II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2985 

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

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 28 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 22), 2023 

Ms. WARREN (for herself, Mr. BOOKER, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. MARKEY, Mrs. 

FEINSTEIN, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. WYDEN, Ms. 

BALDWIN, and Mr. SANDERS) 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. 


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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. Absentee voting. 

Sec. 12. 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 


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1 or abridgement of the right to vote on account of 

2 age. 

3 (2) Support for the 26th Amendment was near4 ly unanimous. The proposed constitutional amend5 ment passed with bipartisan supermajorities, passing 

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

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

8 The 26th Amendment was approved by the requisite 

9 38 States in less than 100 days, making it the 

10 quickest constitutional amendment to be ratified in 

11 United States history. 

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

13 was championed across the aisle. President Dwight 

14 Eisenhower, former Commander of the Allied 

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

16 Union Address. Moreover, President Richard Nixon 

17 emphasized his support for the 26th Amendment 

18 during its certification ceremony, describing that 

19 young people serve a critical role by infusing the 

20 practice of democracy with ‘‘some idealism, some 

21 courage, some stamina, some high moral purpose 

22 that this Nation always needs, because a country, 

23 throughout history, we find, goes through ebbs and 

24 flows of idealism.’’. Similarly, Senate Majority Lead25 er Michael Mansfield and Senator Ted Kennedy 


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1 were key advocates of the measure, having first pro2 posed a statutory route for lowering the voting age 

3 in the Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1970 

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

5 path through constitutional ratification. 

6 (4) The Voting Rights Act Amendments of 

7 1970 (Public Law 91–285) marked the first Federal 

8 law to enfranchise youth and outlaw age discrimina9 tion in accessing the franchise. In title III of that 

10 Act, Congress declared, with strong bipartisan sup11 port, that the 21-year age requirement— 

12 (A) ‘‘denies and abridges the inherent con13 stitutional rights of citizens eighteen years of 

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

15 vote’’; 

16 (B) has the effect of denying those 

17 disenfranchised ‘‘the due process and equal pro18 tection of the laws that are guaranteed to them 

19 under the Fourteenth Amendment’’; and 

20 (C) ‘‘does not bear a reasonable relation21 ship to any compelling State interest.’’. 

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

23 via the Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1970 was 

24 ultimately found by a strongly divided Supreme 

25 Court to be unconstitutional as applied to State and 


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1 local races and constitutional as applied to Federal 

2 races. Thus, to ensure uniform election administra3 tion in Federal and State races, a constitutional so4 lution was required. 

5 (6) A variety of reasons were advanced to sup6 port ratification of the 26th Amendment. The 

7 emerging themes included— 

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

9 moral purpose that youth provide in reener10 gizing the practice of democracy; 

11 (B) the increased political competence of 

12 young people compared to prior generations, 

13 due to greater access to information through 

14 standardized education and technology such as 

15 then-widely available television sets; 

16 (C) the increased responsibilities assumed 

17 by the group as they fought in war, assumed 

18 debt, and lived independently; 

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

20 expansion toward a more inclusive suffrage; and 

21 (E) the stemming of unrest by encouraging 

22 institutionalized mechanisms to advance 

23 change. 

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

25 States for ratification, Congress invoked the Voting 


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1 Rights Act and the principles protected by the 14th 

2 Amendment to the Constitution of the United 

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

4 undertake special burdens-obtaining absentee ballots, 

5 or traveling to one centralized location in each city, 

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

7 might well serve to dissuade them from participating 

8 in the election. This result, and the election proce9 dures that create it, are at least inconsistent with 

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

11 sought to encourage greater political participation on 

12 the part of the young; such segregation might even 

13 amount to a denial of their 14th Amendment right 

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

15 franchise.’’. 

16 (8) According to the Center for Information & 

17 Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (re18 ferred to in this Act as ‘‘CIRCLE’’) of Tufts Uni19 versity, a record-high 28 percent of young people 

20 voted in the 2018 midterm elections, more than dou21 bling the record-low 13 percent youth turnout in 

22 2014. Still, young people vote at lower levels than 

23 older adults. 

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

25 generational apathy but of systemic barriers and 


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1 issues with the culture of political engagement that 

2 have plagued young people of various generations for 

3 decades. Individuals that were part of older genera4 tions voted at similar rates as individuals in the Mil5 lennial and Gen Z generations when those older gen6 erations were youth. For the first presidential elec7 tion in which a generation’s entire 18–24 age cohort 

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

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

10 at about 50 percent. 

11 (10) The outsized reliance by young voters on 

12 provisional ballots in recent years demonstrates the 

13 structural obstacles young voters face due to voter 

14 restrictions. A 2016 survey found that 1 in 4 

15 Millennials voted provisionally in the 2016 race, 

16 compared to 6 percent of Baby Boomers, and 2 per17 cent of the Greatest Generation. 

18 (11) In addition to voting provisionally at dis19 proportionate rates, young voters’ provisional ballots 

20 are also disproportionally rejected. As determined by 

21 a recent Federal court, voters aged 18 to 21 in Flor22 ida had their provisional ballots rejected at a rate 

23 more than 4 times higher than the rejection rate for 

24 provisional ballots cast by voters between the ages of 

25 45 to 64. 


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1 (12) Similarly, young voters experience a higher 

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

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

4 21 had their vote-by-mail ballots rejected at a rate 

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

6 45 to 64 and over 8 times those over the age of 65. 

7 These rejection rates trend with those of voters of 

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

9 rejection of vote-by-mail ballots for Hispanic and Af10 rican American voters is over 2 times that of White 

11 voters. 

12 (13) Moreover, when special burdens are re13 moved, young people vote more frequently. Once 

14 polling places were finally situated on campuses dur15 ing the early voting period, pursuant to successful 

16 26th Amendment litigation, one study found that on 

17 12 campuses alone, nearly 60,000 registered voters 

18 participated in the 2018 general election through 

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

20 and those who did not cast a ballot in 2016 dis21 proportionately voted at the on-campus voting loca22 tions. Voter turnout is bolstered by on-campus vot23 ing locations because those locations lower the op24 portunity costs for voting for all registered voters, 

25 particularly for young registered voters. 


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1 (14) Young people are passionate about polit2 ical issues and often want to engage in the political 

3 process, but they face barriers to participation. For 

4 example, they may face structural obstacles such as 

5 proof requirements that obscure a young person’s 

6 right to vote, barriers to voter registration, inacces7 sible or poorly equipped polling places, campus ger8 rymanders, over-reliance on provisional ballots, un9 equal access to vote-by-mail, and unfair treatment of 

10 provisional and vote-by-mail ballots. Some of these 

11 barriers are acute for the youngest voters who are 

12 particularly transient and move every year, thereby 

13 struggling to update their voter registration, or who 

14 are less likely to have a driver’s license to use as 

15 voter identification. Youth voters are similarly vul16 nerable to confusion about their right to vote from 

17 their campus residences. Although the Supreme 

18 Court summarily affirmed the right of college stu19 dents to vote from their campus residences in 1979, 

20 pursuant to the 26th Amendment, misinformation, 

21 disinformation, and legal challenges persist about 

22 this right. Congress finds that students indeed have 

23 a right to vote from their campus residences. Relat24 edly, many young people have not been taught about 

25 elections and voting, including the practicalities of 


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1 registering and casting a ballot and the reasons why 

2 their voices and votes matter in democracy. 

3 (15) Seven States restrict access to vote-by-mail 

4 on account of age, allowing voters above a certain 

5 age to vote with no excuse, and requiring that voters 

6 below 60 or 65 meet a narrow list of excuses to vote7 by-mail. In those States, voters 65 and older com8 prise nearly 65 percent of all at-home ballots, where9 as the use of at-home ballots is more evenly distrib10 uted across age cohorts in States without the age11 restriction. In age-discriminatory vote-at-home 

12 States, 21 percent of adults over 65 voted at home 

13 in 2018, but less than 6 percent of voters 18–34 did 

14 so. Congress further finds that eligible voters, in15 cluding youth, have the right to vote by mail in Fed16 eral elections free of prima facie age restrictions. 

17 (16) Studies reinforce the habit-forming nature 

18 of voting, making it all the more important that vot19 ing becomes normalized at an early age through un20 obstructed access to the ballot. For example, a re21 cent study found that on average, voting in 1 elec22 tion increases the probability of voting in a future 

23 election by 10 percentage points. 

