I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2510 

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. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 20, 2009 

Mrs. DAVIS of California (for herself and Mr. MCCARTHY of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House 

Administration 

A BILL 

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. 

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’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REIMBURSEMENT FOR COSTS INCURRED IN ESTAB2 LISHING PROGRAM TO TRACK AND CONFIRM 

3 RECEIPT OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS. 

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

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

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

7 ‘‘PART 7—PAYMENTS TO REIMBURSE STATES 

8 FOR COSTS INCURRED IN ESTABLISHING 

9 PROGRAM TO TRACK AND CONFIRM RE10 CEIPT OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS 

11 ‘‘SEC. 297. PAYMENTS TO STATES. 

12 ‘‘(a) PAYMENTS FOR COSTS OF ESTABLISHING PRO13 GRAM.—In accordance with this section, the Commission 

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

15 for the costs incurred in establishing, if the State so choos16 es to establish, an absentee ballot tracking program with 

17 respect to elections for Federal office held in the State 

18 (including costs incurred prior to the date of the enact19 ment of this part). 

20 ‘‘(b) ABSENTEE BALLOT TRACKING PROGRAM DE21 SCRIBED.— 

22 ‘‘(1) PROGRAM DESCRIBED.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In this part, an ‘ab24 sentee ballot tracking program’ is a program to 

25 track and confirm the receipt of absentee bal26 lots in an election for Federal office under 


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•HR 2510 IH

1 which the State or local election official respon2 sible for the receipt of voted absentee ballots in 

3 the election carries out procedures to track and 

4 confirm the receipt of such ballots, and makes 

5 information on the receipt of such ballots avail6 able to the individual who cast the ballot, by 

7 means of online access using the Internet site 

8 of the official’s office. 

9 ‘‘(B) INFORMATION ON WHETHER VOTE

10 WAS COUNTED.—The information referred to 

11 under subparagraph (A) with respect to the re12 ceipt of an absentee ballot shall include infor13 mation regarding whether the vote cast on the 

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

15 which was not counted, the reasons therefor. 

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

17 BY OFFICIALS WITHOUT INTERNET SITE.—A pro18 gram established by a State or local election official 

19 whose office does not have an Internet site may 

20 meet the description of a program under paragraph 

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

22 number that may be used by an individual who cast 

23 an absentee ballot to obtain the information on the 

24 receipt of the voted absentee ballot as provided 

25 under such paragraph. 


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

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

3 receive a payment under this section, a State shall 

4 submit to the Commission a statement containing— 

5 ‘‘(A) a certification that the State has es6 tablished an absentee ballot tracking program 

7 with respect to elections for Federal office held 

8 in the State; and 

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

10 the State in establishing the program. 

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

12 payment made to a State under this section shall be 

13 equal to the costs incurred by the State in estab14 lishing the absentee ballot tracking program, as set 

15 forth in the statement submitted under paragraph 

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

17 product of— 

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

19 State which are responsible for operating the 

20 program; and 

21 ‘‘(B) $3,000. 

22 ‘‘(3) LIMIT ON NUMBER OF PAYMENTS RE23 CEIVED.—A State may not receive more than one 

24 payment under this part. 


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

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

3 appropriated to the Commission for fiscal year 2010 and 

4 each succeeding fiscal year such sums as may be necessary 

5 for payments under this part. 

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

7 amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization under 

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

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

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

11 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.’’. 

Æ 


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