

11 Congress a report on voter registration trends, ab12 sentee voting trends, and provisional voting trends, 

13 disaggregated by age and (where information on 

14 race is available) race in accordance with paragraph 

15 (2), including— 

16 (A) an examination of the reliance on ab17 sentee and provisional ballots by age; 

18 (B) an examination of the availability of 

19 polling places on the campuses of institutions of 

20 higher education as defined in section 7 of this 

21 Act, including consideration of the characteris22 tics of those institutions and the populations 

23 they serve; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
34 

•S 4500 IS

1 (C) the rejection rates for voter registra2 tion applications and absentee ballot applica3 tions; 

4 (D) the rejection rates for absentee ballots 

5 and provisional ballots; and 

6 (E) the reasons for those rejections. 

7 (2) DISAGGREGATION.—The information de8 scribed in paragraph (1) shall be disaggregated ac9 cording to (where information on race is available) 

10 race and according to the following age cohorts: 

11 (A) 16 to 17. 

12 (B) 18 to 21. 

13 (C) 22 to 24. 

14 (D) 25 to 29. 

15 (E) 30 to 34. 

16 (F) 35 to 39. 

17 (G) 40 to 44. 

18 (H) 45 to 49. 

19 (I) 50 to 54. 

20 (J) 55 to 59. 

21 (K) 60 to 64. 

22 (L) 65 to 69. 

23 (M) 70 to 74. 

24 (N) 75 to 79. 

25 (O) 80 to 84. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
35 

•S 4500 IS

1 (P) 85 and over. 

2 (b) ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION DATA COL3 LECTION.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Election Assistance 

5 Commission shall collect, as a part of the Election 

6 Administration and Voting Survey effort, and make 

7 publicly available, data from States on— 

8 (A) application and rejection rates of voter 

9 registration applications and absentee ballot ap10 plications for elections for Federal office based 

11 on age and (where information on race is avail12 able) race; 

13 (B) application and rejection rates of ab14 sentee ballots and the issuance and rejection 

15 rates of provisional ballots cast for elections for 

16 Federal office based on age and (where infor17 mation on race is available) race; 

18 (C) the reasons provided by the State for 

19 the rejection of such ballots; and 

20 (D) information on the availability of poll21 ing places on the campuses of institutions of 

22 higher education as defined in section 7 of this 

23 Act, including consideration of the characteris24 tics of those institutions and the populations 

25 they serve. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
36 

•S 4500 IS

1 (2) DISAGGREGATION.—The information de2 scribed in paragraph (1) shall be disaggregated ac3 cording to each age cohort described in subpara4 graphs (A) through (P) of subsection (a)(2). 

5 (3) REQUIRING STATE SUBMISSION OF INFOR6 MATION REGARDING REJECTED BALLOTS.— 

7 (A) REQUIREMENT.—Title III of the Help 

8 America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21081 et 

9 seq.) is amended by inserting after section 303 

10 the following new section: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 303A. REQUIRED SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION RE12 GARDING REJECTED APPLICATIONS AND 

13 BALLOTS. 

14 ‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT.—Each State shall furnish to the 

15 Election Assistance Commission such information as the 

16 Commission may request for purposes of carrying out sec17 tion 10(b) of the Youth Voting Rights Act. 

18 ‘‘(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply 

19 with respect to the elections for Federal office held on or 

20 after the date of enactment of this section.’’. 

21 (B) ENFORCEMENT.—Section 401 of such 

22 Act (52 U.S.C. 21111) is amended by striking 

23 ‘‘and 303’’ and inserting ‘‘303, and 303A’’. 

24 (C) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of 

25 contents of such Act is amended by inserting 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
37 

•S 4500 IS

1 after the item relating to section 303 the fol2 lowing new item: 

‘‘Sec. 303A. Required submission of information regarding rejected applications 

and ballots.’’. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS