I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2941 

To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to increase voting accessibility 

for individuals with disabilities and older individuals, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 30, 2021 

Ms. SCANLON (for herself and Mr. RASKIN) 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 increase 

voting accessibility for individuals with disabilities and 

older individuals, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Accessible Voting Act of 2021’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings; purpose. 

TITLE I—ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION OFFICE OF 

ACCESSIBILITY 


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Sec. 101. Establishment of the Election Assistance Commission Office of Accessibility. 

Sec. 102. National Resource Center on Accessible Voting. 

Sec. 103. Establishment of national voter accessibility website. 

TITLE II—STATE REQUIREMENTS AND PAYMENTS 

Sec. 201. Establishment and maintenance of State accessible election websites. 

Sec. 202. Designation of single State office. 

Sec. 203. Transparency regarding changes. 

Sec. 204. Access to absentee voter registration procedures and no-excuse absentee voting for all voters. 

Sec. 205. Protections for in-person voting for individuals with disabilities and 

older individuals. 

Sec. 206. Protections for individuals subject to guardianship. 

Sec. 207. Payments to States for implementation of accessibility requirements. 

Sec. 208. Technical and conforming amendments relating to issuance of voluntary guidance and enforcement. 

TITLE III—FEDERAL ASSISTANCE 

Sec. 301. Expansion and reauthorization of grant program to assure voting access for individuals with disabilities and older individuals. 

Sec. 302. Study and report on accessible voting options. 

Sec. 303. Appointments to EAC Board of Advisors. 

Sec. 304. Removal of limitation on use of funds for participation of protection 

and advocacy systems in litigation related to election-related 

disability access. 

Sec. 305. Funding for protection and advocacy systems. 

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) Since its founding, America has steadily 

4 worked to ensure the right to vote for all through 

5 State law, Federal law, and constitutional amend6 ments. 

7 (2) Almost a quarter of the electorate will be 65 

8 years old or older in 2020. 

9 (3) Of the 37,000,000 voting age individuals 

10 with disabilities in America, an estimated 

11 14,300,000 citizens with disabilities reported voting 

12 in the November 2018 election. 


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1 (4) Older individuals who have been lifelong 

2 voters and who now find it difficult to leave their 

3 home often cannot vote in person. 

4 (5) Despite Federal laws requiring fully acces5 sible voting places, barriers to vote for people with 

6 disabilities and older individuals still exist. 

7 (6) In 2016 only 40 percent of polling places 

8 were architecturally accessible and only 45 percent 

9 of voting booths were accessible. 

10 (7) Combining deficiencies in architectural and 

11 voting booth access, only 17 percent of polling places 

12 could be considered fully accessible in 2016. 

13 (8) People with disabilities voted at a rate of 

14 4.7 percent less than non-disabled individuals in 

15 2016. 

16 (9) In 2017, the Native American Voting 

17 Rights Coalition found that the distance needed to 

18 travel to polling locations and drop off boxes for ab19 sentee ballots greatly affected the ability of Native 

20 Americans to cast ballots. 

21 (10) The National Congress of American Indi22 ans found that the turnout rate for Native Ameri23 cans and Alaska Native registered voters is between 

24 5 to 14 percent lower than turnout rates of other ra25 cial and ethnic groups. 


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1 (11) According to the United States Census 

2 Bureau, there are nearly 26,000,000 individuals in 

3 the United States with limited English proficiency 

4 and more than 66,000,000 who speak a language 

5 other than English at home. Americans with limited 

6 English proficiency can face challenges when at7 tempting to register to vote and cast a ballot. 

8 (12) A strong legislative focus on the needs of 

9 older individuals, individuals with disabilities, Native 

10 Americans, Alaska Natives, and individuals with lim11 ited proficiency in the English language is necessary 

12 to remove obstacles to vote and ensure they can ex13 ercise their right to vote. 

14 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to improve 

15 access for older individuals, individuals with disabilities, 

16 Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and individuals with 

17 limited proficiency in the English language to register to 

18 vote and to cast a ballot by— 

19 (1) providing States and local governments with 

20 resources to improve accessibility when registering to 

21 vote, voting by absentee, and casting a ballot in per22 son; and 

23 (2) expanding Federal oversight and support to 

24 ensure greater accessibility to State voting systems. 


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1 TITLE I—ELECTION ASSISTANCE 

2 COMMISSION OFFICE OF AC3 CESSIBILITY 

4 SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ELECTION ASSISTANCE 

5 COMMISSION OFFICE OF ACCESSIBILITY. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle A of title II of the Help 

7 America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 20921) is amended 

8 by adding at the end the following new part: 

9 ‘‘PART 4—ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION 

10 OFFICE OF ACCESSIBILITY 

11 ‘‘SEC. 223. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION OFFICE OF 

12 ACCESSIBILITY. 

13 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established 

14 the Election Assistance Commission Office of Accessibility 

15 (hereinafter in this part referred to as the ‘Office of Acces16 sibility’). 

17 ‘‘(b) DUTIES.—The Office of Accessibility shall— 

18 ‘‘(1) serve as the effective and visible advocate 

19 on behalf of voters with access needs, including older 

20 individuals, individuals with disabilities, Native 

21 Americans, Alaska Native citizens, and individuals 

22 with limited proficiency in the English language— 

23 ‘‘(A) within the Election Assistance Com24 mission and with other departments and agenVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:56 Jun 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2941.IH H2941

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1 cies of the Federal Government regarding all 

2 Federal policies affecting such individuals; and 

3 ‘‘(B) in the States to promote the en4 hanced accessibility of voting systems and com5 pliance with this Act and other Federal law and 

6 regulations; 

7 ‘‘(2) ensure State and local election officials are 

8 taking steps to maintain voting systems that meet 

9 Department of Justice accessibility standards; 

10 ‘‘(3) if the Director of the Office of Accessibility 

11 finds that a State has not taken steps to meet such 

12 standards, refer the finding to the Department of 

13 Justice for enforcement; 

14 ‘‘(4) evaluate State proposals to expand voter 

15 accessibility in order to meet the requirements of 

16 sections 304 through 309; 

17 ‘‘(5) ensure State and local governments meet 

18 the requirements of sections 304 through 309 (relat19 ing to accessible election websites and other accessi20 bility requirements), including through referral to 

21 the Attorney General for action under section 401 as 

22 appropriate; 

23 ‘‘(6) administer and evaluate payments to 

24 States for the establishment and maintenance of ac25 cessible election websites under section 297; 


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1 ‘‘(7) establish and operate the National Re2 source Center on Accessible Voting under section 

3 224; 

4 ‘‘(8) establish the national voter accessibility 

5 website under section 225; 

6 ‘‘(9) collect and disseminate information related 

7 to challenges experienced by older individuals, indi8 viduals with disabilities, Native Americans, Alaska 

9 Natives, and individuals with limited proficiency in 

10 the English language when registering to vote or 

11 casting a ballot; and 

12 ‘‘(10) recommend policies and priorities to im13 prove the accessibility of State voter registration sys14 tems, voting systems, the casting of ballots, and the 

15 application for and casting of absentee ballots. 

16 ‘‘(c) OBJECTIVES.—The Office of Accessibility shall 

17 have the following primary objectives: 

18 ‘‘(1) Educating State and local election officials 

19 on the challenges faced by older individuals, individ20 uals with disabilities, Native Americans, Alaska Na21 tives, and individuals with limited proficiency in the 

22 English language when voting, and teaching evi23 dence-based strategies for overcoming those chal24 lenges. 


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1 ‘‘(2) Educating State and local election officials 

2 regarding the needs of individuals with disabilities 

3 and older individuals. 

4 ‘‘(3) Providing educational resources in plain 

5 language to older individuals and individuals with 

6 disabilities on their rights and resources when reg7 istering to vote and voting. 

8 ‘‘(4) Providing translated educational resources 

9 for Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and individ10 uals with limited proficiency in the English language 

11 on their rights and resources when registering to 

12 vote and voting. 

13 ‘‘(5) Studying potential improvements and pro14 viding strategies that State and local election offi15 cials may implement, and encouraging the enact16 ment of State or local laws as necessary for such im17 plementation, with the goal of— 

18 ‘‘(A) ensuring that individuals with disabil19 ities and older individuals are provided the op20 portunity to cast a private and independent bal21 lot in person in an election for Federal office, 

22 including— 

23 ‘‘(i) identification of barriers to in24 person voting and strategies for remedi25 ating architectural, attitudinal, transporVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:56 Jun 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2941.IH H2941

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1 tation, and other barriers to accessible in2 person voting; 

3 ‘‘(ii) strategies to reduce adversely 

4 long wait times for casting ballots; 

5 ‘‘(iii) alternative options to cast a bal6 lot on the day of an election, such as pro7 viding the option to cast a ballot outside of 

8 the polling place or from a vehicle; 

9 ‘‘(iv) strategies and criteria to create 

10 expedited voting lines for those needing 

11 such service; or 

12 ‘‘(v) the ability for an individual who 

13 cannot physically wait in line to exit the 

14 line without losing their place; 

15 ‘‘(B) ensuring that individuals with disabil16 ities and older individuals are provided the op17 portunity to cast a private and independent ab18 sentee ballot, including— 

19 ‘‘(i) ensuring the process for request20 ing and securing an absentee ballot is ac21 cessible to individuals with disabilities and 

22 older individuals; 

23 ‘‘(ii) ensuring the process for submit24 ting an absentee ballot is accessible to indiVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:56 Jun 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2941.IH H2941

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1 viduals with disabilities and older individ2 uals; and 

3 ‘‘(iii) ensuring the process for mark4 ing an absentee ballot is accessible to indi5 viduals with disabilities and older individ6 uals; and 

7 ‘‘(C) implementing policies that encourage 

8 more individuals with disabilities and older indi9 viduals to serve as poll workers, including per10 mitting shorter shifts to accommodate individ11 uals who cannot work a full Election Day. 

12 ‘‘(6) Promoting research into the use of acces13 sible ballot marking devices and educating State and 

14 local election officials on the secure use of accessible 

15 ballot marking devices. 

16 ‘‘(d) DIRECTOR OF ACCESSIBILITY.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Office of Accessibility 

18 shall be headed by a Director of Accessibility (re19 ferred to in this part as the ‘Director’) who shall be 

20 appointed by the Executive Director of the Election 

21 Assistance Commission. 

22 ‘‘(2) TERM OF SERVICE FOR THE DIRECTOR.— 

23 The Director shall serve for a term of 4 years. The 

24 term of the first individual appointed to the position 

25 of Director shall end on January 3, 2026, and the 


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1 term of each individual appointed for a full term to 

2 the position of Director thereafter shall end on Jan3 uary 3 of each fourth year thereafter. 

4 ‘‘(3) PROCEDURE FOR APPOINTMENT.— 

5 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—On the date that is 6 

6 months prior to the date on which a vacancy is 

7 scheduled to occur in the position of the Direc8 tor or the date on which the Director submits 

9 a Letter of Resignation, the Election Assistance 

10 Commission Standards Board and Election As11 sistance Commission Board of Advisors under 

12 part 2 of this subtitle (hereafter in this part re13 ferred to as the ‘Standards Board’ and the 

14 ‘Board of Advisors’, respectively), shall each ap15 point a search committee to recommend at least 

16 three nominees for the position. 

17 ‘‘(B) REQUIRING CONSIDERATION OF

18 NOMINEES.—The Executive Director of the 

19 Election Assistance Commission shall consider 

20 the nominees recommended by the Standards 

21 Board and the Board of Advisors in appointing 

22 the Director. 

23 ‘‘(4) PROCEDURE FOR REAPPOINTMENT.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director may be 

25 reappointed for one or more additional full 


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1 terms if the Standards Board and the Board of 

2 Advisors recommends such reappointment. 

3 ‘‘(B) TIMING OF RECOMMENDATION.—The 

4 Standards Board and the Board of Advisors 

5 may recommend such reappointment for an ad6 ditional term before the date on which the cur7 rent term of the Director expires, but not more 

8 than 3 months before such date. 

9 ‘‘(5) CONTINUATION IN OFFICE.—An individual 

10 serving in the position of Director at the end of the 

11 term of the individual as Director may continue to 

12 serve until a successor is appointed. 

13 ‘‘(e) DEPUTY DIRECTOR.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be a Deputy 

15 Director of the Office who shall— 

16 ‘‘(A) be appointed by the Director; 

17 ‘‘(B) perform such duties as may be as18 signed by the Director; and 

19 ‘‘(C) during the absence or incapacity of 

20 the Director or during a vacancy in that office, 

21 act as the Director. 

22 ‘‘(2) TERM.—The term of an individual ap23 pointed to the position of Deputy Director shall end 

24 on the date on which the term of the Director ap25 pointing the Deputy Director ends. 


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1 ‘‘(3) CONTINUATION IN OFFICE.—An individual 

2 serving in the position of Deputy Director at the end 

3 of the term of the individual as Deputy Director 

4 may continue to serve until a successor is appointed. 

5 ‘‘(f) OTHER STAFF.—Subject to rules prescribed by 

6 the Commission, the Director may appoint and fix the pay 

7 of such additional personnel as the Director considers ap8 propriate. 

9 ‘‘(g) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 

10 years after the date of enactment of this part, and every 

11 2 years thereafter, the Director shall submit to Congress 

12 a report describing the activities carried out under this 

13 part during the period since the last report was submitted 

14 under this subsection. 

15 ‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this part, the term ‘acces16 sible’, ‘individual with a disability’, ‘older individual’, and 

17 ‘State’ have the meaning given those terms in section 304. 

18 ‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION.—There are authorized to be 

19 appropriated to the Office of Accessibility to carry out the 

20 provisions of this part $500,000 for each of fiscal years 

21 2022 and 2023 and such sums as may be necessary for 

22 each succeeding year.’’. 

23 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 


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1 (1) CONFORMING AMENDMENT TO DUTIES OF

2 EAC.—Section 202 of the Help America Vote Act of 

3 2002 (52 U.S.C. 20922) is amended— 

4 (A) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

5 the end; 

6 (B) in paragraph (6), by striking the pe7 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

9 paragraph: 

10 ‘‘(7) establishing the Election Assistance Com11 mission Office of Accessibility under section 223.’’. 

12 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con13 tents of such Act is amended by inserting after the 

14 item relating to section 222 the following new items: 

‘‘PART 4—ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION OFFICE OF ACCESSIBILITY

‘‘Sec. 223. Election Assistance Commission Office of Accessibility.’’. 

15 SEC. 102. NATIONAL RESOURCE CENTER ON ACCESSIBLE 

16 VOTING. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part 4 of subtitle A of title II of 

18 the Help America Vote Act of 2002, as added by section 

19 101, is amended by adding at the end the following new 

20 section: 

21 ‘‘SEC. 224. NATIONAL RESOURCE CENTER ON ACCESSIBLE 

22 VOTING. 

23 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than January 1, 2023, 

24 the Office of Accessibility shall, directly or by grant or 


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1 contract with eligible entities described in subsection (d), 

2 establish and operate a National Resource Center on Ac3 cessible Voting (in this section referred to as the ‘Center’). 

4 ‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES.—In order to address the unique 

5 challenges faced by older individuals, individuals with dis6 abilities, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and individ7 uals with limited proficiency in the English language, the 

8 Center shall provide State and local election officials, poll 

9 workers, and volunteers with the information and tech10 nical assistance needed to effectively provide accessible 

11 voting, and ensure that older individuals, individuals with 

12 disabilities, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and indi13 viduals with limited proficiency in the English language 

14 are given an equivalent opportunity to vote, including with 

15 privacy and independence. The Center shall also identify 

16 barriers to accessible voting among these populations and 

17 propose solutions that States and localities can adopt. 

18 ‘‘(c) OBJECTIVES.—The Center shall assist the Office 

19 of Accessibility in carrying out the primary objectives of 

20 the Office as described in section 223(c). 

21 ‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a 

23 grant or contract under this subsection, an entity 

24 shall— 


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1 ‘‘(A) submit an application to the Office of 

2 Accessibility at such time, in such manner, and 

3 containing such information as the Office of Ac4 cessibility may reasonably require; and 

5 ‘‘(B) meet the criteria described in para6 graph (2). 

7 ‘‘(2) CRITERIA DESCRIBED.—The criteria de8 scribed in this paragraph, with respect to an entity, 

9 are that the entity— 

10 ‘‘(A) has demonstrated expertise in work11 ing with organizations or individuals on issues 

12 affecting individuals with disabilities and older 

13 individuals; 

14 ‘‘(B) has documented experience in pro15 viding training and technical assistance on a 

16 national basis or a formal relationship with an 

17 organization that has such experience; 

18 ‘‘(C) partners with an organization that 

19 has demonstrated expertise in election security; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(D) meets such other criteria as deter22 mined appropriate by the Office of Accessibility. 

23 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

24 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

25 not less than $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2022 and each 


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1 succeeding fiscal year. Amounts appropriated under the 

2 preceding sentence shall remain available until expended. 

3 ‘‘(f) OPERATING STANDARDS AND REPORTING RE4 QUIREMENTS.—The Office of Accessibility shall develop 

5 and issue operating standards and reporting requirements 

6 for the Center.’’. 

7 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

8 of such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating 

9 to section 223, as added by section 101(b)(2), the fol10 lowing new item: 

‘‘Sec. 224. National Resource Center on Accessible Voting.’’. 

11 SEC. 103. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL VOTER ACCESSI12 BILITY WEBSITE. 

13 (a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to cre14 ate an accessible national website to provide support and 

15 information to State and local election officials, individuals 

16 with disabilities, and older individuals. 

