I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8192 

To amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require States 

to designate public high schools as voter registration agencies, to direct 

such schools to conduct voter registration drives for students attending 

such schools, to direct the Secretary of Education to make grants to 

reimburse such schools for the costs of conducting such voter registration 

drives, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 30, 2024 

Ms. WILSON of Florida (for herself, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. BROWN, Mr. 

BOWMAN, Mr. CLYBURN, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. FROST, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. NORTON, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, Ms. OMAR, 

Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. RASKIN, Ms. SEWELL, and Mr. SOTO) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, 

for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 

for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 

committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to 

require States to designate public high schools as voter 

registration agencies, to direct such schools to conduct 

voter registration drives for students attending such 

schools, to direct the Secretary of Education to make 

grants to reimburse such schools for the costs of conducting such voter registration drives, and for other purposes. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
2 

•HR 8192 IH

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 ‘‘High School Voter Em5 powerment Act of 2024’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS AS VOTER 

7 REGISTRATION AGENCIES. 

8 (a) REQUIRING DESIGNATION BY STATES.—Section 

9 7(a)(2) of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 

10 (52 U.S.C. 20506(a)(2)) is amended— 

11 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara12 graph (A); 

13 (2) by striking the period at the end of sub14 paragraph (B) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

15 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub16 paragraph: 

17 ‘‘(C) all public high schools (as defined in sec18 tion 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu19 cation Act (20 U.S.C. 7801)) in the State.’’. 

20 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT RELATING TO OP21 TIONAL DESIGNATION OF OTHER PUBLIC SCHOOLS.— 

22 Section 7(a)(3)(B)(i) of such Act (52 U.S.C. 

23 20506(a)(3)(B)(i)) is amended by striking ‘‘public 

24 schools,’’ and inserting ‘‘public elementary schools (as deVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:54 May 29, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8192.IH H8192

kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
3 

•HR 8192 IH

1 fined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 

2 Education Act (20 U.S.C. 7801)),’’. 

3 SEC. 3. REQUIRING SCHOOLS TO CONDUCT VOTER REG4 ISTRATION DRIVES FOR STUDENTS. 

5 (a) VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVES.—Section 7 of the 

6 National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 

7 20506) is amended by adding at the end the following new 

8 subsection: 

9 ‘‘(e) SPECIAL RULES FOR PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVES.—A voter 

11 registration agency that is a public high school shall, 

12 at least once during each academic year, conduct a 

13 voter registration drive, and set as a goal for that 

14 year the registration of all students in the school 

15 who are— 

16 ‘‘(A) enrolled in a class in American Gov17 ernment or Economics; 

18 ‘‘(B) at least 17 years old as of April 10 

19 of that year; and 

20 ‘‘(C) are eligible to register to vote in elec21 tions for Federal office held in the State. 

22 ‘‘(2) USE OF VOTING MACHINES FOR STUDENT

23 ELECTIONS.—At the request of a public high school 

24 which is operating a high school voter registration 

25 program under paragraph (1), the appropriate elecVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:54 May 29, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8192.IH H8192

kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
4 

•HR 8192 IH

1 tion official of the State may enter into an agree2 ment under which the official provides the school 

3 with voting machines and related equipment and 

4 supplies for use in a student council or similar elec5 tion held at the school, under such terms and condi6 tions as the school and official may determine.’’. 

7 (b) AVAILABILITY OF GRANTS TO COVER COSTS OF

8 VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVES.— 

9 (1) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—The Sec10 retary of Education (hereafter referred to as the 

11 ‘‘Secretary’’) shall establish and operate a program 

12 under which the Secretary shall make a payment 

13 during a year to an eligible public high school to re14 imburse the school for the reasonable costs incurred 

15 by the school in carrying out a voter registration 

16 drive under section 7(e) of the National Voter Reg17 istration Act of 1993 (as added by subsection (a)) 

18 during that year. 

19 (2) ELIGIBILITY.—A public high school is eligi20 ble to receive a payment under the program under 

21 this subsection with respect to a voter registration 

22 drive if the school submits to the Secretary, at such 

23 time and in such form as the Secretary may require, 

24 an application containing— 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
5 

•HR 8192 IH

1 (A) a statement of the reasonable costs in2 curred by the school in carrying out the voter 

3 registration drive, including the information 

4 used by the school to determine the amount of 

5 such costs; 

6 (B) a description of the activities con7 ducted under the drive, including the number of 

8 students registered; and 

9 (C) such other information and assurances 

10 as the Secretary may require. 

11 (3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

12 There are authorized to be appropriated for pay13 ments under this subsection such sums as may be 

14 necessary for fiscal year 2025 and each succeeding 

15 fiscal year. 

16 SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

17 This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall 

18 take effect upon the expiration of the 90-day period which 

19 begins on the date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB