I 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 481 

To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require each individual 

who desires to vote in an election for Federal office to provide the 

appropriate election official with a government-issued photo identification, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 16, 2007 

Mr. DOOLITTLE 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 

each individual who desires to vote in an election for 

Federal office to provide the appropriate election official 

with a government-issued photo identification, 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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Federal Election Integ5 rity Act of 2007’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REQUIRING VOTERS TO PROVIDE PHOTO IDENTI2 FICATION. 

3 (a) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE PHOTO IDENTIFICA4 TION AS CONDITION OF RECEIVING BALLOT.—Section 

5 303(b) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 

6 15483(b)) is amended— 

7 (1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘FOR VOTERS

8 WHO REGISTER BY MAIL’’ and inserting ‘‘FOR PRO9 VIDING PHOTO IDENTIFICATION’’; and 

10 (2) by striking paragraphs (1) through (3) and 

11 inserting the following: 

12 ‘‘(1) INDIVIDUALS VOTING IN PERSON.— 

13 ‘‘(A) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE IDENTI14 FICATION.—Notwithstanding any other provi15 sion of law and except as provided in subpara16 graph (B), the appropriate State or local elec17 tion official may not provide a ballot for an 

18 election for Federal office to an individual who 

19 desires to vote in person unless the individual 

20 presents to the official— 

21 ‘‘(i) a government-issued, current, and 

22 valid photo identification; or 

23 ‘‘(ii) in the case of the regularly 

24 scheduled general election for Federal of25 fice held in November 2010 and each sub26 sequent election for Federal office, a govVerDate Aug 31 2005 22:28 Jan 17, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H481.IH H481

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1 ernment-issued, current, and valid photo 

2 identification for which the individual was 

3 required to provide proof of United States 

4 citizenship as a condition for the issuance 

5 of the identification. 

6 ‘‘(B) AVAILABILITY OF PROVISIONAL BAL7 LOT.—If an individual does not present the 

8 identification required under subparagraph (A), 

9 the individual shall be permitted to cast a provi10 sional ballot with respect to the election under 

11 section 302(a), except that the appropriate 

12 State or local election official may not make a 

13 determination under section 302(a)(4) that the 

14 individual is eligible under State law to vote in 

15 the election unless the individual presents the 

16 identification required under subparagraph (A) 

17 to the official not later than 48 hours after 

18 casting the provisional ballot. 

19 ‘‘(2) INDIVIDUALS VOTING OTHER THAN IN

20 PERSON.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 

22 other provision of law and except as provided in 

23 subparagraph (B), the appropriate State or 

24 local election official may not accept any ballot 

25 for an election for Federal office provided by an 


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1 individual who votes other than in person unless 

2 the individual submits with the ballot— 

3 ‘‘(i) a copy of a government-issued, 

4 current, and valid photo identification; or 

5 ‘‘(ii) in the case of the regularly 

6 scheduled general election for Federal of7 fice held in November 2010 and each sub8 sequent election for Federal office, a copy 

9 of a government-issued, current, and valid 

10 photo identification for which the indi11 vidual was required to provide proof of 

12 United States citizenship as a condition for 

13 the issuance of the identification. 

14 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION FOR OVERSEAS MILITARY

15 VOTERS.—Subparagraph (A) does not apply 

16 with respect to a ballot provided by an absent 

17 uniformed services voter who, by reason of ac18 tive duty or service, is absent from the United 

19 States on the date of the election involved. In 

20 this subparagraph, the term ‘absent uniformed 

21 services voter’ has the meaning given such term 

22 in section 107(1) of the Uniformed and Over23 seas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 U.S.C. 

24 1973ff–6(1)), other than an individual de25 scribed in section 107(1)(C) of such Act. 


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1 ‘‘(3) SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS FOR IDENTI2 FICATIONS.—For purposes of paragraphs (1) and 

3 (2)— 

4 ‘‘(A) an identification is ‘government5 issued’ if it is issued by the Federal Govern6 ment or by the government of a State; and 

7 ‘‘(B) an identification is one for which an 

8 individual was required to provide proof of 

9 United States citizenship as a condition for 

10 issuance if the identification displays an official 

11 marking or other indication that the individual 

12 is a United States citizen.’’. 

13 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 303 of 

14 such Act (42 U.S.C. 15483) is amended— 

15 (1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘FOR VOTERS

16 WHO REGISTER BY MAIL’’ and inserting ‘‘FOR

17 PROVIDING PHOTO IDENTIFICATION’’; and 

18 (2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘subsections 

19 (a)(5)(A)(i)(II) and (b)(3)(B)(i)(II)’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘subsection (a)(5)(A)(i)(II)’’. 

