I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 641 

To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require States to meet 

notification requirements for voters affected by polling place changes, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 1, 2021 

Mr. BROWN 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 

States to meet notification requirements for voters affected by polling place changes, 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 ‘‘Polling Change Aware5 ness Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. MINIMUM NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR VOT2 ERS AFFECTED BY POLLING PLACE 

3 CHANGES. 

4 (a) REQUIREMENTS.—Section 302 of the Help Amer5 ica Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21082) is amended— 

6 (1) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub7 section (e); and 

8 (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol9 lowing new subsection: 

10 ‘‘(d) MINIMUM NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR

11 VOTERS AFFECTED BY POLLING PLACE CHANGES.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If a State assigns an indi13 vidual who is a registered voter in a State to a poll14 ing place with respect to an election for Federal of15 fice which is not the same polling place to which the 

16 individual was previously assigned with respect to 

17 the most recent election for Federal office in the 

18 State in which the individual was eligible to vote— 

19 ‘‘(A) the State shall notify the individual of 

20 the location of the polling place not later than 

21 7 days before the date of the election or the 

22 first day of an early voting period (whichever 

23 occurs first); or 

24 ‘‘(B) if the State makes such an assign25 ment fewer than 7 days before the date of the 

26 election and the individual appears on the date 


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1 of the election at the polling place to which the 

2 individual was previously assigned, the State 

3 shall make every reasonable effort to enable the 

4 individual to vote on the date of the election. 

5 ‘‘(2) METHODS OF NOTIFICATION.—The State 

6 shall notify an individual under subparagraph (A) of 

7 paragraph (1) by mail, telephone, and (if available) 

8 text message and electronic mail. 

9 ‘‘(3) PLACEMENT OF SIGNS AT CLOSED POLL10 ING PLACES.—If a location which served as a polling 

11 place in an election for Federal office does not serve 

12 as a polling place in the next election for Federal of13 fice held in the jurisdiction involved, the State shall 

14 ensure that signs are posted at such location on the 

15 date of the election and during any early voting pe16 riod for the election containing the following infor17 mation: 

18 ‘‘(A) A statement that the location is not 

19 serving as a polling place in the election. 

20 ‘‘(B) The locations serving as polling 

21 places in the election in the jurisdiction in22 volved. 

23 ‘‘(C) Contact information, including a tele24 phone number and website, for the appropriate 

25 State or local election official through which an 


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1 individual may find the polling place to which 

2 the individual is assigned for the election. 

3 ‘‘(4) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This subsection shall 

4 apply with respect to elections held on or after Janu5 ary 1, 2022.’’. 

6 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 302(e) of 

7 such Act (52 U.S.C. 21082(e)), as redesignated by sub8 section (a), is amended by striking ‘‘Each State’’ and in9 serting ‘‘Except as provided in subsection (d)(4), each 

10 State’’. 

Æ 


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