IA 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. J. RES. 9 

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to protect 

the voting rights of the citizens of the United States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 3, 2019 

Mr. ENGEL submitted the following joint resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

JOINT RESOLUTION 

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United 

States to protect the voting rights of the citizens of 

the United States. 

1 Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives 

2 of the United States of America in Congress assembled

3 (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the fol4 lowing article is proposed as an amendment to the Con5 stitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all 

6 intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when 

7 ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several 

8 States within seven years after the date of its submission 

9 for ratification: 


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1 ‘‘ARTICLE— 

2 ‘‘SECTION 1. The President and Vice President shall 

3 be elected by the citizens of the United States. 

4 ‘‘SECTION 2. No voting qualification or prerequisite 

5 to voting, nor any standard, practice, or procedure, shall 

6 be imposed or applied by Congress, or by any State or 

7 political subdivision, to deny or abridge the right of any 

8 citizen of the United States to vote. The right of the citi9 zens of the United States to vote shall not be infringed 

10 on account of any undue burden of proof of identity or 

11 citizenship, nor by any standard, practice, or procedure 

12 implemented since the previous national election for Sen13 ator and Representative in Congress. 

14 ‘‘SECTION 3. The right of the citizens of the United 

15 States to engage in free and fair political debate shall be 

16 free from acts or expenditures by foreign persons, and 

17 from undue or anonymous influence from any person. 

18 ‘‘SECTION 4. Districts represented by members of 

19 Congress, or by members of any legislative body of any 

20 State or political subdivision, shall be geographically com21 pact and composed of contiguous territory. No State or 

22 political subdivision shall deviate from this requirement 

23 except by reference to existing natural or political bound24 aries. 


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1 ‘‘SECTION 5. No citizen who has reached eighteen 

2 years of age shall be barred from participating in elections 

3 for President and Vice President, or for Senator or Rep4 resentative in Congress, on account of failure to register 

5 to vote. 

6 ‘‘SECTION 6. Elections for President and Vice Presi7 dent, and for Senator and Representative in Congress, 

8 shall be held on the Tuesday next after the first Monday 

9 in November. This day shall be designated a national holi10 day. No entity shall interfere with, withhold regular com11 pensation from, or otherwise penalize the exercise of the 

12 right of any of its agents, employees, contractors, or as13 signs so entitled to vote on this day. 

14 ‘‘SECTION 7. Congress shall have the power to en15 force this article by appropriate legislation. 

16 ‘‘SECTION 8. This article shall take effect two years 

17 after the date of its ratification.’’. 

Æ 


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