I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7755 

To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to increase voting accessibility 

for individuals with disabilities and older individuals, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 23, 2020 

Ms. SCANLON (for herself and Mr. RASKIN) 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 increase 

voting accessibility for individuals with disabilities and 

older individuals, 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 ‘‘Accessible Voting Act of 2020’’. 

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. Findings; purpose. 

TITLE I—ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION OFFICE OF 

ACCESSIBILITY 


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Sec. 101. Establishment of the Election Assistance Commission Office of Accessibility. 

Sec. 102. National Resource Center on Accessible Voting. 

Sec. 103. Establishment of national voter accessibility website. 

TITLE II—STATE REQUIREMENTS AND PAYMENTS 

Sec. 201. Establishment and maintenance of State accessible election websites. 

Sec. 202. Designation of single State office. 

Sec. 203. Transparency regarding changes. 

Sec. 204. Access to absentee registration procedures and no-excuse absentee 

voting for all voters. 

Sec. 205. Protections for in-person voting for individuals with disabilities and 

older individuals. 

Sec. 206. Protections for individuals subject to guardianship. 

Sec. 207. Payments to States for implementation of accessibility requirements. 

Sec. 208. Technical and conforming amendments relating to issuance of voluntary guidance and enforcement. 

TITLE III—FEDERAL ASSISTANCE 

Sec. 301. Expansion and reauthorization of grant program to assure voting access for individuals with disabilities and older individuals. 

Sec. 302. Appointments to EAC Board of Advisors. 

Sec. 303. Removal of limitation on use of funds for participation of protection 

and advocacy systems in litigation related to election-related 

disability access. 

Sec. 304. Funding for protection and advocacy systems. 

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) Since its founding, America has steadily 

4 worked to ensure the right to vote for all through 

5 State law, Federal law, and constitutional amend6 ments. 

7 (2) Almost a quarter of the electorate will be 65 

8 years old or older in 2020. 

9 (3) Of the 37,000,000 voting age individuals 

10 with disabilities in America, an estimated 

11 14,300,000 citizens with disabilities reported voting 

12 in the November 2018 election. 


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1 (4) Older individuals who have been lifelong 

2 voters and who now find it difficult to leave their 

3 home often cannot vote in person. 

4 (5) Despite Federal laws requiring fully acces5 sible voting places, barriers to vote for people with 

6 disabilities and older individuals still exist. 

7 (6) In 2016 only 40 percent of polling places 

8 were architecturally accessible and only 45 percent 

9 of voting booths were accessible. 

10 (7) Combining deficiencies in architectural and 

11 voting booth access, only 17 percent of polling places 

12 could be considered fully accessible in 2016. 

13 (8) People with disabilities voted at a rate of 

14 4.7 percent less than non-disabled individuals in 

15 2016. 

16 (9) In 2017, the Native American Voting 

17 Rights Coalition found that the distance needed to 

18 travel to polling locations and drop off boxes for ab19 sentee ballots greatly affected the ability of Native 

20 Americans to cast ballots. 

21 (10) The National Congress of American Indi22 ans found that the turnout rate for Native Ameri23 cans and Alaska Native registered voters is between 

24 5 to 14 percent lower than turnout rates of other ra25 cial and ethnic groups. 


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1 (11) According to the United States Census 

2 Bureau, there are nearly 26,000,000 individuals in 

3 the United States with limited English proficiency 

4 and more than 66,000,000 who speak a language 

5 other than English at home. Americans with limited 

6 English proficiency can face challenges when at7 tempting to register to vote and cast a ballot. 

8 (12) A strong legislative focus on the needs of 

9 older individuals, individuals with disabilities, Native 

10 Americans, Alaska Natives, and individuals with lim11 ited proficiency in the English language is necessary 

12 to remove obstacles to vote and ensure they can ex13 ercise their right to vote. 

14 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to improve 

15 access for older individuals, individuals with disabilities, 

16 Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and individuals with 

17 limited proficiency in the English language to register to 

18 vote and to cast a ballot by— 

19 (1) providing States and local governments with 

20 resources to improve accessibility when registering to 

21 vote, voting by absentee, and casting a ballot in per22 son; and 

23 (2) expanding Federal oversight and support to 

24 ensure greater accessibility to State voting systems. 


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1 TITLE I—ELECTION ASSISTANCE 

2 COMMISSION OFFICE OF AC3 CESSIBILITY 

4 SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ELECTION ASSISTANCE 

5 COMMISSION OFFICE OF ACCESSIBILITY. 

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

7 America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 20921) is amended 

8 by adding at the end the following new part: 

9 ‘‘PART 4—ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION 

10 OFFICE OF ACCESSIBILITY 

11 ‘‘SEC. 223. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION OFFICE OF 

12 ACCESSIBILITY. 

13 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established 

14 the Election Assistance Commission Office of Accessibility 

15 (hereinafter in this part referred to as the ‘Office of Acces16 sibility’). 

17 ‘‘(b) DUTIES.—The Office of Accessibility shall— 

18 ‘‘(1) serve as the effective and visible advocate 

19 on behalf of voters with access needs, including older 

20 individuals, individuals with disabilities, Native 

21 Americans, Alaska Native citizens, and individuals 

22 with limited proficiency in the English language— 

23 ‘‘(A) within the Election Assistance Com24 mission and with other departments and agenVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:34 Aug 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7755.IH H7755

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1 cies of the Federal Government regarding all 

2 Federal policies affecting such individuals; and 

3 ‘‘(B) in the States to promote the en4 hanced accessibility of voting systems and com5 pliance with this Act and other Federal law and 

6 regulations; 

7 ‘‘(2) ensure State and local election officials are 

8 taking steps to maintain voting systems that meet 

9 Department of Justice accessibility standards; 

10 ‘‘(3) if the Director of the Office of Accessibility 

11 finds that a State has not taken steps to meet such 

12 standards, refer the finding to the Department of 

13 Justice for enforcement; 

14 ‘‘(4) evaluate State proposals to expand voter 

15 accessibility in order to meet the requirements of 

16 sections 304 through 309; 

17 ‘‘(5) ensure State and local governments meet 

18 the requirements of sections 304 through 309 (relat19 ing to accessible election websites and other accessi20 bility requirements), including through referral to 

21 the Attorney General for action under section 401 as 

22 appropriate; 

23 ‘‘(6) administer and evaluate payments to 

24 States for the establishment and maintenance of ac25 cessible election websites under section 297; 


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1 ‘‘(7) establish and operate the National Re2 source Center on Accessible Voting under section 

3 224; 

4 ‘‘(8) establish the national voter accessibility 

5 website under section 225; 

6 ‘‘(9) collect and disseminate information related 

7 to challenges experienced by older individuals, indi8 viduals with disabilities, Native Americans, Alaska 

9 Natives, and individuals with limited proficiency in 

10 the English language when registering to vote or 

11 casting a ballot; and 

12 ‘‘(10) recommend policies and priorities to im13 prove the accessibility of State voter registration sys14 tems, voting systems, the casting of ballots, and the 

15 application for and casting of absentee ballots. 

16 ‘‘(c) OBJECTIVES.—The Office of Accessibility shall 

17 have the following primary objectives: 

18 ‘‘(1) Educating State and local election officials 

19 on the challenges faced by older individuals, individ20 uals with disabilities, Native Americans, Alaska Na21 tives, and individuals with limited proficiency in the 

22 English language when voting, and teaching evi23 dence-based strategies for overcoming those chal24 lenges. 


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1 ‘‘(2) Educating State and local election officials 

2 regarding the needs of individuals with disabilities 

3 and older individuals. 

4 ‘‘(3) Providing educational resources in plain 

5 language to older individuals and individuals with 

6 disabilities on their rights and resources when reg7 istering to vote and voting. 

8 ‘‘(4) Providing translated educational resources 

9 for Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and individ10 uals with limited proficiency in the English language 

11 on their rights and resources when registering to 

12 vote and voting. 

