I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 752
To develop voluntary consensus standards to ensure the accuracy and valida-
tion of the voting process, to direct the Director of the National Institute
of Standards and Technology to study voter participation and emerging
voting technology, to provide grants to States to improve voting methods,
and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 27, 2001
Mr. KING introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Science, and in addition to the Committees on House Administration,
and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To develop voluntary consensus standards to ensure the accu-
racy and validation of the voting process, to direct the
Director of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology to study voter participation and emerging
voting technology, to provide grants to States to improve
voting methods, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘American Voting
Standards and Technology Act’’.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF VOTING SYSTEMS STANDARDS
PROGRAM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2(c) of the National Insti-
tute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 272(c))
is amended—
(1) in paragraph (21), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the
end;
(2) by redesignating paragraph (22) as para-
graph (23); and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (21) the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(22) study automated voting systems used in
the United States, including voter registration, vote
casting, and vote counting; and’’.
(b) DEVELOPING VOTING SYSTEMS STANDARDS.—
The National Institute of Standards and Technology Act
(15 U.S.C. 271 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end
the following new section:
‘‘SEC. 32. VOTING SYSTEMS STANDARDS.
‘‘(a) The Secretary, through the Director, shall—
‘‘(1) have the mission of developing standard
practices, codes, specifications, and voluntary con-
sensus standards needed to assure the accuracy, in-
tegrity, and security of voting systems used in the
United States, including voter registration, vote
casting, and vote counting; and
‘‘(2) establish a program with the National Vol-
untary Laboratory Accreditation Program to ac-
credit laboratories, in accordance with regulations
for procedures under such program, to test vote
casting and counting devices for conformance with
standard practices, codes, specifications, and vol-
untary consensus standards developed under para-
graph (1).
‘‘(b) For purposes of subsection (a), the term ‘voting
systems’ shall include—
‘‘(1) every stage of the voting procedure begin-
ning with voter registration through any necessary
recount of votes; and
‘‘(2) systems used in connection with an elec-
tion for the office of President, Vice President, or a
member of Congress.
‘‘(c) For purposes of subsection (a), the Secretary is
authorized to cooperate with other departments and agen-
cies of the Federal Government, industry organizations,
State and local governments, and private organizations.’’.
(c) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated for fiscal years 2002,
2003, 2004, and 2005 such sums as may be necessary
to carry out the purposes of this section.
SEC. 3. STUDY OF VOTING ISSUES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National In-
stitute of Standards and Technology shall conduct a study
of—
(1) the impact of income of a voter on effective
participation in the election process;
(2) the impact of minority status of a voter
based on race, gender, or ethnicity on effective par-
ticipation in the election process;
(3) the effect of the use of differing voting ap-
paratus and of substandard or malfunctioning voting
machinery on effective participation in, and the in-
tegrity of, the election process; and
(4) any future and emerging technologies for
use in elections, such as Internet voting.
(b) STUDY OF INCOME.—The study conducted under
subsection (a)(1) shall include the study of the impact of
various factors on participation in elections by low-income
voters, including voter registration requirements, edu-
cational status, type of voting apparatus available, voting
outreach efforts, and any other factors the Director of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology deems
relevant.
(c) COORDINATION.—In conducting studies under
this section, the Director of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology shall cooperate and coordinate
with appropriate Federal, State, and local officials, includ-
ing election officials and other interested groups and indi-
viduals.
(d) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Director of the National In-
stitute of Standards and Technology shall report the re-
sults of the study conducted under this section to Con-
gress.
(e) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be
necessary to carry out the studies and report under this
section.
SEC. 4. VOTING IMPROVEMENT GRANTS.
(a) MATCHING GRANT TO IMPROVE VOTING METH-
ODS.—
(1) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Commerce
(referred to in this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’) is au-
thorized to make matching grants to the State agen-
cy responsible for administering elections in a State
or the appropriate local agency responsible for ad-
ministering elections in a unit of local government
for the purpose of purchasing new or rehabilitated