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

22 of such Act is amended by amending the item relating to 

23 section 303 to read as follows: 

‘‘Sec. 303. Computerized statewide voter registration list requirements and requirements for providing photo identification.’’. 

24 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—This section and the amend2 ments made by this section shall apply with respect 

3 to the regularly scheduled general election for Fed4 eral office held in November 2008 and each subse5 quent election for Federal office. 

6 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

7 303(d)(2) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 15483(d)(2)) is 

8 amended to read as follows: 

9 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE PHOTO IDEN10 TIFICATION.—Paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection 

11 (b) shall apply with respect to the regularly sched12 uled general election for Federal office held in No13 vember 2008 and each subsequent election for Fed14 eral office.’’. 

15 SEC. 3. MAKING PHOTO IDENTIFICATIONS AVAILABLE. 

16 (a) REQUIRING STATES TO MAKE IDENTIFICATION

17 AVAILABLE.—Section 303(b) of the Help America Vote 

18 Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 15483(b)), as amended by section 

19 2(a)(2), is amended— 

20 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and (5) as 

21 paragraphs (5) and (6); and 

22 (2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol23 lowing new paragraph: 

24 ‘‘(4) MAKING PHOTO IDENTIFICATIONS AVAIL25 ABLE.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—During fiscal year 

2 2008 and each succeeding fiscal year, each 

3 State shall establish a program to provide photo 

4 identifications which may be used to meet the 

5 requirements of paragraphs (1) and (2) by indi6 viduals who desire to vote in elections held in 

7 the State but who do not otherwise possess a 

8 government-issued photo identification. 

9 ‘‘(B) IDENTIFICATIONS PROVIDED AT NO

10 COST TO INDIGENT INDIVIDUALS.—If a State 

11 charges an individual a fee for providing a 

12 photo identification under the program estab13 lished under subparagraph (A)— 

14 ‘‘(i) the fee charged may not exceed 

15 the reasonable cost to the State of pro16 viding the identification to the individual; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(ii) the State may not charge a fee 

19 to any individual who provides an attesta20 tion that the individual is unable to afford 

21 the fee. 

22 ‘‘(C) IDENTIFICATIONS NOT TO BE USED

23 FOR OTHER PURPOSES.—Any photo identifica24 tion provided under the program established 

25 under subparagraph (A) may not serve as a 


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1 government-issued photo identification for pur2 poses of any program or function of a State or 

3 local government other than the administration 

4 of elections.’’. 

5 (b) PAYMENTS TO STATES TO COVER COSTS.—Sub6 title D of title II of such Act (42 U.S.C. 15321 et seq.) 

7 is amended by adding at the end the following new part: 

8 ‘‘PART 7—PAYMENTS TO COVER COSTS OF PRO9 VIDING PHOTO IDENTIFICATIONS TO INDI10 GENT INDIVIDUALS 

11 ‘‘SEC. 297. PAYMENTS TO COVER COSTS TO STATES OF PRO12 VIDING PHOTO IDENTIFICATIONS FOR VOT13 ING TO INDIGENT INDIVIDUALS. 

14 ‘‘(a) PAYMENTS TO STATES.—The Commission shall 

15 make payments to States to cover the costs incurred in 

16 providing photo identifications under the program estab17 lished under section 303(b)(4) to individuals who are un18 able to afford the fee that would otherwise be charged 

19 under the program. 

20 ‘‘(b) AMOUNT OF PAYMENT.—The amount of the 

21 payment made to a State under this part for any year 

22 shall be equal to the amount of fees which would have 

23 been collected by the State during the year under the pro24 gram established under section 303(b)(4) but for the ap25 plication of section 303(b)(4)(B)(ii), as determined on the 


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1 basis of information furnished to the Commission by the 

2 State at such time and in such form as the Commission 

3 may require. 

4 ‘‘SEC. 297A. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

5 ‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated for pay6 ments under this part such sums as may be necessary for 

7 fiscal year 2008 and each succeeding fiscal year.’’. 

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

9 of such Act is amended by adding at the end of the item 

10 relating to subtitle D of title II the following: 

‘‘PART 7—PAYMENTS TO COVER COSTS OF PROVIDING PHOTO

IDENTIFICATIONS TO INDIGENT INDIVIDUALS

‘‘Sec. 297. Payments to cover costs to States of providing photo identifications 

for voting to indigent individuals. 

‘‘Sec. 297A. Authorization of appropriations.’’. 

11 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section and the amend12 ments made by this section shall take effect October 1, 

13 2007. 

Æ 


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