13 ‘‘(5) Studying potential improvements and pro14 viding strategies that State and local election offi15 cials may implement, and encouraging the enact16 ment of State or local laws as necessary for such im17 plementation, with the goal of— 

18 ‘‘(A) ensuring that individuals with disabil19 ities and older individuals are provided the op20 portunity to cast a private and independent bal21 lot in person in an election for Federal office, 

22 including— 

23 ‘‘(i) strategies to reduce adversely 

24 long wait times for casting ballots; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) alternative options to cast a bal2 lot on the day of an election, such as pro3 viding the option to cast a ballot outside of 

4 the polling place or from a vehicle; 

5 ‘‘(iii) strategies and criteria to create 

6 expedited voting lines for those needing 

7 such service; or 

8 ‘‘(iv) the ability for an individual who 

9 cannot physically wait in line to exit the 

10 line without losing their place; 

11 ‘‘(B) ensuring that individuals with disabil12 ities and older individuals are provided the op13 portunity to cast a private and independent ab14 sentee ballot, including— 

15 ‘‘(i) ensuring the process for request16 ing and securing an absentee ballot is ac17 cessible to individuals with disabilities and 

18 older individuals; 

19 ‘‘(ii) ensuring the process for submit20 ting an absentee ballot is accessible to indi21 viduals with disabilities and older individ22 uals; and 

23 ‘‘(iii) ensuring the process for mark24 ing an absentee ballot is accessible to indiVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:34 Aug 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7755.IH H7755

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1 viduals with disabilities and older individ2 uals; and 

3 ‘‘(C) implementing policies that encourage 

4 more individuals with disabilities and older indi5 viduals to serve as poll workers. 

6 ‘‘(6) Promoting research into the use of acces7 sible ballot marking devices and educating State and 

8 local election officials on the secure use of accessible 

9 ballot marking devices. 

10 ‘‘(d) DIRECTOR OF ACCESSIBILITY.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Office of Accessibility 

12 shall be headed by a Director of Accessibility (re13 ferred to in this part as the ‘Director’) who shall be 

14 appointed by the Executive Director of the Election 

15 Assistance Commission. 

16 ‘‘(2) TERM OF SERVICE FOR THE DIRECTOR.— 

17 The Director shall serve for a term of 4 years. The 

18 term of the first individual appointed to the position 

19 of Director shall end on January 3, 2025, and the 

20 term of each individual appointed for a full term to 

21 the position of Director thereafter shall end on Jan22 uary 3 of each fourth year thereafter. 

23 ‘‘(3) PROCEDURE FOR APPOINTMENT.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—On the date that is 6 

25 months prior to the date on which a vacancy is 


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1 scheduled to occur in the position of the Direc2 tor or the date on which the Director submits 

3 a Letter of Resignation, the Election Assistance 

4 Commission Standards Board and Election As5 sistance Commission Board of Advisors under 

6 part 2 of this subtitle (hereafter in this part re7 ferred to as the ‘Standards Board’ and the 

8 ‘Board of Advisors’, respectively), shall each ap9 point a search committee to recommend at least 

10 three nominees for the position. 

11 ‘‘(B) REQUIRING CONSIDERATION OF

12 NOMINEES.—The Executive Director of the 

13 Election Assistance Commission shall consider 

14 the nominees recommended by the Standards 

15 Board and the Board of Advisors in appointing 

16 the Director. 

17 ‘‘(4) PROCEDURE FOR REAPPOINTMENT.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director may be 

19 reappointed for one or more additional full 

20 terms if the Standards Board and the Board of 

21 Advisors recommends such reappointment. 

22 ‘‘(B) TIMING OF RECOMMENDATION.—The 

23 Standards Board and the Board of Advisors 

24 may recommend such reappointment for an ad25 ditional term before the date on which the curVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:34 Aug 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7755.IH H7755

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1 rent term of the Director expires, but not more 

2 than 3 months before such date. 

3 ‘‘(5) CONTINUATION IN OFFICE.—An individual 

4 serving in the position of Director at the end of the 

5 term of the individual as Director may continue to 

6 serve until a successor is appointed. 

7 ‘‘(e) DEPUTY DIRECTOR.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be a Deputy 

9 Director of the Office who shall— 

10 ‘‘(A) be appointed by the Director; 

11 ‘‘(B) perform such duties as may be as12 signed by the Director; and 

13 ‘‘(C) during the absence or incapacity of 

14 the Director or during a vacancy in that office, 

15 act as the Director. 

16 ‘‘(2) TERM.—The term of an individual ap17 pointed to the position of Deputy Director shall end 

18 on the date on which the term of the Director ap19 pointing the Deputy Director ends. 

20 ‘‘(3) CONTINUATION IN OFFICE.—An individual 

21 serving in the position of Deputy Director at the end 

22 of the term of the individual as Deputy Director 

23 may continue to serve until a successor is appointed. 

24 ‘‘(f) OTHER STAFF.—Subject to rules prescribed by 

25 the Commission, the Director may appoint and fix the pay 


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1 of such additional personnel as the Director considers ap2 propriate. 

3 ‘‘(g) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 

4 years after the date of enactment of this part, and every 

5 2 years thereafter, the Director shall submit to Congress 

6 a report describing the activities carried out under this 

7 part during the period since the last report was submitted 

8 under this subsection. 

9 ‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this part, the term ‘acces10 sible’, ‘individual with a disability’, ‘older individual’, and 

11 ‘State’ have the meaning given those terms in section 304. 

12 ‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION.—There are authorized to be 

13 appropriated to the Office of Accessibility to carry out the 

14 provisions of this part $500,000 for each of fiscal years 

15 2021 and 2022 and such sums as may be necessary for 

16 each succeeding year.’’. 

17 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

18 (1) CONFORMING AMENDMENT TO DUTIES OF

19 EAC.—Section 202 of the Help America Vote Act of 

20 2002 (52 U.S.C. 20922) is amended— 

21 (A) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

22 the end; 

23 (B) in paragraph (6), by striking the pe24 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 


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1 (C) by adding at the end the following new 

2 paragraph: 

3 ‘‘(7) establishing the Election Assistance Com4 mission Office of Accessibility under section 223.’’. 

5 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con6 tents of such Act is amended by inserting after the 

7 item relating to section 222 the following new items: 

‘‘PART 4—ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION OFFICE OF ACCESSIBILITY

‘‘Sec. 223. Election Assistance Commission Office of Accessibility.’’. 

8 SEC. 102. NATIONAL RESOURCE CENTER ON ACCESSIBLE 

9 VOTING. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part 4 of subtitle A of title II of 

11 the Help America Vote Act of 2002, as added by section 

12 101, is amended by adding at the end the following new 

13 section: 

14 ‘‘SEC. 224. NATIONAL RESOURCE CENTER ON ACCESSIBLE 

15 VOTING. 

16 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than January 1, 2021, 

17 the Office of Accessibility shall, directly or by grant or 

18 contract with eligible entities described in subsection (d), 

19 establish and operate a National Resource Center on Ac20 cessible Voting (in this section referred to as the ‘Center’). 

21 ‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES.—In order to address the unique 

22 challenges faced by older individuals, individuals with dis23 abilities, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and individ24 uals with limited proficiency in the English language, the 


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1 Center shall provide State and local election officials, poll 

2 workers, and volunteers with the information and tech3 nical assistance needed to effectively provide accessible 

4 voting, and ensure that individuals with disabilities and 

5 older individuals are given an equivalent opportunity to 

6 vote, including with privacy and independence. 

7 ‘‘(c) OBJECTIVES.—The Center shall assist the Office 

8 of Accessibility in carrying out the primary objectives of 

9 the Office as described in section 223(c). 

10 ‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a 

12 grant or contract under this subsection, an entity 

13 shall— 

14 ‘‘(A) submit an application to the Office of 

15 Accessibility at such time, in such manner, and 

16 containing such information as the Office of Ac17 cessibility may reasonably require; and 

18 ‘‘(B) meet the criteria described in para19 graph (2). 

20 ‘‘(2) CRITERIA DESCRIBED.—The criteria de21 scribed in this paragraph, with respect to an entity, 

22 are that the entity— 

23 ‘‘(A) has demonstrated expertise in work24 ing with organizations or individuals on issues 


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1 affecting individuals with disabilities and older 

2 individuals; 

3 ‘‘(B) has documented experience in pro4 viding training and technical assistance on a 

5 national basis or a formal relationship with an 

6 organization that has such experience; 

7 ‘‘(C) partners with an organization that 

8 has demonstrated expertise in election security; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(D) meets such other criteria as deter11 mined appropriate by the Office of Accessibility. 

12 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

13 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

14 not less than $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2021 and each 

15 succeeding fiscal year. Amounts appropriated under the 

16 preceding sentence shall remain available until expended. 

17 ‘‘(f) OPERATING STANDARDS AND REPORTING RE18 QUIREMENTS.—The Office of Accessibility shall develop 

19 and issue operating standards and reporting requirements 

20 for the Center.’’. 

