I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8781 

To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require individuals applying 

to register to vote in elections for Federal office to provide a complete 

Social Security number with the application, to require States to use 

Social Security numbers to cross-check the identifications of individuals 

who vote in elections for Federal office in the State with the identifications of individuals who are registered to vote in such elections, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 19, 2020 

Mr. BANKS 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 require 

individuals applying to register to vote in elections for 

Federal office to provide a complete Social Security number with the application, to require States to use Social 

Security numbers to cross-check the identifications of 

individuals who vote in elections for Federal office in 

the State with the identifications of individuals who are 

registered to vote in such elections, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Restoring Faith in Our 

3 Elections Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. REQUIRING APPLICANTS FOR VOTER REGISTRA5 TION TO PROVIDE FULL SOCIAL SECURITY 

6 NUMBERS. 

7 (a) REQUIREMENT.—Section 303(a)(5)(A) of the 

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

9 21083(a)(5)(A)) is amended to read as follows: 

10 ‘‘(A) REQUIRING APPLICANTS TO PROVIDE

11 FULL SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER.—Notwith12 standing any other provision of law, an applica13 tion for voter registration for an election for 

14 Federal office may not be accepted or processed 

15 by a State unless the application includes the 

16 applicant’s full Social Security number.’’. 

17 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT RELATING TO CER18 TAIN VOTERS REGISTERING BY MAIL.—Section 

19 303(b)(3)(B)(i) of such Act (52 U.S.C. 

20 21083(b)(3)(B)(i)) is amended by striking ‘‘either—’’ and 

21 all that follows through ‘‘; and’’ and inserting ‘‘the individ22 ual’s full Social Security number; and’’. 

23 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT RELATING TO WAIV24 ER OF PRIVACY ACT.—Section 303(c) of such Act (52 

25 U.S.C. 21083(c)) is amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘(c) PERMITTED USE OF SOCIAL SECURITY NUM2 BERS.—Section 7 of the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 

3 552a note) does not apply to the use of a Social Security 

4 number under subsection (a)(5)(A) or subsection 

5 (b)(3)(B)(i).’’. 

6 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

7 this section shall apply with respect to elections held in 

8 2022 or any succeeding year. 

9 SEC. 3. USE OF SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS TO CROSS10 CHECK IDENTIFICATIONS OF INDIVIDUALS 

11 CASTING BALLOTS IN ELECTIONS WITH INDI12 VIDUALS REGISTERED TO VOTE IN ELEC13 TIONS. 

14 (a) REQUIRING CROSS-CHECK OF IDENTIFICA15 TIONS.—Title III of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 

16 (52 U.S.C. 21081 et seq.) is amended— 

17 (1) by redesignating sections 304 and 305 as 

18 sections 305 and 306; and 

19 (2) by inserting after section 303 the following 

20 new section: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 304. USE OF SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS TO CROSS2 CHECK IDENTIFICATIONS OF INDIVIDUALS 

3 CASTING BALLOTS IN AN ELECTION WITH IN4 DIVIDUALS REGISTERED TO VOTE IN THE 

5 ELECTION. 

6 ‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT.—Immediately upon the closing 

7 of the polls in an election for Federal office, each State 

8 shall verify the identification of each individual who cast 

9 a ballot in the election by carrying out a cross-check of 

10 the individual’s identification with the individual’s identi11 fication in the official list of individuals who are registered 

12 to vote in the election, using the individual’s full Social 

13 Security number as the method for determining the indi14 vidual’s identification. 

15 ‘‘(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 7 days 

16 after the closing of the polls in an election for Federal 

17 office, the State shall submit to the Committee on House 

18 Administration of the House of Representatives and the 

19 Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate a 

20 report on the State’s compliance with subsection (a), and 

21 shall include in the report— 

22 ‘‘(1) the percentage of individuals who cast 

23 votes in the election whose identifications were 

24 verified by the State under such subsection; and 

25 ‘‘(2) the number of individuals who cast votes 

26 in the election, or who attempted to cast votes in the 


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1 election, whose identifications could not be verified 

2 by the State under such subsection. 

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

4 with respect to elections held in 2022 or any succeeding 

5 year.’’. 

6 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT RELATING TO EN7 FORCEMENT.—Section 401 of such Act (52 U.S.C. 21111) 

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

9 304’’. 

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

11 of such Act is amended— 

12 (1) by redesignating the items relating to sec13 tions 304 and 305 as relating to sections 305 and 

14 306; and 

15 (2) by inserting after the item relating to sec16 tion 303 the following: 

‘‘Sec. 304. Use of Social Security numbers to cross-check identifications of individuals casting ballots in an election with individuals registered 

to vote in the election.’’. 

Æ 


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