IIB 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2510 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 3, 2009 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and 

Administration 

AN ACT 

To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to reimburse 

States for the costs incurred in establishing a program 

to track and confirm the receipt of voted absentee ballots 

in elections for Federal office and make information on 

the receipt of such ballots available by means of online 

access, and for other purposes. 


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HR 2510 RFS 

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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Absentee Ballot Track, 

5 Receive, and Confirm Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. REIMBURSEMENT FOR COSTS INCURRED IN ESTAB7 LISHING PROGRAM TO TRACK AND CONFIRM 

8 RECEIPT OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS. 

9 (a) REIMBURSEMENT.—Subtitle D of title II of the 

10 Help America Vote Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 15401 et seq.) 

11 is amended by adding at the end the following new part: 

12 ‘‘PART 7—PAYMENTS TO REIMBURSE STATES 

13 FOR COSTS INCURRED IN ESTABLISHING 

14 PROGRAM TO TRACK AND CONFIRM RE15 CEIPT OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS 

16 ‘‘SEC. 297. PAYMENTS TO STATES. 

17 ‘‘(a) PAYMENTS FOR COSTS OF ESTABLISHING PRO18 GRAM.—In accordance with this section, the Commission 

19 shall make a payment to a State to reimburse the State 

20 for the costs incurred in establishing, if the State so choos21 es to establish, an absentee ballot tracking program with 

22 respect to elections for Federal office held in the State 

23 (including costs incurred prior to the date of the enact24 ment of this part). 


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1 ‘‘(b) ABSENTEE BALLOT TRACKING PROGRAM DE2 SCRIBED.— 

3 ‘‘(1) PROGRAM DESCRIBED.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In this part, an ‘ab5 sentee ballot tracking program’ is a program to 

6 track and confirm the receipt of absentee bal7 lots in an election for Federal office under 

8 which the State or local election official respon9 sible for the receipt of voted absentee ballots in 

10 the election carries out procedures to track and 

11 confirm the receipt of such ballots, and makes 

12 information on the receipt of such ballots avail13 able to the individual who cast the ballot, by 

14 means of online access using the Internet site 

15 of the official’s office. 

16 ‘‘(B) INFORMATION ON WHETHER VOTE

17 WAS COUNTED.—The information referred to 

18 under subparagraph (A) with respect to the re19 ceipt of an absentee ballot shall include infor20 mation regarding whether the vote cast on the 

21 ballot was counted, and, in the case of a vote 

22 which was not counted, the reasons therefor. 

23 ‘‘(2) USE OF TOLL-FREE TELEPHONE NUMBER

24 BY OFFICIALS WITHOUT INTERNET SITE.—A pro25 gram established by a State or local election official 


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1 whose office does not have an Internet site may 

2 meet the description of a program under paragraph 

3 (1) if the official has established a toll-free telephone 

4 number that may be used by an individual who cast 

5 an absentee ballot to obtain the information on the 

6 receipt of the voted absentee ballot as provided 

7 under such paragraph. 

8 ‘‘(c) CERTIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE AND COSTS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) CERTIFICATION REQUIRED.—In order to 

10 receive a payment under this section, a State shall 

11 submit to the Commission a statement containing— 

12 ‘‘(A) a certification that the State has es13 tablished an absentee ballot tracking program 

14 with respect to elections for Federal office held 

15 in the State; and 

16 ‘‘(B) a statement of the costs incurred by 

17 the State in establishing the program. 

18 ‘‘(2) AMOUNT OF PAYMENT.—The amount of a 

19 payment made to a State under this section shall be 

20 equal to the costs incurred by the State in estab21 lishing the absentee ballot tracking program, as set 

22 forth in the statement submitted under paragraph 

23 (1), except that such amount may not exceed the 

24 product of— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the number of jurisdictions in the 

2 State which are responsible for operating the 

3 program; and 

4 ‘‘(B) $3,000. 

5 ‘‘(3) LIMIT ON NUMBER OF PAYMENTS RE6 CEIVED.—A State may not receive more than one 

7 payment under this part. 

8 ‘‘SEC. 297A. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

9 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—There are authorized to be 

10 appropriated to the Commission for fiscal year 2010 and 

11 each succeeding fiscal year such sums as may be necessary 

12 for payments under this part. 

13 ‘‘(b) CONTINUING AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Any 

14 amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization under 

15 this section shall remain available until expended.’’. 


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

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

3 relating to subtitle D of title II the following: 

‘‘PART 7—PAYMENTS TO REIMBURSE STATES FOR COSTS INCURRED IN ESTABLISHING PROGRAM TO TRACK AND CONFIRM RECEIPT OF ABSENTEE

BALLOTS

‘‘Sec. 297. Payments to States. 

‘‘Sec. 297A. Authorization of appropriations.’’. 

Passed the House of Representatives July 30, 2009. 

Attest: LORRAINE C. MILLER, 

Clerk. 


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