24 (17) According to CIRCLE, youth without col25 lege experience also tend to vote at lower rates than 


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

2 percent of youth (ages 18–29) voted, while the Insti3 tute for Democracy & Higher Education of Tufts 

4 University estimated that 40 percent of college stu5 dents cast a ballot. There are disparities by age, and 

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

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

8 urbanicity, with young people in rural areas and 

9 other civic deserts having lower voter turnout. 

10 (18) According to CIRCLE, low-income youth 

11 are acutely impacted, since their economic struggles 

12 translate into multiple logistical barriers to voting. A 

13 recent survey of low-income youth found that young 

14 voters reported barriers to voting, including— 

15 (A) confusion with voter identification 

16 rules (88 percent); 

17 (B) confusion about the impact of voter 

18 disenfranchisement (42 percent reported lack of 

19 clarity about whether someone who paid a fine 

20 for driving under the influence could vote or if 

21 someone with a suspended driver’s license could 

22 vote); 

23 (C) confusion about the location of polling 

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

25 and 


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1 (D) a high lack of confidence that they 

2 would be fully prepared to vote if an election 

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

4 youth reported confidence). 

5 (19) Moreover, youth reported negative voting 

6 experiences due to failure to see young people work7 ing at the polls (87 percent), failure to see poll 

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

9 believing that election officials make an effort to en10 sure that people like them can vote (59 percent). 

11 (20) Presidential election years are particularly 

12 consequential for youth voter engagement. For ex13 ample, 61 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds were reg14 istered to vote in 2008, compared to 49 percent in 

15 2010. Moreover, youth who registered to vote are 

16 considerably more likely to vote. Among youth reg17 istered in 2008, 84 percent cast a ballot. 

18 (21) While direct youth voter registration, out19 reach, and engagement is typically heightened in the 

20 Summer and Fall months leading up to presidential 

21 elections, unprecedented obstacles presented them22 selves amid the COVID–19 pandemic as the econ23 omy slowed, the Nation shut down, and institutions 

24 of higher education, technical and vocational schools, 


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1 and high schools, along with county election offices, 

2 changed their normal operations. 

3 (22) The 2020 primary cycle shed light on the 

4 unique obstacles faced by young voters in uncertain 

5 times as they were displaced from the college 

6 domiciles where they would eventually return. Con7 fused and misinformed about their right to vote 

8 from campus despite the temporary relocation, these 

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

10 printing, properly filling out and submitting along 

11 with required proofs, and mailing postage-required 

12 official forms and paperwork, such as voter registra13 tion forms, absentee ballot requests, and absentee 

14 ballots. 

15 (23) The 2020 election resulted in unprece16 dented voter turnout overall, boasting the highest 

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

18 more voters compared to the last presidential cycle. 

19 The unprecedented trend tracked for youth voters as 

20 well. 2020 was the first election in which the major21 ity of voters under the age of 30 voted. States with 

22 the highest youth voter rates were those with more 

23 robust registration and vote by mail laws, such as 

24 those with pre-registration, same day registration, 


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1 election day registration, early voting, and accessible 

2 no-excuse vote by mail opportunities. 

3 (24) The response to increased voter turnout 

4 has been an unprecedented number of State legisla5 tive proposals to make it harder to cast a valid bal6 lot, such as the imposition of limitations on the 

7 availability of drop-boxes, limitations on the count8 ing of out-of-precinct ballots, and the removal of stu9 dent identification as valid voter identification where 

10 required. Pressures have also mounted on the local 

11 level, with continued efforts to prevent or remove on12 campus polling locations, which are key to youth en13 gagement since they allow students to vote where 

14 they study, work, eat, and sleep. 

15 (25) State and local election administration im16 pacts youth at large, including high school youth in 

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

18 college students matriculating in traditional public 

19 and private 2- or 4-year institutions of higher edu20 cation or vocational and technical programs, and the 

21 most vulnerable or overlooked youth populations, 

22 such as those in less stable housing and those who 

23 do not pursue college education. 

24 (26) The 14th and 26th Amendments, and the 

25 Elections Clause of section 4 of article I and GuarVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:51 Oct 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2985.IS S2985

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1 antee Clause of section 4 of article IV, of the Con2 stitution empower Congress to protect the right to 

3 vote in Federal elections. 

4 (27) The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was always 

5 understood to be privately enforceable, and to con6 tain a private right of action by which all voters of 

7 the United States could guarantee the rights guar8 anteed therein. Recently, in light of the continued 

9 development of the law concerning privately enforce10 able statutes, academic discussion and jurispru11 dential dicta have incorrectly questioned the Voting 

12 Rights Act of 1965’s private right of action. This 

13 Act and the amendments made by this Act recognize 

14 the hundreds of cases brought by private plaintiffs 

15 to enforce the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and re-af16 firms that such a private right of action has always 

17 existed for the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 

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

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

20 10701 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘SEC. 303. PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION; STANDARD OF RE23 VIEW; FEES. 

24 ‘‘(a) PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION.—Any person eight25 een years of age and older who is aggrieved by a denial 


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

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

3 in any appropriate district court of the United States for 

4 relief. 

5 ‘‘(b) STANDARD OF REVIEW.—A denial or abridg6 ment of the right of a citizen of the United States to vote 

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

8 of action under subsection (a) if a qualification or pre9 requisite to voting or standard, practice, or procedure— 

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

11 citizens eighteen years of age and older the due 

12 process or equal protection of the laws that are 

13 guaranteed to them under the 14th and 26th 

14 Amendments of the Constitution of the United 

15 States; and 

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

17 interest of a State or political subdivision. 

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

19 under this section, shall allow the plaintiff, if the pre20 vailing party, to recover from the defendant reasonable at21 torneys’ and expert witness fees, and other costs of the 

22 action.’’. 


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1 SEC. 5. TREATMENT OF PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER 

2 EDUCATION AS VOTER REGISTRATION AGEN3 CIES UNDER NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRA4 TION ACT OF 1993. 

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

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

7 is amended— 

8 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara9 graph (A); 

10 (2) by striking the period at the end of sub11 paragraph (B) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

12 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub13 paragraph: 

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

15 higher education, as defined in section 101 and 

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

17 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001; 20 U.S.C. 1002(c)), 

18 that provide assistance to students.’’. 

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

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

21 amended— 

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

23 subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, and indent24 ing appropriately; 

25 (2) by striking ‘‘STATES.—This Act’’ and in26 serting ‘‘STATES.—’’ 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para2 graph (2), this Act’’; and 

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

4 paragraph: 

5 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION OF CERTAIN REQUIRE6 MENTS.—Notwithstanding paragraph (1), in the 

7 case of a State described in paragraph (1)(B), sub8 section (a)(3)(B), section 7, and paragraphs (1)(C), 

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

10 respect to institutions described in section 

11 7(a)(2)(C).’’. 

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

13 FEDERAL ELECTIONS. 

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

15 FEDERAL ELECTIONS.—The National Voter Registration 

16 Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20501 et seq.) is amended by in17 serting after section 8 the following new section: 

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

19 ‘‘(a) REQUIRING IMPLEMENTATION OF PRE-REG20 ISTRATION PROCESS.—Each State shall implement a 

21 process under which— 

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

23 may apply to register to vote in elections for Federal 

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

25 on which the individual turns 16 years of age; 


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

2 older at the time the individual applies under para3 graph (1) but would be eligible to vote in such pri4 mary or general elections if the individual were 18 

5 years of age, the State shall ensure that the indi6 vidual is registered to vote in elections for Federal 

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

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

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

10 order to comply with sections 5 and 7 shall include 

11 pre-registration services (to the same extent as reg12 istration services) for qualifying individuals, as de13 scribed in this subsection. 

14 ‘‘(b) PERMITTING AVAILABILITY OF PROCESS FOR

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

16 make the process implemented under subsection (a) avail17 able to individuals who are younger than 16 years of 

18 age.’’. 

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

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

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

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

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

24 ‘‘(A) subsection (a)(3)(B)’’; 


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1 (2) in subparagraph (A), as added by para2 graph (1), by striking the period at the end and in3 serting ‘‘; and’’; and 

4 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub5 paragraph: 

6 ‘‘(B) section 8A shall apply.’’. 