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

22 of such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating 

23 to section 223, as added by section 101(b)(2), the fol24 lowing new item: 

‘‘Sec. 224. National Resource Center on Accessible Voting.’’. 


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1 SEC. 103. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL VOTER ACCESSI2 BILITY WEBSITE. 

3 (a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to cre4 ate an accessible national website to provide support and 

5 information to State and local election officials, individuals 

6 with disabilities, and older individuals. 

7 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Part 4 of subtitle A of title 

8 II of the Help America Vote Act of 2002, as added by 

9 section 101 and amended by section 102, is amended by 

10 adding at the end the following new section: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 225. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL VOTER ACCESSI12 BILITY WEBSITE. 

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Office of Accessibility shall 

14 work with State and local election officials to collect data 

15 and administer a public national voter accessibility website 

16 to— 

17 ‘‘(1) ensure individuals with disabilities and 

18 older individuals are provided easy access to clear 

19 and understandable voter information for each 

20 State, including— 

21 ‘‘(A) a link to each State accessible elec22 tion website as described in section 304; 

23 ‘‘(B) information on voting timelines for 

24 each State, including deadlines to— 

25 ‘‘(i) register to vote; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) update voter registration infor2 mation; 

3 ‘‘(iii) submit an application to run for 

4 elected office; 

5 ‘‘(iv) apply for an absentee ballot; and 

6 ‘‘(v) submit an absentee ballot; and 

7 ‘‘(C) a plain language description of the 

8 voting laws of each State, including information 

9 on— 

10 ‘‘(i) voter identification requirements; 

11 ‘‘(ii) how to register to vote, update 

12 registration info, and confirm an individual 

13 is registered to vote in the State; 

14 ‘‘(iii) the location and operating hours 

15 of polling places and the accessibility of 

16 polling places; 

17 ‘‘(iv) the availability of aid or assist18 ance for individuals with disabilities and 

19 older individuals to cast their vote in a 

20 manner that provides the same opportunity 

21 for access and participation (including pri22 vacy and independence) as for other voters 

23 at polling places; 

24 ‘‘(v) the availability of aid or assist25 ance from State and local agencies for inVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:34 Aug 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7755.IH H7755

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1 dividuals with disabilities or older individ2 uals who are not able to travel to the poll3 ing place; 

4 ‘‘(vi) how to contact State, local, and 

5 Federal officials with complaints or griev6 ances if individuals with disabilities and 

7 older individuals feel their ability to reg8 ister to vote or vote has been blocked or 

9 delayed; and 

10 ‘‘(vii) access to aging and disability 

11 support resources in the State, including— 

12 ‘‘(I) protection and advocacy sys13 tems (as defined in section 102 of the 

14 Developmental Disabilities Assistance 

15 and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 

16 U.S.C. 15002)); and 

17 ‘‘(II) information on how to ob18 tain transportation to the polls from 

19 State or local agencies; and 

20 ‘‘(2) provide a description of resources for local 

21 election officials to use in providing guidance to poll 

22 workers in order to ensure that polling places are ac23 cessible for individuals with disabilities and older in24 dividuals in a manner that provides the same opporVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:34 Aug 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7755.IH H7755

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1 tunity for access and participation (including privacy 

2 and independence) as for other voters. 

3 ‘‘(b) DATABASE.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Office of Accessibility 

5 shall maintain a database of complaints or griev6 ances from individuals who feel their ability to reg7 ister to vote or vote has been blocked or delayed, 

8 and the outcome of their complaints (as reported by 

9 States pursuant to section 297(d)). 

10 ‘‘(2) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Office of Ac11 cessibility shall make such complaints and a descrip12 tion of the outcomes of such complaints available to 

13 the public, while maintaining the anonymity of any 

14 individual who submits a complaint. 

15 ‘‘(3) REFERRAL OF COMPLAINTS TO DEPART16 MENT OF JUSTICE.—The Office of Accessibility shall 

17 refer any complaints or grievances which violate 

18 Federal law to the Department of Justice. 

19 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘acces20 sible’, ‘individual with a disability’, ‘older individual’, and 

21 ‘State’ have the meaning given those terms in section 

22 304.’’. 

23 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

24 of such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating 


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1 to section 224, as added by section 102(b), the following 

2 new item: 

‘‘Sec. 225. Establishment of national voter accessibility website.’’. 

3 TITLE II—STATE 

4 REQUIREMENTS AND PAYMENTS 

5 SEC. 201. ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF STATE 

6 ACCESSIBLE ELECTION WEBSITES. 

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

8 Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21018 et seq.) is amended— 

9 (1) by redesignating sections 304 and 305 as 

10 sections 305 and 306; and 

11 (2) by inserting after section 303 the following: 

12 ‘‘SEC. 304. ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF ACCES13 SIBLE ELECTION WEBSITES. 

14 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall ensure their 

15 election websites are accessible and meet the following re16 quirements: 

17 ‘‘(1) LOCAL ELECTION OFFICIALS.—The 

18 website shall provide local election officials, poll 

19 workers, and volunteers with— 

20 ‘‘(A) guidance to ensure that polling places 

21 are accessible for individuals with disabilities 

22 and older individuals in a manner that provides 

23 the same opportunity for access and participa24 tion (including privacy and independence) as for 

25 other voters; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) online training and resources on— 

2 ‘‘(i) how best to promote the access 

3 and participation of individuals with dis4 abilities and older individuals in elections 

5 for public office; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) the voting rights and protections 

7 for individuals with disabilities and older 

8 individuals under State and Federal law. 

9 ‘‘(2) VOTERS.—The website shall provide infor10 mation about voting, including— 

11 ‘‘(A) the accessibility of all polling places 

12 within the State, including outreach programs 

13 to inform individuals about the availability of 

14 accessible polling places; 

15 ‘‘(B) how to register to vote and confirm 

16 voter registration in the State; 

17 ‘‘(C) the location and operating hours of 

18 all polling places in the State; 

19 ‘‘(D) the availability of aid or assistance 

20 for individuals with disabilities and older indi21 viduals to cast their vote in a manner that pro22 vides the same opportunity for access and par23 ticipation (including privacy and independence) 

24 as for other voters at polling places; 


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1 ‘‘(E) the availability of transportation aid 

2 or assistance to the polling place for individuals 

3 with disabilities or older individuals; 

4 ‘‘(F) the rights and protections under 

5 State and Federal law for individuals with dis6 abilities and older individuals to participate in 

7 elections; and 

8 ‘‘(G) how to contact State, local, and Fed9 eral officials with complaints or grievances if in10 dividuals with disabilities, older individuals, Na11 tive Americans, Alaska Natives, and individuals 

12 with limited proficiency in the English language 

13 feel their ability to register to vote or vote has 

14 been blocked or delayed. 

15 ‘‘(b) PARTNERSHIP WITH OUTSIDE TECHNICAL OR16 GANIZATION.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The chief State election of18 ficial of each State, through the committee of appro19 priate individuals under subsection (c)(2), shall part20 ner with an outside technical organization with dem21 onstrated experience in establishing accessible and 

22 easy to use accessible election websites to— 

23 ‘‘(A) update an existing election website to 

24 make it fully accessible in accordance with this 

25 section; or 


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1 ‘‘(B) develop an election website that is 

2 fully accessible in accordance with this section. 

3 ‘‘(2) IN-HOUSE TRAINING.—Under such part4 nership, the outside technical organization shall also 

5 be required to provide training to in-house personnel 

6 of the State or units of local government to maintain 

7 and update election websites in an accessible man8 ner. 

9 ‘‘(c) STATE PLAN.— 

10 ‘‘(1) DEVELOPMENT.—The chief State election 

11 official of each State shall, through a committee of 

12 appropriate individuals as described in paragraph 

13 (2), develop a State plan that describes how the 

14 State and local governments will meet the require15 ments under this section. 

16 ‘‘(2) COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP.—The com17 mittee shall comprise at least the following individ18 uals: 

19 ‘‘(A) The chief election officials of the four 

20 most populous jurisdictions within the State. 

21 ‘‘(B) The chief election officials of the four 

22 least populous jurisdictions within the State. 

23 ‘‘(C) Representatives from two disability 

24 advocacy groups, including at least one such 


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1 representative who is an individual with a dis2 ability. 