17 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Part 4 of subtitle A of title 

18 II of the Help America Vote Act of 2002, as added by 

19 section 101 and amended by section 102, is amended by 

20 adding at the end the following new section: 

21 ‘‘SEC. 225. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL VOTER ACCESSI22 BILITY WEBSITE. 

23 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Office of Accessibility shall 

24 work with State and local election officials to collect data 


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1 and administer a public national voter accessibility website 

2 to— 

3 ‘‘(1) ensure individuals with disabilities and 

4 older individuals are provided easy access to clear 

5 and understandable voter information for each 

6 State, including— 

7 ‘‘(A) a link to each State accessible elec8 tion website as described in section 304; 

9 ‘‘(B) information on voting timelines for 

10 each State, including deadlines to— 

11 ‘‘(i) register to vote; 

12 ‘‘(ii) update voter registration infor13 mation; 

14 ‘‘(iii) submit an application to run for 

15 elected office; 

16 ‘‘(iv) apply for an absentee ballot; and 

17 ‘‘(v) submit an absentee ballot; and 

18 ‘‘(C) a plain language description of the 

19 voting laws of each State, including information 

20 on— 

21 ‘‘(i) voter identification requirements; 

22 ‘‘(ii) how to register to vote, update 

23 registration info, and confirm an individual 

24 is registered to vote in the State; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) the location and operating hours 

2 of polling places and the accessibility of 

3 polling places; 

4 ‘‘(iv) the availability of aid or assist5 ance for individuals with disabilities and 

6 older individuals to cast their vote in a 

7 manner that provides the same opportunity 

8 for access and participation (including pri9 vacy and independence) as for other voters 

10 at polling places; 

11 ‘‘(v) the availability of aid or assist12 ance from State and local agencies for in13 dividuals with disabilities or older individ14 uals who are not able to travel to the poll15 ing place; 

16 ‘‘(vi) how to contact State, local, and 

17 Federal officials with complaints or griev18 ances if individuals with disabilities and 

19 older individuals feel their ability to reg20 ister to vote or vote has been blocked or 

21 delayed; and 

22 ‘‘(vii) access to aging and disability 

23 support resources in the State, including— 

24 ‘‘(I) protection and advocacy sys25 tems (as defined in section 102 of the 


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1 Developmental Disabilities Assistance 

2 and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 

3 U.S.C. 15002)); and 

4 ‘‘(II) information on how to ob5 tain transportation to the polls from 

6 State or local agencies; and 

7 ‘‘(2) provide a description of resources for local 

8 election officials to use in providing guidance to poll 

9 workers in order to ensure that polling places are ac10 cessible for individuals with disabilities and older in11 dividuals in a manner that provides the same oppor12 tunity for access and participation (including privacy 

13 and independence) as for other voters. 

14 ‘‘(b) DATABASE.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Office of Accessibility 

16 shall maintain a database of complaints or griev17 ances from individuals who feel their ability to reg18 ister to vote or vote has been blocked or delayed, 

19 and the outcome of their complaints (as reported by 

20 States pursuant to section 297(d)). 

21 ‘‘(2) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Office of Ac22 cessibility shall make such complaints and a descrip23 tion of the outcomes of such complaints available to 

24 the public, while maintaining the anonymity of any 

25 individual who submits a complaint. 


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1 ‘‘(3) REFERRAL OF COMPLAINTS TO DEPART2 MENT OF JUSTICE.—The Office of Accessibility shall 

3 refer any complaints or grievances which violate 

4 Federal law to the Department of Justice. 

5 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘acces6 sible’, ‘individual with a disability’, ‘older individual’, and 

7 ‘State’ have the meaning given those terms in section 

8 304.’’. 

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

10 of such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating 

11 to section 224, as added by section 102(b), the following 

12 new item: 

‘‘Sec. 225. Establishment of national voter accessibility website.’’. 

13 TITLE II—STATE 

14 REQUIREMENTS AND PAYMENTS 

15 SEC. 201. ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF STATE 

16 ACCESSIBLE ELECTION WEBSITES. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Help America 

18 Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21018 et seq.) is amended— 

19 (1) by redesignating sections 304 and 305 as 

20 sections 305 and 306; and 

21 (2) by inserting after section 303 the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 304. ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF ACCES2 SIBLE ELECTION WEBSITES. 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall ensure their 

4 election websites are accessible and meet the following re5 quirements: 

6 ‘‘(1) LOCAL ELECTION OFFICIALS.—The 

7 website shall provide local election officials, poll 

8 workers, and volunteers with— 

9 ‘‘(A) guidance to ensure that polling places 

10 are accessible for individuals with disabilities 

11 and older individuals in a manner that provides 

12 the same opportunity for access and participa13 tion (including privacy and independence) as for 

14 other voters; and 

15 ‘‘(B) online training and resources on— 

16 ‘‘(i) how best to promote the access 

17 and participation of individuals with dis18 abilities and older individuals in elections 

19 for public office; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) the voting rights and protections 

21 for individuals with disabilities and older 

22 individuals under State and Federal law. 

23 ‘‘(2) VOTERS.—The website shall provide infor24 mation about voting, including— 

25 ‘‘(A) the accessibility of all polling places 

26 within the State, including outreach programs 


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1 to inform individuals about the availability of 

2 accessible polling places; 

3 ‘‘(B) how to register to vote and confirm 

4 voter registration in the State; 

5 ‘‘(C) the location and operating hours of 

6 all polling places in the State; 

7 ‘‘(D) the availability of aid or assistance 

8 for individuals with disabilities and older indi9 viduals to cast their vote in a manner that pro10 vides the same opportunity for access and par11 ticipation (including privacy and independence) 

12 as for other voters at polling places; 

13 ‘‘(E) the availability of transportation aid 

14 or assistance to the polling place for individuals 

15 with disabilities or older individuals; 

16 ‘‘(F) recent changes in State and Federal 

17 voting procedures that impact individuals with 

18 disabilities or older individuals; 

19 ‘‘(G) the rights and protections under 

20 State and Federal law for individuals with dis21 abilities and older individuals to participate in 

22 elections; and 

23 ‘‘(H) how to contact State, local, and Fed24 eral officials with complaints or grievances if in25 dividuals with disabilities, older individuals, NaVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:56 Jun 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2941.IH H2941

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1 tive Americans, Alaska Natives, and individuals 

2 with limited proficiency in the English language 

3 feel their ability to register to vote or vote has 

4 been blocked or delayed. 

5 ‘‘(b) PARTNERSHIP WITH OUTSIDE TECHNICAL OR6 GANIZATION.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The chief State election of8 ficial of each State, through the committee of appro9 priate individuals under subsection (c)(2), shall part10 ner with an outside technical organization with dem11 onstrated experience in establishing accessible and 

12 easy to use accessible election websites to— 

13 ‘‘(A) update an existing election website to 

14 make it fully accessible in accordance with this 

15 section; or 

16 ‘‘(B) develop an election website that is 

17 fully accessible in accordance with this section. 

18 ‘‘(2) IN-HOUSE TRAINING.—Under such part19 nership, the outside technical organization shall also 

20 be required to provide training to in-house personnel 

21 of the State or units of local government to maintain 

22 and update election websites in an accessible man23 ner. 

24 ‘‘(c) STATE PLAN.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) DEVELOPMENT.—The chief State election 

2 official of each State shall, through a committee of 

3 appropriate individuals as described in paragraph 

4 (2), develop a State plan that describes how the 

5 State and local governments will meet the require6 ments under this section. 

7 ‘‘(2) COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP.—The com8 mittee shall comprise at least the following individ9 uals: 

10 ‘‘(A) The chief election officials of the four 

11 most populous jurisdictions within the State. 

12 ‘‘(B) The chief election officials of the four 

13 least populous jurisdictions within the State. 

14 ‘‘(C) Representatives from two disability 

15 advocacy groups, including at least one such 

16 representative who is an individual with a dis17 ability. 

18 ‘‘(D) Representatives from two older indi19 vidual advocacy groups, including at least one 

20 such representative who is an older individual. 

21 ‘‘(E) Representatives from two inde22 pendent non-governmental organizations with 

23 expertise in establishing and maintaining acces24 sible websites. 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 ‘‘(F) Representatives from two inde2 pendent non-governmental voting rights organi3 zations. 

4 ‘‘(G) Representatives from State protection 

5 and advocacy systems as defined in section 102 

6 of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance 

7 and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 

8 15002). 

9 ‘‘(d) PARTNERSHIP TO MONITOR AND VERIFY AC10 CESSIBILITY.—The chief State election official of each eli11 gible State, through the committee of appropriate individ12 uals under subsection (c)(2), shall partner with at least 

13 two of the following organizations to monitor and verify 

14 the accessibility of the election website and the complete15 ness of the election information and the accuracy of the 

16 disability information provided on such website: 

17 ‘‘(1) University Centers for Excellence in Devel18 opmental Disabilities Education, Research, and 

19 Services designated under section 151(a) of the De20 velopmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of 

21 Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 15061(a)). 