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

8 this section shall take effect upon the expiration of the 

9 90-day period that begins on the date of the enactment 

10 of this Act. 

11 SEC. 7. ON-CAMPUS POLLING LOCATIONS. 

12 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

13 (1) CAMPUS.—The term ‘‘campus’’— 

14 (A) means a geographic site of an institu15 tion of higher education that is permanent in 

16 nature and offers courses in educational or 

17 training programs which are available for stu18 dents to attend in person; and 

19 (B) includes main campuses, branch cam20 puses, and additional locations in the United 

21 States. 

22 (2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

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

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

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


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1 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

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

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

4 the several States and the District of Columbia. 

5 (b) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall ensure that poll6 ing places for each election for Federal office (referred to 

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

8 on the date of a Federal election, on— 

9 (1) each campus of any State public institution 

10 of higher education in the State, except any such 

11 campus for which the State has received a waiver 

12 under subsection (e); and 

13 (2) each campus of any other institution of 

14 higher education in the State for which the State 

15 has received the institution’s written permission to 

16 have a polling place on campus. 

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

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

19 locations in advance of each Federal election, the State 

20 shall request in writing permission to place a polling place 

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

22 election, on the campus of each institution of higher edu23 cation that is not a State public institution of higher edu24 cation— 

25 (1) for the next Federal election; or 


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

2 the State and the institution of higher education. 

3 (d) ALTERNATIVE POLLING PLACES.—For each in4 stitution of higher education that is not a State public in5 stitution of higher education and that does not give writ6 ten permission as described in subsection (c) for placement 

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

8 shall implement alternative procedures to ensure voting is 

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

10 over. Such procedures may include— 

11 (1) offering free shuttles for such youth to 

12 other nearby polling locations; 

13 (2) making available on the campus absentee 

14 voting drop boxes for such youth; or 

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

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

17 election day voting for such youth. 

18 (e) WAIVERS.— 

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

20 upon the request of a State, waive the requirement 

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

22 election for a campus described in such paragraph 

23 for which the State, in accordance with the guidance 

24 under paragraph (3)— 


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1 (A) determines is an unsuitable polling lo2 cation in the State for that Federal election; 

3 and 

4 (B) agrees to require alternative proce5 dures at such campus to ensure voting in Fed6 eral elections is accessible to youth who are age 

7 18 and over for that Federal election. 

8 (2) APPLICATIONS TO INCLUDE ALTERNATIVE

9 PROCEDURES.—To request a waiver under para10 graph (1) with respect to a Federal election and for 

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

12 shall submit an application to the Attorney General 

13 that includes information on the alternative proce14 dures the State will require the State public institu15 tion of higher education to implement with respect 

16 to that Federal election for that campus to ensure 

17 voting is accessible to youth who are age 18 and 

18 over. Such procedures may include— 

19 (A) offering free shuttles for such youth to 

20 other polling locations; 

21 (B) making available on the campus absen22 tee voting drop boxes for such youth; or 

23 (C) offering an on-campus early voting op24 tion or a mobile unit on the campus for early 

25 voting or election day voting for such youth. 


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

2 the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney Gen3 eral shall issue guidance on the administration of 

4 this section, including guidance on the coverage 

5 under this section of campuses and institutions of 

6 higher education, as defined in subsection (a), ac7 ceptable reasons for allowing a waiver under this 

8 subsection, and alternative procedures described in 

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

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

11 considerations of issues relating to the accessibility 

12 of the campus, including— 

13 (A) the inability to modify the physical at14 tributes of the campus to make the campus ac15 cessible for voting; 

16 (B) the proximity of the campus to local 

17 population centers; 

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

19 who are from historically disadvantaged com20 munities to access the campus; 

21 (D) the ability of the institution of higher 

22 education to comply with other Federal or State 

23 laws relating to Federal elections at that cam24 pus location; and 


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1 (E) the number of students enrolled at the 

2 institution of higher education in the year of 

3 the relevant Federal election. 

4 (f) ENFORCEMENT.— 

5 (1) ATTORNEY GENERAL.—The Attorney Gen6 eral may bring a civil action in an appropriate dis7 trict court for such declaratory or injunctive relief as 

8 is necessary to carry out this section. 