3 ‘‘(D) Representatives from two older indi4 vidual advocacy groups, including at least one 

5 such representative who is an older individual. 

6 ‘‘(E) Representatives from two inde7 pendent non-governmental organizations with 

8 expertise in establishing and maintaining acces9 sible websites. 

10 ‘‘(F) Representatives from two inde11 pendent non-governmental voting rights organi12 zations. 

13 ‘‘(G) Representatives from State protection 

14 and advocacy systems as defined in section 102 

15 of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance 

16 and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 

17 15002). 

18 ‘‘(d) PARTNERSHIP TO MONITOR AND VERIFY AC19 CESSIBILITY.—The chief State election official of each eli20 gible State, through the committee of appropriate individ21 uals under subsection (c)(2), shall partner with at least 

22 two of the following organizations to monitor and verify 

23 the accessibility of the election website and the complete24 ness of the election information and the accuracy of the 

25 disability information provided on such website: 


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1 ‘‘(1) University Centers for Excellence in Devel2 opmental Disabilities Education, Research, and 

3 Services designated under section 151(a) of the De4 velopmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of 

5 Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 15061(a)). 

6 ‘‘(2) Centers for Independent Living, as de7 scribed in part C of title VII of the Rehabilitation 

8 Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 796f et seq.). 

9 ‘‘(3) A State Council on Developmental Disabil10 ities described in section 125 of the Developmental 

11 Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 

12 2000 (42 U.S.C. 15025). 

13 ‘‘(4) State protection and advocacy systems as 

14 defined in section 102 of the Developmental Disabil15 ities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 

16 U.S.C. 15002). 

17 ‘‘(5) Statewide Independent Living Councils es18 tablished under section 705 of the Rehabilitation Act 

19 of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 796d). 

20 ‘‘(6) State Assistive Technology Act Programs. 

21 ‘‘(7) A visual access advocacy organization. 

22 ‘‘(8) An organization for the deaf. 

23 ‘‘(9) A mental health organization. 

24 ‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this subtitle: 


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1 ‘‘(1) ACCESSIBLE.—The term ‘accessible’ 

2 means— 

3 ‘‘(A) in the case of the election website 

4 under subsection (a) or section 225, or an elec5 tronic communication under section 307— 

6 ‘‘(i) that the functions and content of 

7 the website or electronic communication, 

8 including all text, visual, and aural con9 tent, are as accessible to people with dis10 abilities as to those without disabilities; 

11 ‘‘(ii) that the functions and content of 

12 the website or electronic communication 

13 are accessible to individuals with limited 

14 proficiency in the English language; and 

15 ‘‘(iii) that the website or electronic 

16 communication meets, at a minimum, con17 formance to Level AA of the Web Content 

18 Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 of the Web Ac19 cessibility Initiative (or any successor 

20 guidelines); and 

21 ‘‘(B) in the case of a facility (including a 

22 polling place), that the facility is readily acces23 sible to and usable by individuals with disabil24 ities and older individuals, as determined under 

25 the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design 


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1 adopted by the Department of Justice (or any 

2 successor standards). 

3 ‘‘(2) INDIVIDUAL WITH A DISABILITY.—The 

4 term ‘individual with a disability’ means an indi5 vidual with a disability, as defined in section 3 of the 

6 Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

7 12102), and who is otherwise qualified to vote in 

8 elections for Federal office. 

9 ‘‘(3) OLDER INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘older in10 dividual’ means an individual who is 60 years of age 

11 or older and who is otherwise qualified to vote in 

12 elections for Federal office. 

13 ‘‘(4) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means a State 

14 of the United States, the District of Columbia, the 

15 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any territory or 

16 possession of the United States. 

17 ‘‘(f) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply on 

18 or after January 1, 2021.’’. 

19 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The table of contents 

20 of such Act is amended— 

21 (1) by redesignating the items relating to sec22 tions 304 and 305 as relating to sections 305 and 

23 306, respectively; and 

24 (2) by inserting after the item relating to sec25 tion 303 the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 304. Establishment and maintenance of accessible election websites.’’. 


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1 SEC. 202. DESIGNATION OF SINGLE STATE OFFICE. 

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

3 Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21018 et seq.), as amended 

4 by section 201, is amended— 

5 (1) by redesignating sections 305 and 306 as 

6 sections 306 and 307; and 

7 (2) by inserting after section 304 the following: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 305. DESIGNATION OF SINGLE STATE OFFICE TO PRO9 VIDE INFORMATION FOR ALL INDIVIDUALS 

10 WITH DISABILITIES AND OLDER INDIVIDUALS 

11 IN THE STATE. 

12 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall designate a sin13 gle office which shall be responsible for providing informa14 tion with respect to Federal elections to all individuals 

15 with disabilities or older individuals. 

16 ‘‘(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—Such office shall be re17 sponsible for the following: 

18 ‘‘(1) Maintaining the accessible State election 

19 website as described in section 304. 

20 ‘‘(2) Providing information regarding voter reg21 istration, absentee ballots, and in-person voting pro22 cedures to be used by individuals with disabilities 

23 and older individuals with respect to elections for 

24 Federal office. 

25 ‘‘(3) Regularly auditing polling places to ensure 

26 they are accessible, as defined in section 304, and 


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1 publicly posting the results of such audits no later 

2 than 6 months after the completion of the audit. 

3 ‘‘(4) Providing information to State and local 

4 election officials on how to set up and operate acces5 sible voting systems and information regarding the 

6 accessibility of voting procedures, including guidance 

7 on compatibility with assistive technologies such as 

8 screen readers and ballot marking devices. 

9 ‘‘(5) Working with— 

10 ‘‘(A) community members with disabilities 

11 and disability advocacy groups year round; and 

12 ‘‘(B) older individuals and advocacy groups 

13 for older individuals year round. 

14 ‘‘(6) Integrating information on accessibility, 

15 accommodations, disability, and older individuals 

16 into regular training materials for poll workers and 

17 election administration officials. 

18 ‘‘(7) Training poll workers on how to make poll19 ing places accessible for individuals with disabilities 

20 and older individuals. 

21 ‘‘(8) Promoting the hiring of individuals with 

22 disabilities and older individuals as poll workers and 

23 election staff. 

24 ‘‘(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply on 

25 or after January 1, 2021.’’. 


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

2 of such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating 

3 to section 304, as added by section 201(b), the following: 

‘‘Sec. 305. Designation of single State office to provide information for all individuals with disabilities and older individuals in the State.’’. 

4 SEC. 203. TRANSPARENCY REGARDING CHANGES. 

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

6 Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21018 et seq.), as amended 

7 by sections 201 and 202, is amended— 

8 (1) by redesignating sections 306 and 307 as 

9 sections 307 and 308; and 

10 (2) by inserting after section 305 the following: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 306. TRANSPARENCY REGARDING CHANGES. 

12 ‘‘(a) NOTICE OF ENACTED CHANGES.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If a State or political sub14 division makes any change in any prerequisite to 

15 voting or standard, practice, or procedure with re16 spect to voting in any election for Federal office that 

17 will result in the prerequisite, standard, practice, or 

18 procedure being different from that which was in ef19 fect as of the date that is 180 days before the elec20 tion, the State or political subdivision must provide 

21 reasonable public notice in such State or political 

22 subdivision and on the accessible State election 

23 website as described in section 304, containing a 

24 concise description of the change, including the difVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:34 Aug 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7755.IH H7755

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1 ference between the changed prerequisite, standard, 

2 practice, or procedure and the prerequisite, stand3 ard, practice, or procedure which was previously in 

4 effect. 

5 ‘‘(2) FORMAT.—The public notice described in 

6 paragraph (1) shall be provided in a format that is 

7 convenient and accessible to individuals with disabil8 ities and older individuals. 

9 ‘‘(3) ACCESSIBLE EMAIL AND MAIL NOTICES.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A State or political 

11 subdivision shall send out an accessible elec12 tronic mail or mail notice to any voter who re13 quest to be notified of any changes described in 

14 paragraph (1). 

15 ‘‘(B) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROCESS.—A 

16 State or political subdivision shall establish a 

17 process under which a voter may request to be 

18 notified of any such changes. 

19 ‘‘(4) DEADLINE FOR NOTICE.—A State or polit20 ical subdivision shall provide the public notice re21 quired under paragraph (1) not later than 7 days 

22 after making the change involved. 