22 ‘‘(2) Centers for Independent Living, as de23 scribed in part C of title VII of the Rehabilitation 

24 Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 796f et seq.). 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 ‘‘(3) A State Council on Developmental Disabil2 ities described in section 125 of the Developmental 

3 Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 

4 2000 (42 U.S.C. 15025). 

5 ‘‘(4) State protection and advocacy systems as 

6 defined in section 102 of the Developmental Disabil7 ities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 

8 U.S.C. 15002). 

9 ‘‘(5) Statewide Independent Living Councils es10 tablished under section 705 of the Rehabilitation Act 

11 of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 796d). 

12 ‘‘(6) State Assistive Technology Act Programs. 

13 ‘‘(7) A visual access advocacy organization. 

14 ‘‘(8) An organization for the deaf. 

15 ‘‘(9) A mental health organization. 

16 ‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this subtitle: 

17 ‘‘(1) ACCESSIBLE.—The term ‘accessible’ 

18 means— 

19 ‘‘(A) in the case of the election website 

20 under subsection (a) or section 225, or an elec21 tronic communication under section 307— 

22 ‘‘(i) that the functions and content of 

23 the website or electronic communication, 

24 including all text, visual, and aural conVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:56 Jun 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2941.IH H2941

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•HR 2941 IH

1 tent, are as accessible to people with dis2 abilities as to those without disabilities; 

3 ‘‘(ii) that the functions and content of 

4 the website or electronic communication 

5 are accessible to individuals with limited 

6 proficiency in the English language; and 

7 ‘‘(iii) that the website or electronic 

8 communication meets, at a minimum, con9 formance to Level AA of the Web Content 

10 Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 of the Web Ac11 cessibility Initiative (or any successor 

12 guidelines); and 

13 ‘‘(B) in the case of a facility (including a 

14 polling place), that the facility is readily acces15 sible to and usable by individuals with disabil16 ities and older individuals, as determined under 

17 the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design 

18 adopted by the Department of Justice (or any 

19 successor standards). 

20 ‘‘(2) INDIVIDUAL WITH A DISABILITY.—The 

21 term ‘individual with a disability’ means an indi22 vidual with a disability, as defined in section 3 of the 

23 Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

24 12102), and who is otherwise qualified to vote in 

25 elections for Federal office. 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 ‘‘(3) OLDER INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘older in2 dividual’ means an individual who is 60 years of age 

3 or older and who is otherwise qualified to vote in 

4 elections for Federal office. 

5 ‘‘(4) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means a State 

6 of the United States, the District of Columbia, the 

7 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any territory or 

8 possession of the United States. 

9 ‘‘(f) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply on 

10 or after January 1, 2023.’’. 

11 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The table of contents 

12 of such Act is amended— 

13 (1) by redesignating the items relating to sec14 tions 304 and 305 as relating to sections 305 and 

15 306, respectively; and 

16 (2) by inserting after the item relating to sec17 tion 303 the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 304. Establishment and maintenance of accessible election websites.’’. 

18 SEC. 202. DESIGNATION OF SINGLE STATE OFFICE. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Help America 

20 Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21018 et seq.), as amended 

21 by section 201, is amended— 

22 (1) by redesignating sections 305 and 306 as 

23 sections 306 and 307; and 

24 (2) by inserting after section 304 the following: 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 ‘‘SEC. 305. DESIGNATION OF SINGLE STATE OFFICE TO PRO2 VIDE INFORMATION FOR ALL INDIVIDUALS 

3 WITH DISABILITIES AND OLDER INDIVIDUALS 

4 IN THE STATE. 

5 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall designate a sin6 gle office which shall be responsible for providing informa7 tion with respect to Federal elections to all individuals 

8 with disabilities or older individuals. 

9 ‘‘(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—Such office shall be re10 sponsible for the following: 

11 ‘‘(1) Maintaining the accessible State election 

12 website as described in section 304. 

13 ‘‘(2) Providing information regarding voter reg14 istration, absentee ballots, and in-person voting pro15 cedures to be used by individuals with disabilities 

16 and older individuals with respect to elections for 

17 Federal office. 

18 ‘‘(3) Regularly auditing polling places to ensure 

19 they are accessible, as defined in section 304, and 

20 publicly posting the results of such audits no later 

21 than 6 months after the completion of the audit. 

22 ‘‘(4) Providing information to State and local 

23 election officials on how to set up and operate acces24 sible voting systems and information regarding the 

25 accessibility of voting procedures, including guidance 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 on compatibility with assistive technologies such as 

2 screen readers and ballot marking devices. 

3 ‘‘(5) Working with— 

4 ‘‘(A) community members with disabilities 

5 and disability advocacy groups year round; and 

6 ‘‘(B) older individuals and advocacy groups 

7 for older individuals year round. 

8 ‘‘(6) Integrating information on accessibility, 

9 accommodations, disability, and older individuals 

10 into regular training materials for poll workers and 

11 election administration officials. 

12 ‘‘(7) Training poll workers on how to make poll13 ing places accessible for individuals with disabilities 

14 and older individuals. 

15 ‘‘(8) Promoting the hiring of individuals with 

16 disabilities and older individuals as poll workers and 

17 election staff. 

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

19 or after January 1, 2023.’’. 

20 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

21 of such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating 

22 to section 304, as added by section 201(b), the following: 

‘‘Sec. 305. Designation of single State office to provide information for all individuals with disabilities and older individuals in the State.’’. 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 SEC. 203. TRANSPARENCY REGARDING CHANGES. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Help America 

3 Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21018 et seq.), as amended 

4 by sections 201 and 202, is amended— 

5 (1) by redesignating sections 306 and 307 as 

6 sections 307 and 308; and 

7 (2) by inserting after section 305 the following: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 306. TRANSPARENCY REGARDING CHANGES. 

9 ‘‘(a) NOTICE OF ENACTED CHANGES.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If a State or political sub11 division makes any change in any prerequisite to 

12 voting or standard, practice, or procedure with re13 spect to voting in any election for Federal office that 

14 will result in the prerequisite, standard, practice, or 

15 procedure being different from that which was in ef16 fect as of the date that is 180 days before the elec17 tion, the State or political subdivision must provide 

18 reasonable public notice in such State or political 

19 subdivision and on the accessible State election 

20 website as described in section 304, containing a 

21 concise description of the change, including the dif22 ference between the changed prerequisite, standard, 

23 practice, or procedure and the prerequisite, stand24 ard, practice, or procedure which was previously in 

25 effect. 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 ‘‘(2) FORMAT.—The public notice described in 

2 paragraph (1) shall be provided in a format that is 

3 convenient and accessible to individuals with disabil4 ities and older individuals. 

5 ‘‘(3) ACCESSIBLE EMAIL AND MAIL NOTICES.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A State or political 

7 subdivision shall send out an accessible elec8 tronic mail or mail notice to any voter who re9 quest to be notified of any changes described in 

10 paragraph (1). 

11 ‘‘(B) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROCESS.—A 

12 State or political subdivision shall establish a 

13 process under which a voter may request to be 

14 notified of any such changes. 

15 ‘‘(4) DEADLINE FOR NOTICE.—A State or polit16 ical subdivision shall provide the public notice re17 quired under paragraph (1) not later than 7 days 

18 after making the change involved. 

19 ‘‘(b) TRANSPARENCY REGARDING POLLING PLACE

20 RESOURCES.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In order to identify any 

22 changes that may impact the right to vote of any in23 dividual, prior to the 30th day before the date of an 

24 election, each State or political subdivision with re25 sponsibility for allocating registered voters, voting 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 machines, and official poll workers to particular pre2 cincts and polling places shall provide reasonable 

3 public notice in such State or political subdivision 

4 and on the accessible State election website as de5 scribed in section 304, of the information described 

6 in paragraph (2) for precincts and polling places 

7 within such State or political subdivision. 

8 ‘‘(2) INFORMATION DESCRIBED.—The informa9 tion described in this paragraph with respect to a 

10 precinct or polling place is each of the following: 

11 ‘‘(A) The name or number of the precinct 

12 or polling place. 

13 ‘‘(B) In the case of a polling place, the lo14 cation, including the street address, and con15 firmation that the polling place is accessible to 

16 individuals with disabilities and older individ17 uals. 

18 ‘‘(C) The number of voting machines as19 signed, including the number of voting ma20 chines accessible to individuals with disabilities 

21 and older individuals and the number of poll 

22 workers who have received training on how to 

23 set up and operate the accessible voting sys24 tems. 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 ‘‘(D) The total number of poll workers of2 ficially assigned to the polling place, including 

3 the number of such poll workers who have re4 ceived training to assist individuals with disabil5 ities and older individuals. 

6 ‘‘(E) The number of official volunteer poll 

7 workers assigned who have received training to 

8 assist individuals with disabilities and older in9 dividuals. 

10 ‘‘(F) In the case of a polling place, the 

11 dates and hours of operation. 