9 (2) PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION.— 

10 (A) A person who is aggrieved by a viola11 tion of this section may provide written notice 

12 of the violation to the chief election official of 

13 the State involved. 

14 (B) If the violation is not corrected within 

15 90 days after receipt of a notice under subpara16 graph (A), or within 20 days after receipt of 

17 the notice if the violation occurred within 120 

18 days before the date of a Federal election, the 

19 aggrieved person may bring a civil action in an 

20 appropriate district court for declaratory or in21 junctive relief with respect to the violation. 

22 (C) If the violation occurred within 30 

23 days before the date of a Federal election, the 

24 aggrieved person need not provide notice to the 

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1 paragraph (A) before bringing a civil action 

2 under subparagraph (B). 

3 (D) The court, in an action under this sec4 tion, shall allow the plaintiff, if the prevailing 

5 party, to recover from the defendant reasonable 

6 attorneys’ and expert witness fees and other 

7 costs of the action. 

8 SEC. 8. PROHIBITION OF RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS. 

9 (a) APPLICABILITY TO ALL ELECTIONS FOR FED10 ERAL OFFICE.—Section 202 of the Voting Rights Act of 

11 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10502) is amended— 

12 (1) in subsection (a)— 

13 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph 

14 (1)— 

15 (i) by striking ‘‘the offices of Presi16 dent and Vice President’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘Federal office’’; and 

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

19 and inserting ‘‘elections for Federal of20 fice’’; 

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

22 President and Vice President’’ and inserting 

23 ‘‘Federal office’’; 

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

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1 sixth amendment, including the right to vote 

2 from a college domicile; and’’; and 

3 (D) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘presi4 dential elections’’ and inserting ‘‘elections for 

5 Federal office’’; 

6 (2) in subsection (b)— 

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

8 Vice President’’ and inserting ‘‘voting in elec9 tions for Federal office’’; and 

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

11 inserting ‘‘elections for Federal office’’; 

12 (3) in subsection (c)— 

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

14 Vice President’’ and inserting ‘‘election for Fed15 eral office’’; and 

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

17 Vice President, or for President and Vice Presi18 dent,’’ and inserting ‘‘Federal office,’’ each 

19 place the term appears; 

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

21 electors for President and Vice President or for 

22 President and Vice President’’ and inserting ‘‘Fed23 eral office’’; 

24 (5) in subsection (e)— 


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

2 Vice President’’ and inserting ‘‘election for Fed3 eral office’’; and 

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

5 President and Vice President, or for President 

6 and Vice President,’’ and inserting ‘‘Federal of7 fice’’; and 

8 (6) in subsection (f)— 

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

10 Vice President’’ and inserting ‘‘election for Fed11 eral office’’; and 

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

13 for President and Vice President, or for Presi14 dent and Vice President,’’ and inserting ‘‘for 

15 Federal office’’. 

16 (b) PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION RELATING TO RESI17 DENCE REQUIREMENTS FOR VOTING.—Section 202 of the 

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

19 amended by adding at the end the following: 

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

21 is aggrieved by a violation of this section may commence 

22 a civil action in any appropriate district court of the 

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

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


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1 to recover from the defendant reasonable attorneys’ and 

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

3 SEC. 9. REQUIREMENTS FOR VOTER IDENTIFICATION. 

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

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

6 (1) by redesignating sections 304 and 305 as 

7 sections 305 and 306, respectively; and 

8 (2) by inserting after section 303 the following 

9 new section: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 304. TREATMENT OF STUDENT IDENTIFICATION 

11 CARDS AS VOTER IDENTIFICATION. 

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

13 local jurisdiction has a voter identification requirement, 

14 the State or local jurisdiction shall treat a student identi15 fication card issued by an institution of higher education 

16 as meeting such voter identification requirement. 

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

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

19 education’ has the meaning given that term in subsections 

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

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

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

23 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT RELATING TO EN24 FORCEMENT.—Section 401 of such Act (52 U.S.C. 21111) 


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

2 and 304’’. 