23 ‘‘(b) TRANSPARENCY REGARDING POLLING PLACE

24 RESOURCES.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In order to identify any 

2 changes that may impact the right to vote of any in3 dividual, prior to the 30th day before the date of an 

4 election, each State or political subdivision with re5 sponsibility for allocating registered voters, voting 

6 machines, and official poll workers to particular pre7 cincts and polling places shall provide reasonable 

8 public notice in such State or political subdivision 

9 and on the accessible State election website as de10 scribed in section 304, of the information described 

11 in paragraph (2) for precincts and polling places 

12 within such State or political subdivision. 

13 ‘‘(2) INFORMATION DESCRIBED.—The informa14 tion described in this paragraph with respect to a 

15 precinct or polling place is each of the following: 

16 ‘‘(A) The name or number of the precinct 

17 or polling place. 

18 ‘‘(B) In the case of a polling place, the lo19 cation, including the street address, and con20 firmation that the polling place is accessible to 

21 individuals with disabilities and older individ22 uals. 

23 ‘‘(C) The number of voting machines as24 signed, including the number of voting ma25 chines accessible to individuals with disabilities 


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1 and older individuals and the number of poll 

2 workers who have received training on how to 

3 set up and operate the accessible voting sys4 tems. 

5 ‘‘(D) The total number of poll workers of6 ficially assigned to the polling place, including 

7 the number of such poll workers who have re8 ceived training to assist individuals with disabil9 ities and older individuals. 

10 ‘‘(E) The number of official volunteer poll 

11 workers assigned who have received training to 

12 assist individuals with disabilities and older in13 dividuals. 

14 ‘‘(F) In the case of a polling place, the 

15 dates and hours of operation. 

16 ‘‘(3) UPDATES IN INFORMATION REPORTED.— 

17 If a State or political subdivision makes any change 

18 in any of the information described in paragraph (2) 

19 with respect to which a notice is provided pursuant 

20 to paragraph (1), the State or political subdivision 

21 shall provide reasonable public notice in such State 

22 or political subdivision and on the accessible State 

23 election website as described in section 304, of the 

24 change in the information not later than 48 hours 

25 after the change occurs or, if the change occurs 


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1 fewer than 48 hours before the date of the election 

2 for Federal office, as soon as practicable after the 

3 change occurs. 

4 ‘‘(4) FORMAT.—The public notice described in 

5 paragraph (1) or (3) shall be provided in a format 

6 that is reasonably convenient and accessible to indi7 viduals with disabilities and older individuals. 

8 ‘‘(5) ACCESSIBLE EMAIL AND MAIL NOTICES.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A State or political 

10 subdivision shall send out an accessible elec11 tronic mail and mail notice to any voter who re12 quests to be notified of any changes described 

13 in paragraph (1) and to the State protection 

14 and advocacy systems (as defined in section 102 

15 of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance 

16 and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 

17 15002)). 

18 ‘‘(B) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROCESS.—A 

19 State or political subdivision shall establish a 

20 process under which a voter may request to be 

21 notified of any such changes. 

22 ‘‘(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply 

23 with respect to elections for Federal office held on or after 

24 January 1, 2021.’’. 


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

2 of such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating 

3 to section 305, as added by section 202(b), the following: 

‘‘Sec. 306. Transparency regarding changes.’’. 

4 SEC. 204. ACCESS TO ABSENTEE REGISTRATION PROCE5 DURES AND NO-EXCUSE ABSENTEE VOTING 

6 FOR ALL VOTERS. 

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

8 Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21018 et seq.), as amended 

9 by sections 201, 202, and 203, is amended— 

10 (1) by redesignating sections 307 and 308 as 

11 sections 308 and 309; and 

12 (2) by inserting after section 306 the following: 

13 ‘‘SEC. 307. ACCESS TO ABSENTEE REGISTRATION PROCE14 DURES AND NO-EXCUSE ABSENTEE VOTING 

15 FOR ALL VOTERS. 

16 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 6(c) 

17 and subparagraph (B) or (D) of section 8(a)(1) of the Na18 tional Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 

19 20505(c); 20507(a)(1)), each State shall— 

20 ‘‘(1) permit any eligible voter to use absentee 

21 registration procedures and to vote by absentee bal22 lot in elections for Federal office; 

23 ‘‘(2) accept and process, with respect to any 

24 election for Federal office, any otherwise valid voter 

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1 tion from any eligible voter if the application is re2 ceived by the appropriate State election official not 

3 less than 7 days before the election; 

4 ‘‘(3) in addition to any other method of reg5 istering to vote in the State, establish procedures— 

6 ‘‘(A) for States to send voter registration 

7 applications to eligible voters in accordance with 

8 the eligible voter’s preferred method of trans9 mission as designated under subparagraph (B); 

10 ‘‘(B) by which an eligible voter may des11 ignate whether the eligible voter prefers that 

12 such voter registration applications be trans13 mitted by mail or electronically; and 

14 ‘‘(C) to allow eligible voters to electroni15 cally submit the mail voter registration applica16 tion form prescribed under section 9(a)(2) of 

17 the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 

18 (52 U.S.C. 20508(a)(2)); 

19 ‘‘(4) in addition to any other method of apply20 ing for an absentee ballot in the State, establish pro21 cedures— 

22 ‘‘(A) for States to send absentee ballot ap23 plications to eligible voters in accordance with 

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1 mission as designated under subparagraph (B); 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(B) by which an eligible voter may des4 ignate whether the eligible voter prefers that 

5 such absentee ballot registration be transmitted 

6 by mail or electronically; 

7 ‘‘(5) establish procedures to allow eligible voters 

8 to establish a permanent absentee voter status until 

9 the voter submits an application to terminate their 

10 permanent absentee voter status; 

11 ‘‘(6) transmit a validly requested absentee bal12 lot to any eligible voter— 

13 ‘‘(A) in the case in which the request is re14 ceived at least 45 days before an election for 

15 Federal office, not later than 45 days before the 

16 election; and 

17 ‘‘(B) in the case in which the request is re18 ceived less than 45 days before an election for 

19 Federal office— 

20 ‘‘(i) in accordance with State law; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) if practicable and as determined 

22 appropriate by the State, in a manner that 

23 expedites the transmission of such absen24 tee ballot; and 


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1 ‘‘(7) if the State declares or otherwise holds a 

2 runoff election for Federal office, establish a written 

3 plan which provides that absentee ballots are made 

4 available to eligible voters in a manner that gives 

5 them sufficient time to vote in the runoff election. 

6 ‘‘(b) DESIGNATION OF MEANS OF ELECTRONIC COM7 MUNICATION FOR ELIGIBLE VOTERS TO REQUEST AND

8 FOR STATES TO SEND VOTER REGISTRATION APPLICA9 TIONS AND ABSENTEE BALLOT APPLICATIONS, AND FOR

10 OTHER PURPOSES RELATED TO VOTING INFORMA11 TION.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall, in addi13 tion to the designation of a single State office under 

14 section 305, designate not less than 1 means of elec15 tronic communication— 

16 ‘‘(A) for use by eligible voters who wish to 

17 register to vote or vote in any jurisdiction in the 

18 State to request voter registration applications 

19 and absentee ballot applications under para20 graphs (3) and (4) , respectively, of subsection 

21 (a); 

22 ‘‘(B) for use by States to send voter reg23 istration applications and absentee ballot appli24 cations requested under such paragraphs; 


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1 ‘‘(C) for the purpose of providing related 

2 voting, balloting, and election information to eli3 gible voters; and 

4 ‘‘(D) that meets the accessibility require5 ment as described in subsection (d). 

6 ‘‘(2) CLARIFICATION REGARDING PROVISION OF

7 MULTIPLE MEANS OF ELECTRONIC COMMUNICA8 TION.—A State may, in addition to the means of 

9 electronic communication so designated, provide 

10 multiple means of electronic communication to eligi11 ble voters, including a means of electronic commu12 nication for the appropriate jurisdiction of the State. 

13 ‘‘(3) INCLUSION OF DESIGNATED MEANS OF

14 ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION WITH INFORMA15 TIONAL AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS THAT AC16 COMPANY BALLOTING MATERIALS.—Each State shall 

17 include a means of electronic communication so des18 ignated with all informational and instructional ma19 terials that accompany balloting materials sent by 

20 the State to eligible voters. 

21 ‘‘(4) TRANSMISSION IF NO PREFERENCE INDI22 CATED.—In the case where an eligible voter does not 

23 designate a preference under paragraph (3)(B) or 

24 (4)(B), respectively, of subsection (a), the State 

25 shall transmit the voter registration application or 


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1 absentee ballot application by any delivery method 

2 allowable in accordance with applicable State law, or 

3 if there is no applicable State law, by mail. 