12 ‘‘(3) UPDATES IN INFORMATION REPORTED.— 

13 If a State or political subdivision makes any change 

14 in any of the information described in paragraph (2) 

15 with respect to which a notice is provided pursuant 

16 to paragraph (1), the State or political subdivision 

17 shall provide reasonable public notice in such State 

18 or political subdivision and on the accessible State 

19 election website as described in section 304, of the 

20 change in the information not later than 48 hours 

21 after the change occurs or, if the change occurs 

22 fewer than 48 hours before the date of the election 

23 for Federal office, as soon as practicable after the 

24 change occurs. 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 ‘‘(4) FORMAT.—The public notice described in 

2 paragraph (1) or (3) shall be provided in a format 

3 that is reasonably convenient and accessible to indi4 viduals with disabilities and older individuals. 

5 ‘‘(5) ACCESSIBLE EMAIL AND MAIL NOTICES.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A State or political 

7 subdivision shall send out an accessible elec8 tronic mail and mail notice to any voter who re9 quests to be notified of any changes described 

10 in paragraph (1) and to the State protection 

11 and advocacy systems (as defined in section 102 

12 of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance 

13 and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 

14 15002)). 

15 ‘‘(B) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROCESS.—A 

16 State or political subdivision shall establish a 

17 process under which a voter may request to be 

18 notified of any such changes. 

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

20 with respect to elections for Federal office held on or after 

21 January 1, 2023.’’. 

22 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The table of contents 

23 of such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating 

24 to section 305, as added by section 202(b), the following: 

‘‘Sec. 306. Transparency regarding changes.’’. 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 SEC. 204. ACCESS TO ABSENTEE VOTER REGISTRATION 

2 PROCEDURES AND NO-EXCUSE ABSENTEE 

3 VOTING FOR ALL VOTERS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Help America 

5 Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21018 et seq.), as amended 

6 by sections 201, 202, and 203, is amended— 

7 (1) by redesignating sections 307 and 308 as 

8 sections 308 and 309; and 

9 (2) by inserting after section 306 the following: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 307. ACCESS TO ABSENTEE VOTER REGISTRATION 

11 PROCEDURES AND NO-EXCUSE ABSENTEE 

12 VOTING FOR ALL VOTERS. 

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 6(c) 

14 and subparagraph (B) or (D) of section 8(a)(1) of the Na15 tional Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 

16 20505(c); 20507(a)(1)), each State shall— 

17 ‘‘(1) permit any eligible voter to— 

18 ‘‘(A) request and utilize absentee ballot 

19 procedures for elections for Federal office; and 

20 ‘‘(B) vote by absentee ballot in elections 

21 for Federal office; 

22 ‘‘(2) accept and process, with respect to any 

23 election for Federal office, any otherwise valid voter 

24 registration application from any eligible voter if the 

25 application is received by the appropriate State elec26 tion official not less than 21 days before the election; 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 ‘‘(3) accept and process, with respect to any 

2 election for Federal office, any otherwise valid ab3 sentee ballot application from any eligible voter if 

4 the application is received by the appropriate State 

5 election official not less than 7 days before the elec6 tion; 

7 ‘‘(4) in addition to any other method of reg8 istering to vote in the State, establish procedures— 

9 ‘‘(A) for States to send voter registration 

10 applications to eligible voters in accordance with 

11 the eligible voter’s preferred method of trans12 mission as designated under subparagraph (B); 

13 ‘‘(B) by which an eligible voter may des14 ignate whether the eligible voter prefers that 

15 such voter registration applications be trans16 mitted by mail or electronically; and 

17 ‘‘(C) to allow eligible voters to electroni18 cally submit the mail voter registration applica19 tion form prescribed under section 9(a)(2) of 

20 the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 

21 (52 U.S.C. 20508(a)(2)); 

22 ‘‘(5) in addition to any other method of apply23 ing for an absentee ballot in the State, establish pro24 cedures— 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 ‘‘(A) for States to send absentee ballot ap2 plications to eligible voters in accordance with 

3 the eligible voter’s preferred method of trans4 mission as designated under subparagraph (B); 

5 ‘‘(B) by which an eligible voter may des6 ignate whether the eligible voter prefers that 

7 such absentee ballot requests be transmitted 

8 and submitted by mail or electronically; and 

9 ‘‘(C) under which, not later than 7 days 

10 after the appropriate State or local election offi11 cial has approved or rejected an absentee ballot 

12 application, the official shall provide the indi13 vidual a notice of the disposition of the applica14 tion, and in the case of rejection of the applica15 tion provide the individual with the reason for 

16 rejection and options to correct or update their 

17 application; 

18 ‘‘(6) establish procedures to allow eligible voters 

19 to establish a permanent absentee voter status until 

20 the voter submits an application to terminate their 

21 permanent absentee voter status; 

22 ‘‘(7) transmit a validly requested absentee bal23 lot to any eligible voter— 

24 ‘‘(A) in the case in which the request is re25 ceived at least 45 days before an election for 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 Federal office, not later than 45 days before the 

2 election; and 

3 ‘‘(B) in the case in which the request is re4 ceived less than 45 days before an election for 

5 Federal office— 

6 ‘‘(i) in accordance with State law; and 

7 ‘‘(ii) if practicable and as determined 

8 appropriate by the State, in a manner that 

9 expedites the transmission of such absen10 tee ballot; and 

11 ‘‘(8) if the State declares or otherwise holds a 

12 runoff election for Federal office, establish a written 

13 plan which provides that absentee ballots are made 

14 available to eligible voters in a manner that gives 

15 them sufficient time to vote in the runoff election. 

16 ‘‘(b) DESIGNATION OF MEANS OF ELECTRONIC COM17 MUNICATION FOR ELIGIBLE VOTERS TO REQUEST AND

18 FOR STATES TO SEND VOTER REGISTRATION APPLICA19 TIONS AND ABSENTEE BALLOT APPLICATIONS, AND FOR

20 OTHER PURPOSES RELATED TO VOTING INFORMA21 TION.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall, in addi23 tion to the designation of a single State office under 

24 section 305, designate not less than 1 means of elec25 tronic communication— 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 ‘‘(A) for use by eligible voters who wish to 

2 register to vote or vote in any jurisdiction in the 

3 State to request voter registration applications 

4 and absentee ballot applications under para5 graphs (3) and (4), respectively, of subsection 

6 (a); 

7 ‘‘(B) for use by States to send voter reg8 istration applications and absentee ballot appli9 cations requested under such paragraphs; 

10 ‘‘(C) for the purpose of providing related 

11 voting, balloting, and election information to eli12 gible voters; and 

13 ‘‘(D) that meets the accessibility require14 ment as described in subsection (d). 

15 ‘‘(2) CLARIFICATION REGARDING PROVISION OF

16 MULTIPLE MEANS OF ELECTRONIC COMMUNICA17 TION.—A State may, in addition to the means of 

18 electronic communication so designated, provide 

19 multiple means of electronic communication to eligi20 ble voters, including a means of electronic commu21 nication for the appropriate jurisdiction of the State. 

22 ‘‘(3) INCLUSION OF DESIGNATED MEANS OF

23 ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION WITH INFORMA24 TIONAL AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS THAT AC25 COMPANY BALLOTING MATERIALS.—Each State shall 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 include a means of electronic communication so des2 ignated with all informational and instructional ma3 terials that accompany balloting materials sent by 

4 the State to eligible voters. 

5 ‘‘(4) TRANSMISSION IF NO PREFERENCE INDI6 CATED.—In the case where an eligible voter does not 

7 designate a preference under paragraph (3)(B) or 

8 (4)(B), respectively, of subsection (a), the State 

9 shall transmit the voter registration application or 

10 absentee ballot application by any delivery method 

11 allowable in accordance with applicable State law, or 

12 if there is no applicable State law, by mail. 

13 ‘‘(5) COORDINATION WITH STATES.—The Elec14 tion Assistance Commission shall work with States 

15 to ensure the mail voter registration application 

16 form prescribed under section 9(a)(2) of the Na17 tional Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 

18 20508(a)(2)) is accessible as defined in section 304 

19 and capable of being submitted electronically to 

20 State election offices by individuals. 

21 ‘‘(c) TRANSMISSION AND MARKING OF BLANK AB22 SENTEE BALLOTS BY MAIL AND ELECTRONICALLY.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall establish 

24 procedures— 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 ‘‘(A) to securely transmit blank absentee 

2 ballots by mail and electronically (in accordance 

3 with the preferred method of transmission des4 ignated by the eligible voter under subpara5 graph (B)) to eligible voters for an election for 

6 Federal office; and 

7 ‘‘(B) by which the eligible voter may des8 ignate whether the individual prefers that such 

9 blank absentee ballot be transmitted by mail or 

10 electronically. 

11 ‘‘(2) TRANSMISSION IF NO PREFERENCE INDI12 CATED.—In the case where an eligible voter does not 

13 designate a preference under paragraph (1)(B), the 

14 State shall transmit the ballot by any delivery meth15 od allowable in accordance with applicable State law, 

16 or if there is no applicable State law, by mail. 

