I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1535 

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit campaign 

activities by chief State election administration officials. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 5, 2019 

Mrs. MCBATH introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on House Administration 

A BILL 

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to 

prohibit campaign activities by chief State election administration officials. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Election Official Integ5 rity Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES BY CHIEF 

7 STATE ELECTION ADMINISTRATION OFFI8 CIALS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Federal Election 

10 Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30101 et seq.) is 


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1 amended by inserting after section 319 the following new 

2 section: 

3 ‘‘CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES BY CHIEF STATE ELECTION

4 ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS

5 ‘‘SEC. 319A. (a) PROHIBITION.—It shall be unlawful 

6 for a chief State election administration official to take 

7 an active part in political management or in a political 

8 campaign with respect to any election for Federal office 

9 over which such official has supervisory authority. 

10 ‘‘(b) CHIEF STATE ELECTION ADMINISTRATION OF11 FICIAL.—The term ‘chief State election administration of12 ficial’ means the highest State official with responsibility 

13 for the administration of Federal elections under State 

14 law. 

15 ‘‘(c) ACTIVE PART IN POLITICAL MANAGEMENT OR

16 IN A POLITICAL CAMPAIGN.—The term ‘active part in po17 litical management or in a political campaign’ means— 

18 ‘‘(1) serving as a member of an authorized com19 mittee of a candidate for Federal office; 

20 ‘‘(2) the use of official authority or influence 

21 for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the 

22 result of an election for Federal office; 

23 ‘‘(3) the solicitation, acceptance, or receipt of a 

24 contribution from any person on behalf of a can25 didate for Federal office; and 


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1 ‘‘(4) any other act which would be prohibited 

2 under paragraph (2) or (3) of section 7323(b) of 

3 title 5, United States Code, if taken by an individual 

4 to whom such paragraph applies (other than any 

5 prohibition on running for public office). 

6 ‘‘(d) EXCEPTION IN CASE OF RECUSAL FROM AD7 MINISTRATION OF ELECTIONS INVOLVING OFFICIAL OR

8 IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBER.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—This section does not apply 

10 to a chief State election administration official with 

11 respect to an election for Federal office in which the 

12 official or an immediate family member of the offi13 cial is a candidate, but only if— 

14 ‘‘(A) such official recuses himself or herself 

15 from all of the official’s responsibilities for the 

16 administration of such election; and 

17 ‘‘(B) the official who assumes responsi18 bility for supervising the administration of the 

19 election does not report directly to such official. 

20 ‘‘(2) IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBER DEFINED.— 

21 In paragraph (1), the term ‘immediate family mem22 ber’ means, with respect to a candidate, a father, 

23 mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, husband, 

24 wife, father-in-law, or mother-in-law.’’. 


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

2 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to elections for 

3 Federal office held after December 2019. 

Æ 


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