4 ‘‘(5) COORDINATION WITH STATES.—The Elec5 tion Assistance Commission shall work with States 

6 to ensure the mail voter registration application 

7 form prescribed under section 9(a)(2) of the Na8 tional Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 

9 20508(a)(2)) is accessible as defined in section 304 

10 and capable of being submitted electronically to 

11 State election offices by individuals. 

12 ‘‘(c) TRANSMISSION AND MARKING OF BLANK AB13 SENTEE BALLOTS BY MAIL AND ELECTRONICALLY.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall establish 

15 procedures— 

16 ‘‘(A) to securely transmit blank absentee 

17 ballots by mail and electronically (in accordance 

18 with the preferred method of transmission des19 ignated by the eligible voter under subpara20 graph (B)) to eligible voters for an election for 

21 Federal office; and 

22 ‘‘(B) by which the eligible voter may des23 ignate whether the individual prefers that such 

24 blank absentee ballot be transmitted by mail or 

25 electronically. 


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1 ‘‘(2) TRANSMISSION IF NO PREFERENCE INDI2 CATED.—In the case where an eligible voter does not 

3 designate a preference under paragraph (1)(B), the 

4 State shall transmit the ballot by any delivery meth5 od allowable in accordance with applicable State law, 

6 or if there is no applicable State law, by mail. 

7 ‘‘(3) MARKING OF BLANK ABSENTEE BAL8 LOTS.—Each State shall establish procedures to 

9 allow voters to securely mark blank absentee ballots 

10 through assistive technology for an election for Fed11 eral office. 

12 ‘‘(4) APPLICATION OF METHODS TO TRACK DE13 LIVERY TO AND RETURN OF BALLOT BY INDIVIDUAL

14 REQUESTING BALLOT.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara16 graph (B), under the procedures established 

17 under paragraph (1), the State may apply such 

18 methods as the State considers appropriate 

19 which are in accordance with paragraph (1), 

20 such as assigning a unique identifier to the bal21 lot, to ensure that if an eligible voter requests 

22 the State to transmit a blank absentee ballot to 

23 the individual in accordance with this sub24 section, the voted absentee ballot which is re25 turned by the individual is the same blank abVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:34 Aug 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00042 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7755.IH H7755

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1 sentee ballot which the State transmitted to the 

2 individual. 

3 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—In carrying out this 

4 paragraph, a State may not adopt a method of 

5 tracking absentee ballots which would violate 

6 the right of an individual to a private ballot. If 

7 a unique identifier is assigned to an absentee 

8 ballot, the State must adopt procedures to en9 sure the identity of the individual remains se10 cret. 

11 ‘‘(d) ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENT FOR ELEC12 TRONIC COMMUNICATIONS.—Any electronic communica13 tion under this section, including any application, ballot, 

14 or instructional material sent electronically, shall be acces15 sible as defined in section 304. 

16 ‘‘(e) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec17 tion may be construed to allow the casting of ballots over 

18 the internet. 

19 ‘‘(f) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply 

20 with respect to elections for Federal office held on or after 

21 January 1, 2021.’’. 

22 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

23 (1) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—Section 906(a) 

24 of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 

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1 graph (1), by striking ‘‘section 303(b)’’ and insert2 ing ‘‘sections 303(b) and 307(a)’’. 

3 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con4 tents of such Act is amended by inserting after the 

5 item relating to section 306, as added by section 

6 203(b), the following: 

‘‘Sec. 307. Access to absentee registration procedures and no-excuse absentee 

voting for all voters.’’. 

7 SEC. 205. PROTECTIONS FOR IN-PERSON VOTING FOR INDI8 VIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES AND OLDER IN9 DIVIDUALS. 

10 (a) REQUIREMENT.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Help Amer12 ica Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21018 et seq.), as 

13 amended by sections 201, 202, 203, and 204, is 

14 amended— 

15 (A) by redesignating sections 308 and 309 

16 as sections 309 and 310; and 

17 (B) by inserting after section 307 the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘SEC. 308. ACCESS TO VOTING FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DIS20 ABILITIES AND OLDER INDIVIDUALS. 

21 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall— 

22 ‘‘(1) ensure all polling places within the State 

23 are accessible, as defined in section 304; 


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1 ‘‘(2) consider procedures to address long wait 

2 times at polling places that allow individuals with 

3 disabilities and older individuals alternate options to 

4 cast a ballot in person in an election for Federal of5 fice, such as the option to cast a ballot outside of 

6 the polling place or from a vehicle, or providing an 

7 expedited voting line; and 

8 ‘‘(3) consider options to establish ‘mobile poll9 ing sites’ to allow election officials or volunteers to 

10 travel to long-term care facilities and assist residents 

11 who request assistance in casting a ballot in order 

12 to maintain the privacy and independence of voters 

13 in these facilities. 

14 ‘‘(b) CLARIFICATION.—Nothing in this section may 

15 be construed to alter the requirements under Federal law 

16 that all polling places for Federal elections are accessible 

17 to individuals with disabilities and older individuals. 

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

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

20 January 1, 2021.’’. 

21 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con22 tents of such Act is amended by inserting after the 

23 item relating to section 307, as added by section 

24 204(b), the following: 

‘‘Sec. 308. Access to voting for individuals with disabilities and older individuals.’’. 


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1 (b) REVISIONS TO VOTING ACCESSIBILITY FOR THE

2 ELDERLY AND HANDICAPPED ACT.— 

3 (1) REPORTS TO ELECTION ASSISTANCE COM4 MISSION.—Section 3(c) of the Voting Accessibility 

5 for the Elderly and Handicapped Act (52 U.S.C. 

6 20102(c)) is amended— 

7 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

8 ‘‘FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION’’ and in9 serting ‘‘ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION’’; 

10 (B) in each of paragraphs (1) and (2), by 

11 striking ‘‘Federal Election Commission’’ and in12 serting ‘‘Election Assistance Commission’’; and 

13 (C) by striking paragraph (3). 

14 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS RELATING TO

15 REFERENCES.—The Voting Accessibility for the El16 derly and Handicapped Act (52 U.S.C. 20101 et 

17 seq.), as amended by paragraph (1), is amended— 

18 (A) by striking ‘‘handicapped and elderly 

19 individuals’’ each place it appears and inserting 

20 ‘‘individuals with disabilities and older individ21 uals’’; 

22 (B) by striking ‘‘handicapped and elderly 

23 voters’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘in24 dividuals with disabilities and older individ25 uals’’; 


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1 (C) in section 3(b)(2)(B), by striking 

2 ‘‘handicapped or elderly voter’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘individual with a disability or older indi4 vidual’’; 

5 (D) in section 5(b), by striking ‘‘handi6 capped voter’’ and inserting ‘‘individual with a 

7 disability’’; and 

8 (E) in section 8— 

9 (i) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) 

10 and inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘(1) ‘accessible’ has the meaning given that 

12 term in section 304 of the Help America Vote Act 

13 of 2002, as added by section 101(a) of the Acces14 sible Voting Act of 2020; 

15 ‘‘(2) ‘older individual’ has the meaning given 

16 that term in such section 304;’’; and 

17 (ii) by striking paragraph (4), and in18 serting the following: 

19 ‘‘(4) ‘individual with a disability’ has the mean20 ing given that term in such section 304; and’’. 

21 (3) SHORT TITLE AMENDMENT.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—Section 1 of the ‘‘Vot23 ing Accessibility for the Elderly and Handi24 capped Act’’ (Public Law 98–435; 42 U.S.C. 

25 1973ee note) is amended by striking ‘‘for the 


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1 Elderly and Handicapped’’ and inserting ‘‘for 

2 Individuals with Disabilities and Older Individ3 uals’’. 

4 (B) REFERENCES.—Any reference in any 

5 other provision of law, regulation, document, 

6 paper, or other record of the United States to 

7 the ‘‘Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and 

8 Handicapped Act’’ shall be deemed to be a ref9 erence to the ‘‘Voting Accessibility for Individ10 uals with Disabilities and Older Individuals 

11 Act’’. 

12 (4) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 

13 by this subsection shall take effect on January 1, 

14 2021, and apply to with respect to elections for Fed15 eral office held on or after that date. 