17 ‘‘(3) MARKING OF BLANK ABSENTEE BAL18 LOTS.—Each State shall establish procedures to 

19 allow voters to securely mark blank absentee ballots 

20 through assistive technology for an election for Fed21 eral office. 

22 ‘‘(4) APPLICATION OF METHODS TO TRACK DE23 LIVERY TO AND RETURN OF BALLOT BY INDIVIDUAL

24 REQUESTING BALLOT.— 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara2 graph (B), under the procedures established 

3 under paragraph (1), the State may apply such 

4 methods as the State considers appropriate 

5 which are in accordance with paragraph (1), 

6 such as assigning a unique identifier to the bal7 lot, to ensure that if an eligible voter requests 

8 the State to transmit a blank absentee ballot to 

9 the individual in accordance with this sub10 section, the voted absentee ballot which is re11 turned by the individual is the same blank ab12 sentee ballot which the State transmitted to the 

13 individual. 

14 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—In carrying out this 

15 paragraph, a State may not adopt a method of 

16 tracking absentee ballots which would violate 

17 the right of an individual to a private ballot. If 

18 a unique identifier is assigned to an absentee 

19 ballot, the State must adopt procedures to en20 sure the identity of the individual remains se21 cret. 

22 ‘‘(d) ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENT FOR ELEC23 TRONIC COMMUNICATIONS.—Any electronic communica24 tion under this section, including any application, ballot, 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 or instructional material sent electronically, shall be acces2 sible as defined in section 304. 

3 ‘‘(e) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec4 tion may be construed to allow the casting of ballots over 

5 the internet. 

6 ‘‘(f) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply 

7 with respect to elections for Federal office held on or after 

8 January 1, 2023.’’. 

9 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

10 (1) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—Section 906(a) 

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

12 21145(a)) is amended, in the matter preceding para13 graph (1), by striking ‘‘section 303(b)’’ and insert14 ing ‘‘sections 303(b) and 307(a)’’. 

15 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con16 tents of such Act is amended by inserting after the 

17 item relating to section 306, as added by section 

18 203(b), the following: 

‘‘Sec. 307. Access to absentee registration procedures and no-excuse absentee 

voting for all voters.’’. 

19 SEC. 205. PROTECTIONS FOR IN-PERSON VOTING FOR INDI20 VIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES AND OLDER IN21 DIVIDUALS. 

22 (a) REQUIREMENT.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Help Amer24 ica Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21018 et seq.), as 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 amended by sections 201, 202, 203, and 204, is 

2 amended— 

3 (A) by redesignating sections 308 and 309 

4 as sections 309 and 310; and 

5 (B) by inserting after section 307 the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 308. ACCESS TO VOTING FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DIS8 ABILITIES AND OLDER INDIVIDUALS. 

9 ‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall— 

11 ‘‘(A) ensure all polling places within the 

12 State are accessible, as defined in section 304; 

13 ‘‘(B) that voter drop boxes are accessible 

14 for use— 

15 ‘‘(i) by individuals with disabilities, as 

16 determined in consultation with the protec17 tion and advocacy systems (as defined in 

18 section 102 of the Developmental Disabil19 ities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 

20 2000 (42 U.S.C. 15002)) of the State; 

21 ‘‘(ii) by individuals with limited pro22 ficiency in the English language; and 

23 ‘‘(iii) by homeless individuals (as de24 fined in section 103 of the McKinney– 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

2 11302)) of the State; 

3 ‘‘(C) consider procedures to address long 

4 wait times at polling places that allow individ5 uals with disabilities and older individuals alter6 nate options to cast a ballot in person in an 

7 election for Federal office, such as the option to 

8 cast a ballot outside of the polling place or from 

9 a vehicle, or providing an expedited voting line; 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(D) consider options to establish ‘mobile 

12 polling sites’ to allow election officials or volun13 teers to travel to long-term care facilities and 

14 assist residents who request assistance in cast15 ing a ballot in order to maintain the privacy 

16 and independence of voters in these facilities. 

17 ‘‘(2) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—If a State pro18 vides a drop box under this section on the grounds 

19 of or inside of a building or facility which serves as 

20 a polling place for an election for Federal office, 

21 nothing in this subsection may be construed to waive 

22 any requirements regarding the accessibility of such 

23 polling place for the use of individuals with disabil24 ities or individuals with limited proficiency in the 

25 English language. 


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•HR 2941 IH

1 ‘‘(b) CLARIFICATION.—Nothing in this section may 

2 be construed to alter the requirements under Federal law 

3 that all polling places for Federal elections are accessible 

4 to individuals with disabilities and older individuals. 

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

6 with respect to elections for Federal office held on or after 

7 January 1, 2023.’’. 

8 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con9 tents of such Act is amended by inserting after the 

10 item relating to section 307, as added by section 

11 204(b), the following: 

‘‘Sec. 308. Access to voting for individuals with disabilities and older individuals.’’. 

12 (b) REVISIONS TO VOTING ACCESSIBILITY FOR THE

13 ELDERLY AND HANDICAPPED ACT.— 

14 (1) REPORTS TO ELECTION ASSISTANCE COM15 MISSION.—Section 3(c) of the Voting Accessibility 

16 for the Elderly and Handicapped Act (52 U.S.C. 

17 20102(c)) is amended— 

18 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

19 ‘‘FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION’’ and in20 serting ‘‘ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION’’; 

21 (B) in each of paragraphs (1) and (2), by 

22 striking ‘‘Federal Election Commission’’ and in23 serting ‘‘Election Assistance Commission’’; and 

24 (C) by striking paragraph (3). 


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1 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS RELATING TO

2 REFERENCES.—The Voting Accessibility for the El3 derly and Handicapped Act (52 U.S.C. 20101 et 

4 seq.), as amended by paragraph (1), is amended— 

5 (A) by striking ‘‘handicapped and elderly 

6 individuals’’ each place it appears and inserting 

7 ‘‘individuals with disabilities and older individ8 uals’’; 

9 (B) by striking ‘‘handicapped and elderly 

10 voters’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘in11 dividuals with disabilities and older individ12 uals’’; 

13 (C) in section 3(b)(2)(B), by striking 

14 ‘‘handicapped or elderly voter’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘individual with a disability or older indi16 vidual’’; 

17 (D) in section 5(b), by striking ‘‘handi18 capped voter’’ and inserting ‘‘individual with a 

19 disability’’; and 

20 (E) in section 8— 

21 (i) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) 

22 and inserting the following: 

23 ‘‘(1) ‘accessible’ has the meaning given that 

24 term in section 304 of the Help America Vote Act 


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1 of 2002, as added by section 101(a) of the Acces2 sible Voting Act of 2021; 

3 ‘‘(2) ‘older individual’ has the meaning given 

4 that term in such section 304;’’; and 

5 (ii) by striking paragraph (4), and in6 serting the following: 

7 ‘‘(4) ‘individual with a disability’ has the mean8 ing given that term in such section 304; and’’. 

9 (3) SHORT TITLE AMENDMENT.— 

10 (A) IN GENERAL.—Section 1 of the ‘‘Vot11 ing Accessibility for the Elderly and Handi12 capped Act’’ (Public Law 98–435; 42 U.S.C. 

13 1973ee note) is amended by striking ‘‘for the 

14 Elderly and Handicapped’’ and inserting ‘‘for 

15 Individuals with Disabilities and Older Individ16 uals’’. 

17 (B) REFERENCES.—Any reference in any 

18 other provision of law, regulation, document, 

19 paper, or other record of the United States to 

20 the ‘‘Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and 

21 Handicapped Act’’ shall be deemed to be a ref22 erence to the ‘‘Voting Accessibility for Individ23 uals with Disabilities and Older Individuals 

24 Act’’. 


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1 (4) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 

2 by this subsection shall take effect on January 1, 

3 2023, and apply to with respect to elections for Fed4 eral office held on or after that date. 

5 SEC. 206. PROTECTIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS SUBJECT TO 

6 GUARDIANSHIP. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Help America 

8 Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21018 et seq.), as amended 

9 by sections 201, 202, 203, 204, and 205, is amended— 

10 (1) by redesignating sections 309 and 310 as 

11 sections 310 and 310A; and 

12 (2) by inserting after section 308 the following: 

13 ‘‘SEC. 309. PROTECTIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS SUBJECT TO 

14 GUARDIANSHIP. 

15 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A State shall not determine that 

16 an individual lacks the capacity to vote in an election for 

17 Federal office on the ground that the individual is subject 

18 to guardianship, unless a court of competent jurisdiction 

19 issues a court order finding by clear and convincing evi20 dence that the individual cannot communicate, with or 

21 without accommodations, a desire to participate in the vot22 ing process. 