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

4 of such Act is amended— 

5 (1) by redesignating the items relating to sec6 tions 304 and 305 as relating to sections 305 and 

7 306, respectively; and 

8 (2) by inserting after the item relating to sec9 tion 303 the following new item: 

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

10 SEC. 10. GRANTS TO STATES FOR ACTIVITIES TO ENCOUR11 AGE INVOLVEMENT OF YOUTH IN ELECTION 

12 ACTIVITIES. 

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

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

15 by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘PART 7—GRANTS TO ENCOURAGE YOUTH 

17 INVOLVEMENT IN ELECTION ACTIVITIES 

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

19 IN ELECTION ACTIVITIES. 

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

21 grants to eligible States to increase the involvement of 

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

23 election activities in the State. 

24 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) APPLICATION.—A State is eligible to re2 ceive a grant under this section if the State submits 

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

4 as the Commission may require, an application con5 taining— 

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

7 ‘‘(B) a description of the performance 

8 measures and targets the State will use to de9 termine its success in carrying out the plan; 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(C) such other information and assur12 ances as the Commission may require. 

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

14 under this subsection shall include— 

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

16 pre-registration process implemented under sec17 tion 8A of the National Voter Registration Act 

18 of 1993; 

19 ‘‘(B) modifications to the curriculum of 

20 secondary schools in the State to promote civic 

21 engagement; 

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

23 provide funding to secondary schools and insti24 tutions of higher education to enable those 

25 schools and institutions to support activities 


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1 (including activities carried out by student or2 ganizations) to increase voter registration and 

3 voter turnout, including pre-registration where 

4 allowable; 

5 ‘‘(D) the creation of a paid fellowship pro6 gram for youth to work with State and local 

7 election officials to support youth civic and po8 litical engagement; 

9 ‘‘(E) a description of how the grant fund10 ing will reduce disparities in access to the elec11 toral process among youth who are members of 

12 protected classes, as defined by the Commis13 sion, under Federal law; and 

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

15 involvement of youth in the electoral process as 

16 the State considers appropriate, including en17 couraging youth to serve as poll workers, dep18 uty voter registrars, or election workers where 

19 allowable, and outreach activities to engage sec20 ondary schools, postsecondary educational insti21 tutions, and the most vulnerable or overlooked 

22 youth populations, such as those in less stable 

23 housing and those who do not pursue college 

24 education. 

25 ‘‘(c) PERIOD OF GRANT; REPORT.— 


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

2 grant under this section shall use the funds provided 

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

4 the State and the Commission. 

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

6 the end of the 2-year period agreed to under para7 graph (1), the State shall submit to the Commission 

8 a report on the activities the State carried out with 

9 the funds provided by the grant, and shall include 

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

11 State met the performance measures and targets in12 cluded in its application under subsection (b)(2). 

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

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

15 Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United 

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

17 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

18 ‘‘(e) YOUTH ENGAGEMENT FUND.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall es20 tablish a Youth Engagement Fund for the purpose 

21 of making grants under this section. 

22 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATION.— 

23 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Youth 

24 Engagement Fund to carry out this section— 


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1 ‘‘(A) for fiscal year 2024, $26,000,000; 

2 and 

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

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

5 of unobligated funds in the Youth Engagement 

6 Fund as of the close of the preceding fiscal 

7 year. 

8 ‘‘(3) AVAILABILITY.—Funds appropriated pur9 suant to the authorization of appropriations in para10 graph (2) shall remain available for a period of 10 

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

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

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

14 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.’’. 

15 SEC. 11. ABSENTEE VOTING. 

16 (a) ENFORCEMENT OF TWENTY-SIXTH AMEND17 MENT.—Section 301(a)(1) of the Voting Rights Act of 

18 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10701(a)(1)) is amended by inserting be19 fore the period at the end the following: ‘‘, including deni20 als or abridgements of the rights of citizens of the United 

21 States to vote on account of age as a result of age-based 

22 restrictions for individuals of legal voting age to voting 

23 by mail’’. 


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1 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con2 gress that age-based restrictions for individuals of legal 

3 voting age to vote by mail constitute a violation of the 

4 Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of the 

5 United States. 

6 SEC. 12. 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; 


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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. 


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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. 


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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), as amended by section 

23 9(b), is amended by inserting ‘‘303A,’’ after 

24 ‘‘303,’’. 


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1 (C) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of 

2 contents of such Act is amended by inserting 

3 after the item relating to section 303 the fol4 lowing new item: 

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

and ballots.’’. 

Æ 


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