16 SEC. 206. PROTECTIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS SUBJECT TO 

17 GUARDIANSHIP. 

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

19 Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21018 et seq.), as amended 

20 by sections 201, 202, 203, 204, and 205, is amended— 

21 (1) by redesignating sections 309 and 310 as 

22 sections 310 and 310A; and 

23 (2) by inserting after section 308 the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 309. PROTECTIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS SUBJECT TO 

2 GUARDIANSHIP. 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A State shall not determine that 

4 an individual lacks the capacity to vote in an election for 

5 Federal office on the ground that the individual is subject 

6 to guardianship, unless a court of competent jurisdiction 

7 issues a court order finding by clear and convincing evi8 dence that the individual cannot communicate, with or 

9 without accommodations, a desire to participate in the vot10 ing process. 

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

12 with respect to elections for Federal office held on or after 

13 January 1, 2021.’’. 

14 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The table of contents 

15 of such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating 

16 to section 308, as added by section 205(a)(2), the fol17 lowing: 

‘‘Sec. 309. Protections for individuals subject to guardianship.’’. 

18 SEC. 207. PAYMENTS TO STATES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF 

19 ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. 

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

21 America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21001) is amended 

22 by adding at the end the following new part: 


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1 ‘‘PART 7—PAYMENTS TO STATES FOR IMPLEMEN2 TATION OF ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS 

3 ‘‘SEC. 297. PAYMENTS TO STATES FOR IMPLEMENTATION 

4 OF ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. 

5 ‘‘(a) PAYMENTS.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Office 

7 of Accessibility (hereinafter in this section referred 

8 to as the ‘Director’) shall make payments to each el9 igible State (as described in subsection (c)) in an 

10 amount determined under paragraph (2) for each 

11 applicable period (as defined in paragraph (3)) be12 ginning on or after October 1, 2020. 

13 ‘‘(2) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara15 graph (C), the amount of a payment made to 

16 a State for an applicable period shall be equal 

17 to the product of— 

18 ‘‘(i) the total amount appropriated for 

19 requirements payments for the applicable 

20 period pursuant to the authorization under 

21 subsection (g); and 

22 ‘‘(ii) the State allocation percentage 

23 for the State (as determined under sub24 paragraph (B)). 

25 ‘‘(B) STATE ALLOCATION PERCENTAGE

26 DEFINED.—The ‘State allocation percentage’ 


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1 for a State is the amount (expressed as a per2 centage) equal to the quotient of— 

3 ‘‘(i) the voting age population of the 

4 State (as reported in the most recent de5 cennial census); and 

6 ‘‘(ii) the total voting age population of 

7 all States (as reported in the most recent 

8 decennial census). 

9 ‘‘(C) MINIMUM PAYMENT.—The amount of 

10 any payment made to an eligible State under 

11 this section shall not be less than $1,000,000. 

12 ‘‘(D) PRO RATA REDUCTIONS.—The Direc13 tor shall make such pro rata reductions to the 

14 allocations determined under subparagraph (A) 

15 as are necessary to comply with the require16 ments of subparagraph (C). 

17 ‘‘(E) CONTINUING AVAILABILITY OF

18 FUNDS AFTER APPROPRIATION.—A payment 

19 made to a State under this section shall be 

20 available to the State without fiscal year limita21 tion. 

22 ‘‘(3) APPLICABLE PERIOD DEFINED.—The ‘ap23 plicable period’, with respect to a payment under 

24 this section, is a period of 2 fiscal years. 


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1 ‘‘(4) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS TO UNITS OF

2 LOCAL GOVERNMENT.—At least 10 percent of funds 

3 allocated to a State under this section shall be dis4 tributed to units of local government to develop or 

5 upgrade accessible election websites and to share in6 formation with the statewide accessible election 

7 website as described in section 304. 

8 ‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible State shall use 

10 a payment under this section to meet the require11 ments of sections 304 through 309. 

12 ‘‘(2) PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR SEP13 ARATE ACCESSIBLE ELECTION WEBSITES.—Funds 

14 under this section may not be used to establish ac15 cessible election websites for individuals with disabil16 ities and older individuals under section 304 that are 

17 separate from the election websites for the general 

18 population. Funds must be used to make existing 

19 election websites accessible, or to develop accessible 

20 election websites where one does not already exist. 

21 ‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS FOR ELIGIBILITY.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State that desires to 

23 receive a payment under this section for an applica24 ble period shall submit an application for such pay25 ment to the Director at such time and in such manVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:34 Aug 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00052 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7755.IH H7755

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1 ner and containing such information as the Director 

2 shall require. 

3 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS OF APPLICATION.—Each appli4 cation submitted under paragraph (1) shall in5 clude— 

6 ‘‘(A) with respect to the requirements 

7 under section 304 (relating to accessible elec8 tion websites)— 

9 ‘‘(i) a description of the State plan as 

10 developed by the committee of appropriate 

11 individuals under subsection (c) of such 

12 section; 

13 ‘‘(ii) an assurance that the State will 

14 work with State and local disability and 

15 aging advocates to ensure the election 

16 website is accessible to individuals with 

17 disabilities and older individuals; 

18 ‘‘(iii) a description of how the State 

19 will ensure the election website maintains 

20 accessibility; 

21 ‘‘(iv) a description of how the State 

22 will ensure information on the election 

23 website is accessible to local election offi24 cials; and 


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1 ‘‘(v) identification of each organiza2 tion the State is partnering with pursuant 

3 to subsection (d) of such section in order 

4 to monitor and verify the accessibility of 

5 the State election website, including the 

6 written support of each such organization; 

7 ‘‘(B) with respect to the requirements 

8 under sections 305 through 309, a description 

9 of how the State will meet such requirements; 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(C) such other information as the Direc12 tor determines appropriate to ensure compli13 ance with the requirements of such sections 304 

14 through 309. 

15 ‘‘(d) REPORTS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) REPORTS BY RECIPIENTS.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than the 6 

18 months after the end of each applicable period 

19 for which an eligible State received a payment 

20 under this section, the State shall submit a re21 port to the Director on the activities conducted 

22 using such payments during the applicable pe23 riod, and shall include in the report a list of ex24 penditures during such applicable period. 


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1 ‘‘(B) INCLUSION.—Each report submitted 

2 under subparagraph (A) shall include the num3 ber and description of complaints and griev4 ances by individuals alleging their ability to reg5 ister to vote or vote was unfairly blocked or de6 layed. 

7 ‘‘(2) REPORT BY DIRECTOR TO COMMITTEES.— 

8 With respect to each applicable period for which the 

9 Director makes payments under this section, the Di10 rector shall submit a report on the activities carried 

11 out under this section to the Committee on House 

12 Administration of the House of Representatives and 

13 the Committee on Rules and Administration and the 

14 Special Committee on Aging of the Senate. 

15 ‘‘(e) STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES.—The Director 

16 shall establish standards and guidelines for approved ac17 tivities supported by payments under this section. Such 

18 standards and guidelines shall permit eligible States re19 ceiving such a payment to refine or adapt the standards 

20 and guidelines for an individual project, where such a re21 finement or adaptation is made necessary by a local cir22 cumstance. 

23 ‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘acces24 sible’, ‘individual with a disability’, ‘older individual’, and 

25 ‘State’ have the meaning given those terms in section 304. 


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1 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

2 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 

3 appropriated to carry out the provisions of this sec4 tion— 

5 ‘‘(A) $100,000,000 for fiscal years 2021 

6 and 2022; 

7 ‘‘(B) $100,000,000 for fiscal years 2023 

8 and 2024; and 

9 ‘‘(C) $100,000,000 for fiscal years 2025 

10 and 2026. 

11 ‘‘(2) CONTINUING AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS

12 AFTER APPROPRIATION.—A payment made to an eli13 gible State under this section shall be available to 

14 the State without fiscal year limitation, but shall 

15 only be used for the purposes of this section. 

16 ‘‘(h) RELATIONSHIP TO REQUIREMENTS PAY17 MENTS.—Any payment to a State under this section shall 

18 be in addition to any requirements payment under section 

19 251 and shall not be taken into account in determining 

20 the amount of such payment under section 252.’’. 

21 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The table of contents 

22 of such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating 

23 to section 296 the following new item: 

‘‘PART 7—PAYMENTS TO STATES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF ACCESSIBILITY

REQUIREMENTS

‘‘Sec. 297. Payments to States for implementation of accessibility requirements.’’. 


