I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2829 

To amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require an applicant 

for voter registration for elections for Federal office to affirmatively 

state that the applicant meets the eligibility requirements for voting 

in such elections as a condition of completing the application, to require 

States to verify that an applicant for registering to vote in such elections 

meets the eligibility requirements for voting in such elections prior to 

registering the applicant to vote, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 25, 2013 

Mr. CULBERSON (for himself and Mr. ROKITA) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in 

addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 

provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to 

require an applicant for voter registration for elections 

for Federal office to affirmatively state that the applicant 

meets the eligibility requirements for voting in such elections as a condition of completing the application, to 

require States to verify that an applicant for registering 

to vote in such elections meets the eligibility requirements for voting in such elections prior to registering 

the applicant to vote, and for other purposes. 


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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 ‘‘Restoring Important 

5 Voter Eligibility Requirements to States Act of 2013’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds as follows: 

8 (1) Congress enacted the National Voter Reg9 istration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1973gg et seq.) to 

10 promote the rights of citizens of the United States 

11 to exercise the fundamental right to vote, as set 

12 forth in the findings of such Act (42 U.S.C. 

13 1973gg(a)). 

14 (2) While the purposes of such Act (42 U.S.C. 

15 1973gg(b)) include increasing voter registration and 

16 voter participation in elections for Federal office, the 

17 language does not refer to individuals in general but 

18 refers exclusively to ‘‘eligible citizens of the United 

19 States’’. 

20 (3) An additional purpose of such Act is to 

21 ‘‘protect the integrity of the electoral process’’ (42 

22 U.S.C. 1973gg(b)(3)). 

23 (4) Individuals who do not meet the eligibility 

24 requirements for voting in elections for Federal of25 fice, including individuals who are not citizens of the 


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1 United States, have been permitted to register to 

2 vote in such elections and are presumably casting 

3 ballots in such elections. 

4 (5) The participation of ineligible voters in elec5 tions for Federal office is in direct conflict with the 

6 intent of Congress in enacting the National Voter 

7 Registration Act of 1993 and with the purpose of 

8 such Act. 

9 (b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to ensure 

10 that the procedures for registering individuals to vote in 

11 elections for Federal office are consistent with the pur12 poses of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. 

13 SEC. 3. EXPANDED REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTENTS OF 

14 VOTER REGISTRATION APPLICATION FORMS. 

15 (a) REQUIRING AFFIRMATIVE STATEMENT THAT AP16 PLICANT MEETS ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS AS CONDI17 TION OF ACCEPTANCE.— 

18 (1) FORMS PROVIDED WITH APPLICATION FOR

19 MOTOR VEHICLE DRIVER’S LICENSE.—Section 

20 5(c)(2)(C)(ii) of the National Voter Registration Act 

21 of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1973gg–3(c)(2)(C)(ii)) is 

22 amended to read as follows: 

23 ‘‘(ii) the applicant must state affirmatively 

24 that the applicant meets each such requirement 


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1 as a condition of the acceptance of the applica2 tion; and’’. 

3 (2) FORMS PROVIDED BY OTHER VOTER REG4 ISTRATION AGENCIES.—Section 7(a)(6)(A)(i)(II) of 

5 such Act (42 U.S.C. 1973gg–5(a)(6)(A)(i)(II)) is 

6 amended to read as follows: 

7 ‘‘(II) the applicant must state affirm8 atively that the applicant meets each such 

9 requirement as a condition of the accept10 ance of the application; and’’. 

11 (3) MAIL REGISTRATION FORMS.—Section 

12 303(b)(4)(A) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 

13 (42 U.S.C. 15483(b)(4)(A)) is amended— 

14 (A) by redesignating clause (iv) as clause 

15 (v); and 

16 (B) by inserting after clause (iii) the fol17 lowing new clause: 

18 ‘‘(iv) The statement ‘If you do not 

19 check ‘‘yes’’ in response to both of these 

20 questions, your application will not be ac21 cepted.’.’’. 

22 (b) INCLUSION OF STATEMENT SPECIFYING PEN23 ALTY FOR PERJURY.— 

24 (1) FORMS PROVIDED WITH APPLICATION FOR

25 MOTOR VEHICLE DRIVER’S LICENSE.—Section 


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1 5(c)(2)(D) of the National Voter Registration Act of 

2 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1973gg–3(c)(2)(D)) is amended— 

3 (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of clause 

4 (ii); and 

5 (B) by adding at the end the following new 

6 clause: 

7 ‘‘(iv) a statement that an applicant who 

8 knowingly provides false information in the ap9 plication commits perjury, as well as a descrip10 tion of the specific fine and term of imprison11 ment that may be imposed on an applicant who 

12 commits perjury by providing such false infor13 mation; and’’. 