23 ‘‘(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply 

24 with respect to elections for Federal office held on or after 

25 January 1, 2023.’’. 


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1 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The table of contents 

2 of such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating 

3 to section 308, as added by section 205(a)(2), the fol4 lowing: 

‘‘Sec. 309. Protections for individuals subject to guardianship.’’. 

5 SEC. 207. PAYMENTS TO STATES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF 

6 ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle D of title II of the Help 

8 America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21001) is amended 

9 by adding at the end the following new part: 

10 ‘‘PART 7—PAYMENTS TO STATES FOR IMPLEMEN11 TATION OF ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS 

12 ‘‘SEC. 297. PAYMENTS TO STATES FOR IMPLEMENTATION 

13 OF ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. 

14 ‘‘(a) PAYMENTS.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Office 

16 of Accessibility (hereinafter in this section referred 

17 to as the ‘Director’) shall make payments to each el18 igible State (as described in subsection (c)) in an 

19 amount determined under paragraph (2) for each 

20 applicable period (as defined in paragraph (3)) be21 ginning on or after October 1, 2021. 

22 ‘‘(2) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara24 graph (C), the amount of a payment made to 


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1 a State for an applicable period shall be equal 

2 to the product of— 

3 ‘‘(i) the total amount appropriated for 

4 requirements payments for the applicable 

5 period pursuant to the authorization under 

6 subsection (g); and 

7 ‘‘(ii) the State allocation percentage 

8 for the State (as determined under sub9 paragraph (B)). 

10 ‘‘(B) STATE ALLOCATION PERCENTAGE

11 DEFINED.—The ‘State allocation percentage’ 

12 for a State is the amount (expressed as a per13 centage) equal to the quotient of— 

14 ‘‘(i) the voting age population of the 

15 State (as reported in the most recent de16 cennial census); and 

17 ‘‘(ii) the total voting age population of 

18 all States (as reported in the most recent 

19 decennial census). 

20 ‘‘(C) MINIMUM PAYMENT.—The amount of 

21 any payment made to an eligible State under 

22 this section shall not be less than $1,000,000. 

23 ‘‘(D) PRO RATA REDUCTIONS.—The Direc24 tor shall make such pro rata reductions to the 

25 allocations determined under subparagraph (A) 


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1 as are necessary to comply with the require2 ments of subparagraph (C). 

3 ‘‘(E) CONTINUING AVAILABILITY OF

4 FUNDS AFTER APPROPRIATION.—A payment 

5 made to a State under this section shall be 

6 available to the State without fiscal year limita7 tion. 

8 ‘‘(3) APPLICABLE PERIOD DEFINED.—The ‘ap9 plicable period’, with respect to a payment under 

10 this section, is a period of 2 fiscal years. 

11 ‘‘(4) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS TO UNITS OF

12 LOCAL GOVERNMENT.—At least 10 percent of funds 

13 allocated to a State under this section shall be dis14 tributed to units of local government to develop or 

15 upgrade accessible election websites and to share in16 formation with the statewide accessible election 

17 website as described in section 304. 

18 ‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible State shall use 

20 a payment under this section to meet the require21 ments of sections 304 through 309. 

22 ‘‘(2) PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR SEP23 ARATE ACCESSIBLE ELECTION WEBSITES.—Funds 

24 under this section may not be used to establish ac25 cessible election websites for individuals with disabilVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:56 Jun 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00054 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2941.IH H2941

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1 ities and older individuals under section 304 that are 

2 separate from the election websites for the general 

3 population. Funds must be used to make existing 

4 election websites accessible, or to develop accessible 

5 election websites where one does not already exist. 

6 ‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS FOR ELIGIBILITY.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State that desires to 

8 receive a payment under this section for an applica9 ble period shall submit an application for such pay10 ment to the Director at such time and in such man11 ner and containing such information as the Director 

12 shall require. 

13 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS OF APPLICATION.—Each appli14 cation submitted under paragraph (1) shall in15 clude— 

16 ‘‘(A) with respect to the requirements 

17 under section 304 (relating to accessible elec18 tion websites)— 

19 ‘‘(i) a description of the State plan as 

20 developed by the committee of appropriate 

21 individuals under subsection (c) of such 

22 section; 

23 ‘‘(ii) an assurance that the State will 

24 work with State and local disability and 

25 aging advocates to ensure the election 


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1 website is accessible to individuals with 

2 disabilities and older individuals; 

3 ‘‘(iii) a description of how the State 

4 will ensure the election website maintains 

5 accessibility; 

6 ‘‘(iv) a description of how the State 

7 will ensure information on the election 

8 website is accessible to local election offi9 cials; and 

10 ‘‘(v) identification of each organiza11 tion the State is partnering with pursuant 

12 to subsection (d) of such section in order 

13 to monitor and verify the accessibility of 

14 the State election website, including the 

15 written support of each such organization; 

16 ‘‘(B) with respect to the requirements 

17 under sections 305 through 309, a description 

18 of how the State will meet such requirements; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(C) such other information as the Direc21 tor determines appropriate to ensure compli22 ance with the requirements of such sections 304 

23 through 309. 

24 ‘‘(d) REPORTS.— 

25 ‘‘(1) REPORTS BY RECIPIENTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than the 6 

2 months after the end of each applicable period 

3 for which an eligible State received a payment 

4 under this section, the State shall submit a re5 port to the Director on the activities conducted 

6 using such payments during the applicable pe7 riod, and shall include in the report a list of ex8 penditures during such applicable period. 

9 ‘‘(B) INCLUSION.—Each report submitted 

10 under subparagraph (A) shall include the num11 ber and description of complaints and griev12 ances by individuals alleging their ability to reg13 ister to vote or vote was unfairly blocked or de14 layed. 

15 ‘‘(2) REPORT BY DIRECTOR TO COMMITTEES.— 

16 With respect to each applicable period for which the 

17 Director makes payments under this section, the Di18 rector shall submit a report on the activities carried 

19 out under this section to the Committee on House 

20 Administration of the House of Representatives and 

21 the Committee on Rules and Administration and the 

22 Special Committee on Aging of the Senate. 

23 ‘‘(e) STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES.—The Director 

24 shall establish standards and guidelines for approved ac25 tivities supported by payments under this section. Such 


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1 standards and guidelines shall permit eligible States re2 ceiving such a payment to refine or adapt the standards 

3 and guidelines for an individual project, where such a re4 finement or adaptation is made necessary by a local cir5 cumstance. 

6 ‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘acces7 sible’, ‘individual with a disability’, ‘older individual’, and 

8 ‘State’ have the meaning given those terms in section 304. 

9 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 

11 appropriated to carry out the provisions of this sec12 tion— 

13 ‘‘(A) $100,000,000 for fiscal years 2022 

14 and 2023; 

15 ‘‘(B) $100,000,000 for fiscal years 2024 

16 and 2025; and 

17 ‘‘(C) $100,000,000 for fiscal years 2026 

18 and 2027. 

19 ‘‘(2) CONTINUING AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS

20 AFTER APPROPRIATION.—A payment made to an eli21 gible State under this section shall be available to 

22 the State without fiscal year limitation, but shall 

23 only be used for the purposes of this section. 

24 ‘‘(h) RELATIONSHIP TO REQUIREMENTS PAY25 MENTS.—Any payment to a State under this section shall 


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1 be in addition to any requirements payment under section 

2 251 and shall not be taken into account in determining 

3 the amount of such payment under section 252.’’. 

4 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The table of contents 

5 of such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating 

6 to section 296 the following new item: 

‘‘PART 7—PAYMENTS TO STATES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF ACCESSIBILITY

REQUIREMENTS

‘‘Sec. 297. Payments to States for implementation of accessibility requirements.’’. 

7 SEC. 208. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS RE8 LATING TO ISSUANCE OF VOLUNTARY GUID9 ANCE AND ENFORCEMENT. 

10 (a) ISSUANCE OF VOLUNTARY GUIDANCE BY ELEC11 TION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION.—Section 311 of the Help 

12 America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21101) is amend13 ed— 

14 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘subtitle A’’ 

15 and inserting ‘‘subtitles A and B’’; and 

16 (2) in subsection (b)— 

17 (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of para18 graph (2); 

19 (B) by striking the period at the end of 

20 paragraph (3) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

22 paragraph: 


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1 ‘‘(4) in the case of the recommendations with 

2 respect to sections 304 through 309, January 1, 

3 2022.’’; and 

4 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub5 section: 

6 ‘‘(d) COORDINATION WITH OFFICE OF ACCESSI7 BILITY.—The Commission shall coordinate with the Elec8 tion Assistance Commission Office of Accessibility estab9 lished under section 223 in adopting recommendations 

10 with respect to sections 304 through 309.’’. 

11 (b) ENFORCEMENT.—Section 401 of such Act (52 

12 U.S.C. 21111) is amended by striking ‘‘sections 301, 302, 

13 and 303’’ and inserting ‘‘subtitle A of title III’’. 