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1 SEC. 208. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS RE2 LATING TO ISSUANCE OF VOLUNTARY GUID3 ANCE AND ENFORCEMENT. 

4 (a) ISSUANCE OF VOLUNTARY GUIDANCE BY ELEC5 TION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION.—Section 311 of the Help 

6 America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21101) is amend7 ed— 

8 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘subtitle A’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘subtitles A and B’’; and 

10 (2) in subsection (b)— 

11 (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of para12 graph (2); 

13 (B) by striking the period at the end of 

14 paragraph (3) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

15 (C) by adding at the end the following new 

16 paragraph: 

17 ‘‘(4) in the case of the recommendations with 

18 respect to sections 304 through 309, January 1, 

19 2021.’’; and 

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

22 ‘‘(d) COORDINATION WITH OFFICE OF ACCESSI23 BILITY.—The Commission shall coordinate with the Elec24 tion Assistance Commission Office of Accessibility estab25 lished under section 223 in adopting recommendations 

26 with respect to sections 304 through 309.’’. 


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1 (b) ENFORCEMENT.—Section 401 of such Act (52 

2 U.S.C. 21111) is amended by striking ‘‘sections 301, 302, 

3 and 303’’ and inserting ‘‘subtitle A of title III’’. 

4 TITLE III—FEDERAL 

5 ASSISTANCE 

6 SEC. 301. EXPANSION AND REAUTHORIZATION OF GRANT 

7 PROGRAM TO ASSURE VOTING ACCESS FOR 

8 INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES AND OLDER 

9 INDIVIDUALS. 

10 (a) PURPOSES OF PAYMENTS.—Section 261(b) of the 

11 Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21021(b)) is 

12 amended by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) and inserting 

13 the following: 

14 ‘‘(1) making absentee voting and voting in an 

15 individual’s place of residence accessible to individ16 uals with the full range of disabilities (including im17 pairments involving vision, hearing, mobility, cog18 nition, or dexterity) through the implementation of 

19 accessible absentee voting systems that work in con20 junction with assistive technologies for which indi21 viduals have access at their homes, independent liv22 ing centers, long-term care facilities, or other facili23 ties in a manner that provides the same opportunity 

24 for access and participation (including privacy and 

25 independence) as for other voters; 


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1 ‘‘(2) making polling places, including the path 

2 of travel, entrances, exits, and voting areas of each 

3 polling facility, accessible to individuals with disabil4 ities, including the blind and visually impaired, in a 

5 manner that provides the same opportunity for ac6 cess and participation (including privacy and inde7 pendence) as for other voters; and 

8 ‘‘(3) providing solutions to problems of access 

9 to voting and elections for individuals with disabil10 ities that are universally designed and provide the 

11 same opportunities for individuals with and without 

12 disabilities.’’. 

13 (b) REAUTHORIZATION.—Section 264(a) of such Act 

14 (52 U.S.C. 21024(a)) is amended by adding at the end 

15 the following new paragraph: 

16 ‘‘(4) For fiscal year 2021 and each succeeding 

17 fiscal year, such sums as may be necessary to carry 

18 out this part.’’. 

19 (c) PERIOD OF AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Section 

20 264 of such Act (52 U.S.C. 21024) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘Any 

22 amounts’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided in sub23 section (b), any amounts’’; and 

24 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub25 section: 


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1 ‘‘(c) RETURN AND TRANSFER OF CERTAIN FUNDS.— 

2 ‘‘(1) DEADLINE FOR OBLIGATION AND EXPEND3 ITURE.—In the case of any amounts appropriated 

4 pursuant to the authority of subsection (a) for a 

5 payment to a State or unit of local government for 

6 fiscal year 2021 or any succeeding fiscal year, any 

7 portion of such amounts which have not been obli8 gated or expended by the State or unit of local gov9 ernment prior to the expiration of the 4-year period 

10 which begins on the date the State or unit of local 

11 government first received the amounts shall be 

12 transferred to the Commission. 

13 ‘‘(2) REALLOCATION OF TRANSFERRED

14 AMOUNTS.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall 

16 use the amounts transferred under paragraph 

17 (1) to make payments on a pro rata basis to 

18 each covered payment recipient described in 

19 subparagraph (B), which may obligate and ex20 pend such payment for the purposes described 

21 in section 261(b) during the 1-year period 

22 which begins on the date of receipt. 

23 ‘‘(B) COVERED PAYMENT RECIPIENTS DE24 SCRIBED.—In subparagraph (A), a ‘covered 


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1 payment recipient’ is a State or unit of local 

2 government with respect to which— 

3 ‘‘(i) amounts were appropriated pur4 suant to the authority of subsection (a); 

5 and 

6 ‘‘(ii) no amounts were transferred to 

7 the Commission under paragraph (1).’’. 

8 SEC. 302. APPOINTMENTS TO EAC BOARD OF ADVISORS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 214(a) of the Help Amer10 ica Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 20944(a)) is amended— 

11 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

12 striking ‘‘37’’ and inserting ‘‘49’’; and 

13 (2) by adding at the end the following new 

14 paragraphs: 

15 ‘‘(17) Two members appointed by the National 

16 Council on Disability. 

17 ‘‘(18) Two members appointed by the Assistant 

18 Secretary of Health and Human Services for Aging. 

19 ‘‘(19) Four members from organizations, whose 

20 executive leadership team consists of fifty-one per21 cent of individuals with disabilities, representing the 

22 interests of voters with disabilities, of whom— 

23 ‘‘(A) two members shall be appointed by 

24 the Committee on Education and Labor of the 

25 House of Representatives, of whom one shall be 


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1 appointed by the chair and one shall be ap2 pointed by the ranking minority member; and 

3 ‘‘(B) two members shall be appointed by 

4 the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 

5 and Pensions of the Senate, of whom one shall 

6 be appointed by the chair and one shall be ap7 pointed by the ranking minority member. 

8 ‘‘(20) Four members from organizations rep9 resenting the interests of older voters, of whom— 

10 ‘‘(A) two members shall be appointed by 

11 the Committee on Education and Labor of the 

12 House of Representatives, of whom one shall be 

13 appointed by the chair and one shall be ap14 pointed by the ranking minority member; and 

15 ‘‘(B) two members shall be appointed by 

16 the Special Committee on Aging of the Senate, 

17 of whom one shall be appointed by the chair 

18 and one shall be appointed by the ranking mi19 nority member.’’. 

20 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

21 subsection (a) shall take effect on January 1, 2021. 


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1 SEC. 303. REMOVAL OF LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR 

2 PARTICIPATION OF PROTECTION AND ADVO3 CACY SYSTEMS IN LITIGATION RELATED TO 

4 ELECTION-RELATED DISABILITY ACCESS. 

5 Section 292(a) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 

6 (52 U.S.C. 21062(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘; except 

7 that’’ and all that follows and inserting a period. 

8 SEC. 304. FUNDING FOR PROTECTION AND ADVOCACY SYS9 TEMS. 

10 (a) INCLUSION OF SYSTEM SERVING AMERICAN IN11 DIAN CONSORTIUM.—Section 291(a) of the Help America 

12 Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21061(a)) is amended by 

13 striking ‘‘of each State’’ and inserting ‘‘of each State and 

14 the eligible system serving the American Indian consor15 tium (within the meaning of section 509(c)(1)(B) of the 

16 Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794e(c)(1)(B)))’’. 

17 (b) GRANT AMOUNT.—Section 291(b) of the Help 

18 America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21061(b)) is amend19 ed— 

20 (1) by striking ‘‘as set forth in subsections 

21 (c)(3)’’ and inserting ‘‘as set forth in subsections 

22 (c)(1)(B) (regardless of the fiscal year), (c)(3)’’; and 

23 (2) by striking ‘‘except that’’ and all that fol24 lows and inserting ‘‘except that the amount of the 

25 grants to systems referred to in subsection (c)(3)(B) 

26 of that section shall not be less than $70,000 and 


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1 the amount of the grants to systems referred to in 

2 subsections (c)(1)(B) and (c)(4)(B) of that section 

3 shall not be less than $35,000.’’. 

4 (c) DEFINITION.—Section 291 of the Help America 

5 Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21061) is amended by adding 

6 at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(d) STATE.—In this section, the term ‘State’ 

8 means— 

9 ‘‘(1) a State as defined in section 901; and 

10 ‘‘(2) the Commonwealth of the Northern Mar11 iana Islands.’’. 

Æ 


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