14 (2) FORMS PROVIDED BY OTHER VOTER REG15 ISTRATION AGENCIES.—Section 7(a)(6)(A)(i) of such 

16 Act (42 U.S.C. 1973gg–5(a)(6)(A)(i)) is amended— 

17 (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub18 clause (II); 

19 (B) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of sub20 clause (III) and inserting ‘‘and’’; and 

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

22 subclause: 

23 ‘‘(IV) describes how an applicant who 

24 knowingly provides false information in the 

25 application commits perjury, as well as a 


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1 description of the specific fine and term of 

2 imprisonment that may be imposed on an 

3 applicant who commits perjury by pro4 viding such false information; or’’. 

5 (3) MAIL REGISTRATION FORMS.—Section 

6 303(b)(4)(A) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 

7 (42 U.S.C. 15483(b)(4)(A)), as amended by sub8 section (a)(3), is amended— 

9 (A) by redesignating clause (v) as clause 

10 (vi); and 

11 (B) by inserting after clause (iv) the fol12 lowing new clause: 

13 ‘‘(v) A statement informing the indi14 vidual that an individual who knowingly 

15 provides a false answer to either of these 

16 questions commits perjury, as well as a de17 scription of the specific fine and term of 

18 imprisonment that may be imposed on an 

19 individual who commits perjury by pro20 viding such a false answer.’’. 

21 (4) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in the 

22 amendments made by this subsection shall be con23 strued to prohibit the Election Assistance Commis24 sion or any State or local election official from in25 cluding on a voter registration form any information 


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1 regarding any of the sanctions that may be imposed 

2 upon an individual as a result of information the in3 dividual provides on the form. 

4 SEC. 4. VERIFICATION OF INFORMATION PROVIDED BY AP5 PLICANTS FOR VOTER REGISTRATION. 

6 (a) REQUIRING STATES TO VERIFY INFORMATION.— 

7 Section 8 of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 

8 (42 U.S.C. 1973gg–6) is amended— 

9 (1) by redesignating subsection (j) as sub10 section (k); and 

11 (2) by inserting after subsection (i) the fol12 lowing new subsection: 

13 ‘‘(j) VERIFICATION OF INFORMATION PROVIDED BY

14 APPLICANTS.— 

15 ‘‘(1) VERIFICATION REQUIRED.—A State may 

16 not register an individual to vote in elections for 

17 Federal office in the State, including an individual 

18 who submits the mail voter registration application 

19 form prescribed by the Election Assistance Commis20 sion pursuant to section 9(a)(2), unless the State 

21 verifies that the information provided by the indi22 vidual in the individual’s application for voter reg23 istration is correct. 

24 ‘‘(2) METHODS OF VERIFICATION.—For pur25 poses of paragraph (1), a State may verify the inforVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:00 Jul 27, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2829.IH H2829

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1 mation provided by an applicant for voter registra2 tion through such methods as the State considers 

3 appropriate, including requiring the applicant to pro4 vide (at the time of submitting a voter registration 

5 application with an application for a motor vehicle 

6 driver’s license under section 5 or at the time of 

7 submitting any other application form under this 

8 Act) documentary evidence that the applicant meets 

9 the eligibility requirements for voting in elections for 

10 Federal office in the State, including the require11 ment that the applicant is a United States citizen.’’. 

12 (b) REQUIRING FEDERAL OFFICIALS TO PROVIDE

13 INFORMATION.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 9 of the National 

15 Voter Registration Act (42 U.S.C. 1973gg–7) is 

16 amended by adding at the end the following new 

17 subsection: 

18 ‘‘(c) ASSISTING ELECTION OFFICIALS WITH

19 VERIFICATION OF APPLICANT INFORMATION.— 

20 ‘‘(1) REQUIRING AGREEMENTS UPON RE21 QUEST.—At the request of the chief State election 

22 official, the head of an office of the Federal govern23 ment shall enter into an agreement with the official 

24 for the purpose of enabling the official to verify in25 formation regarding the eligibility of an applicant 


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1 for voter registration in the State to vote in elections 

2 for Federal office in the State. 

3 ‘‘(2) DEADLINE FOR ENTERING INTO AGREE4 MENT.—The head of an office of the Federal govern5 ment who receives a request from a chief State elec6 tion official to enter into an agreement under para7 graph (1) shall enter into such an agreement with 

8 the official not later than 30 days after receiving the 

9 request. 

10 ‘‘(3) NO EFFECT ON OTHER REQUIREMENTS.— 

11 Nothing in paragraph (1) shall be construed to af12 fect the requirements of section 8(g) (relating to in13 formation provided by a United States attorney re14 garding offenders) or section 205(r) of the Social 

15 Security Act (relating to agreements with the Com16 missioner of Social Security for the purpose of 

17 verifying certain information).’’. 

18 (2) CLARIFICATION OF INFORMATION PRO19 VIDED BY COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL SECURITY

20 UNDER EXISTING AUTHORITY.—Section 

21 205(r)(8)(D)(i)(I) of the Social Security Act (42 

22 U.S.C. 405(r)(8)(D)(i)(I)) is amended by striking 

23 ‘‘the date of birth’’ and inserting ‘‘the location and 

24 date of birth’’. 


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1 SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

2 The amendments made by this Act shall apply with 

3 respect to elections occurring after the expiration of the 

4 1-year period which begins on the date of the enactment 

5 of this Act. 

Æ 


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