14 TITLE III—FEDERAL 

15 ASSISTANCE 

16 SEC. 301. EXPANSION AND REAUTHORIZATION OF GRANT 

17 PROGRAM TO ASSURE VOTING ACCESS FOR 

18 INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES AND OLDER 

19 INDIVIDUALS. 

20 (a) PURPOSES OF PAYMENTS.—Section 261(b) of the 

21 Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21021(b)) is 

22 amended by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) and inserting 

23 the following: 

24 ‘‘(1) making absentee voting and voting in an 

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1 uals with the full range of disabilities (including im2 pairments involving vision, hearing, mobility, cog3 nition, or dexterity) through the implementation of 

4 accessible absentee voting systems that work in con5 junction with assistive technologies for which indi6 viduals have access at their homes, independent liv7 ing centers, long-term care facilities, or other facili8 ties in a manner that provides the same opportunity 

9 for access and participation (including privacy and 

10 independence) as for other voters; 

11 ‘‘(2) making polling places, including the path 

12 of travel, entrances, exits, and voting areas of each 

13 polling facility, accessible to individuals with disabil14 ities, including the blind and visually impaired, in a 

15 manner that provides the same opportunity for ac16 cess and participation (including privacy and inde17 pendence) as for other voters; and 

18 ‘‘(3) providing solutions to problems of access 

19 to voting and elections for individuals with disabil20 ities that are universally designed and provide the 

21 same opportunities for individuals with and without 

22 disabilities.’’. 

23 (b) REAUTHORIZATION.—Section 264(a) of such Act 

24 (52 U.S.C. 21024(a)) is amended by adding at the end 

25 the following new paragraph: 


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1 ‘‘(4) For fiscal year 2022 and each succeeding 

2 fiscal year, such sums as may be necessary to carry 

3 out this part.’’. 

4 (c) PERIOD OF AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Section 

5 264 of such Act (52 U.S.C. 21024) is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘Any 

7 amounts’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided in sub8 section (b), any amounts’’; and 

9 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub10 section: 

11 ‘‘(c) RETURN AND TRANSFER OF CERTAIN FUNDS.— 

12 ‘‘(1) DEADLINE FOR OBLIGATION AND EXPEND13 ITURE.—In the case of any amounts appropriated 

14 pursuant to the authority of subsection (a) for a 

15 payment to a State or unit of local government for 

16 fiscal year 2022 or any succeeding fiscal year, any 

17 portion of such amounts which have not been obli18 gated or expended by the State or unit of local gov19 ernment prior to the expiration of the 4-year period 

20 which begins on the date the State or unit of local 

21 government first received the amounts shall be 

22 transferred to the Commission. 

23 ‘‘(2) REALLOCATION OF TRANSFERRED

24 AMOUNTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall 

2 use the amounts transferred under paragraph 

3 (1) to make payments on a pro rata basis to 

4 each covered payment recipient described in 

5 subparagraph (B), which may obligate and ex6 pend such payment for the purposes described 

7 in section 261(b) during the 1-year period 

8 which begins on the date of receipt. 

9 ‘‘(B) COVERED PAYMENT RECIPIENTS DE10 SCRIBED.—In subparagraph (A), a ‘covered 

11 payment recipient’ is a State or unit of local 

12 government with respect to which— 

13 ‘‘(i) amounts were appropriated pur14 suant to the authority of subsection (a); 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(ii) no amounts were transferred to 

17 the Commission under paragraph (1).’’. 

18 SEC. 302. STUDY AND REPORT ON ACCESSIBLE VOTING OP19 TIONS. 

20 (a) STUDY AND REPORT.—The Election Assistance 

21 Commission (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Commis22 sion’’), in coordination with the Access Board and the Cy23 bersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, shall 

24 make grants to not fewer than 3 eligible entities to study, 

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1 tems and voting, verification, and casting devices to en2 hance the accessibility of voting and verification for indi3 viduals with disabilities. 

4 (b) ELIGIBILITY.—An entity is eligible to receive a 

5 grant under this section if it submits to the Commission 

6 (at such time and in such form as the Commission may 

7 require) an application containing— 

8 (1) certifications that the entity shall specifi9 cally investigate enhanced methods or devices, in10 cluding nonelectronic devices, that will assist such 

11 individuals and voters in marking voter-verified 

12 paper ballots and presenting or transmitting the in13 formation printed or marked on such ballots back to 

14 such individuals and voters, and casting such ballots; 

15 (2) a certification that the entity shall complete 

16 the activities carried out with the grant not later 

17 than January 1, 2024; and 

18 (3) such other information and certifications as 

19 the Commission may require. 

20 (c) AVAILABILITY OF TECHNOLOGY.—Any tech21 nology developed with the grants made under this section 

22 shall be treated as non-proprietary and shall be made 

23 available to the public, including to manufacturers of vot24 ing systems. 


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1 (d) COORDINATION WITH GRANTS FOR TECHNOLOGY

2 IMPROVEMENTS.—The Commission shall carry out this 

3 section so that the activities carried out with the grants 

4 made under subsection (a) are coordinated with the re5 search conducted under the grant program carried out by 

6 the Commission under section 271 of the Help America 

7 Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21041), to the extent that 

8 the Director and Commission determine necessary to pro9 vide for the advancement of accessible voting technology. 

10 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

11 authorized to be appropriated to carry out subsection (a) 

12 $30,000,000, to remain available until expended. 

13 SEC. 303. APPOINTMENTS TO EAC BOARD OF ADVISORS. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 214(a) of the Help Amer15 ica Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 20944(a)) is amended— 

16 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

17 striking ‘‘37’’ and inserting ‘‘49’’; and 

18 (2) by adding at the end the following new 

19 paragraphs: 

20 ‘‘(17) Two members appointed by the National 

21 Council on Disability. 

22 ‘‘(18) Two members appointed by the Assistant 

23 Secretary of Health and Human Services for Aging. 

24 ‘‘(19) Four members from organizations, whose 

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1 cent of individuals with disabilities, representing the 

2 interests of voters with disabilities, of whom— 

3 ‘‘(A) two members shall be appointed by 

4 the Committee on Education and Labor of the 

5 House of Representatives, of whom one shall be 

6 appointed by the chair and one shall be ap7 pointed by the ranking minority member; and 

8 ‘‘(B) two members shall be appointed by 

9 the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 

10 and Pensions of the Senate, of whom one shall 

11 be appointed by the chair and one shall be ap12 pointed by the ranking minority member. 

13 ‘‘(20) Four members from organizations rep14 resenting the interests of older voters, of whom— 

15 ‘‘(A) two members shall be appointed by 

16 the Committee on Education and Labor of the 

17 House of Representatives, of whom one shall be 

18 appointed by the chair and one shall be ap19 pointed by the ranking minority member; and 

20 ‘‘(B) two members shall be appointed by 

21 the Special Committee on Aging of the Senate, 

22 of whom one shall be appointed by the chair 

23 and one shall be appointed by the ranking mi24 nority member.’’. 


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

2 subsection (a) shall take effect on January 1, 2022. 

3 SEC. 304. REMOVAL OF LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR 

4 PARTICIPATION OF PROTECTION AND ADVO5 CACY SYSTEMS IN LITIGATION RELATED TO 

6 ELECTION-RELATED DISABILITY ACCESS. 

7 Section 292(a) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 

8 (52 U.S.C. 21062(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘; except 

9 that’’ and all that follows and inserting a period. 

10 SEC. 305. FUNDING FOR PROTECTION AND ADVOCACY SYS11 TEMS. 

12 (a) INCLUSION OF SYSTEM SERVING AMERICAN IN13 DIAN CONSORTIUM.—Section 291(a) of the Help America 

14 Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21061(a)) is amended by 

15 striking ‘‘of each State’’ and inserting ‘‘of each State and 

16 the eligible system serving the American Indian consor17 tium (within the meaning of section 509(c)(1)(B) of the 

18 Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794e(c)(1)(B)))’’. 

19 (b) GRANT AMOUNT.—Section 291(b) of the Help 

20 America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21061(b)) is amend21 ed— 

22 (1) by striking ‘‘as set forth in subsections 

23 (c)(3)’’ and inserting ‘‘as set forth in subsections 

24 (c)(1)(B) (regardless of the fiscal year), (c)(3)’’; and 


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1 (2) by striking ‘‘except that’’ and all that fol2 lows and inserting ‘‘except that the amount of the 

3 grants to systems referred to in subsection (c)(3)(B) 

4 of that section shall not be less than $70,000 and 

5 the amount of the grants to systems referred to in 

6 subsections (c)(1)(B) and (c)(4)(B) of that section 

7 shall not be less than $35,000.’’. 

8 (c) DEFINITION.—Section 291 of the Help America 

9 Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21061) is amended by adding 

10 at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(d) STATE.—In this section, the term ‘State’ 

12 means— 

13 ‘‘(1) a State as defined in section 901; and 

14 ‘‘(2) the Commonwealth of the Northern Mar15 iana Islands.’’. 

Æ 


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