I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 156 
To ensure election integrity and security by establishing consistent photo 
identification requirements for voting in elections for Federal office, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 3, 2025 
Mr. FITZPATRICK introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on House Administration 
A BILL 
To ensure election integrity and security by establishing con-
sistent photo identification requirements for voting in 
elections for Federal office, 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 ‘‘Securing our Elections 
Act of 2025’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Free, fair, and secure elections are nec-
essary to the prosperity of democracy in the United 
States and around the world. 
(2) The right to vote is a crucial aspect of 
American citizenship and must be protected from 
any potential interference, abuse, and fraud. 
(3) The passage of the Help America Vote Act 
of 2002 improved and standardized State and local 
governments’ administration of Federal elections, 
but lacked strong provisions to validate a voter’s 
identity prior to their voting. 
(4) In 2005, the bipartisan Commission on 
Federal Election Reform co-chaired by former 
Democratic President Jimmy Carter and former Re-
publican Secretary of State James A. Baker III re-
leased a report which explicitly recommended that 
States require voters to use a valid identification 
that includes their full legal name, date of birth, a 
signature, and a photo. 
(5) A public survey conducted by the reputable, 
nonpartisan Monmouth University Polling Institute 
in June 2021 indicated that an overwhelming 80 
percent of Americans support requiring voters to 
show a photo identification in order to vote. 
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(6) Valid identification is required by the States 
and the Federal Government for a multitude of seri-
ous purposes in public life such as driving or renting 
a car, boarding an airplane or train, traveling within 
and outside of the United States, purchasing alcohol 
or controlled substances, picking up prescription 
medication, opening a bank account or cashing a 
check, applying for employment or housing opportu-
nities, and much more. 
(7) As determined by the Congressional Re-
search Service, 161 nations worldwide—approxi-
mately 83 percent—require their citizens to present 
a form of identification in order to vote, including 
38 of the top 50 most democratic nations identified 
by the Democracy Index 2021. 
(8) More than two-thirds of the States already 
request or require citizens to show a form of identi-
fication in order to vote, 22 of which request or re-
quire a photo identification for the purposes of vot-
ing. 
SEC. 3. REQUIRING VOTERS TO PROVIDE PHOTO IDENTI-
FICATION. 
(a) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE PHOTO IDENTIFICA-
TION AS CONDITION OF CASTING BALLOT.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Help Amer-
ica Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21081 et seq.) is 
amended by inserting after section 303 the following 
new section: 
‘‘SEC. 303A. PHOTO IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS. 
‘‘(a) PROVISION OF IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED AS 
CONDITION OF CASTING BALLOT.— 
‘‘(1) INDIVIDUALS VOTING IN PERSON.— 
‘‘(A) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE IDENTI-
FICATION.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law and except as provided in subpara-
graph (B), the appropriate State or local elec-
tion official may not provide a ballot for an 
election for Federal office to an individual who 
desires to vote in person unless the individual 
presents to the official a valid photo identifica-
tion. 
‘‘(B) AVAILABILITY OF PROVISIONAL BAL-
LOT.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—If an individual 
does not present the identification required 
under subparagraph (A), the individual 
shall be permitted to cast a provisional bal-
lot with respect to the election under sec-
tion 302(a), except that the appropriate 
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State or local election official may not 
make 
a 
determination 
under 
section 
302(a)(4) that the individual is eligible 
under State law to vote in the election un-
less, not later than 3 days after casting the 
provisional ballot, the individual presents 
to the official— 
‘‘(I) the identification required 
under subparagraph (A); or 
‘‘(II) an affidavit developed and 
made available to the individual by 
the State attesting that the individual 
does not possess the identification re-
quired under subparagraph (A) be-
cause the individual has a religious 
objection to being photographed. 
‘‘(ii) NO EFFECT ON OTHER PROVI-
SIONAL
BALLOTING
RULES.—Nothing in 
clause (i) may be construed to apply to the 
casting of a provisional ballot pursuant to 
section 302(a) or any State law for reasons 
other than the failure to present the identi-
fication required under subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(2) INDIVIDUALS
VOTING
OTHER
THAN
IN 
PERSON.— 
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‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law and except as provided in 
subparagraph (B), the appropriate State or 
local election official may not accept any ballot 
for an election for Federal office provided by an 
individual who votes other than in person unless 
the individual submits with the ballot— 
‘‘(i) a copy of a valid photo identifica-
tion; or 
‘‘(ii) the last four digits of the individ-
ual’s Social Security number and an affi-
davit developed and made available to the 
individual by the State attesting that the 
individual is unable to obtain a copy of a 
valid photo identification after making rea-
sonable efforts to obtain such a copy. 
‘‘(B) EXCEPTION FOR OVERSEAS MILITARY 
VOTERS.—Subparagraph (A) does not apply 
with respect to a ballot provided by an absent 
uniformed services voter who, by reason of ac-
tive duty or service, is absent from the United 
States on the date of the election involved. In 
this subparagraph, the term ‘absent uniformed 
services voter’ has the meaning given such term 
in section 107(1) of the Uniformed and Over-
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seas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (52 U.S.C. 
20310(1)), other than an individual described 
in section 107(1)(C) of such Act. 
‘‘(b) PROVIDING CERTAIN ASSISTANCE TO INDIVID-
UALS UNABLE TO PAY COSTS OF OBTAINING IDENTI-
FICATION OR OTHERWISE UNABLE TO OBTAIN IDENTI-
FICATION.— 
‘‘(1) PROVISION OF IDENTIFICATION WITHOUT 
CHARGE TO CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS.—If an individual 
presents a State official at the appropriate State 
agency or department designated by the State with 
an affidavit developed and made available to the in-
dividual by the State attesting that the individual is 
unable to pay the costs associated with obtaining a 
valid photo identification under this section, or at-
testing that the individual is otherwise unable to ob-
tain a valid photo identification under this section 
after making reasonable efforts to obtain such an 
identification, the official shall provide the individual 
with a valid photo identification under this sub-
section without charge to the individual. 
‘‘(2) PUBLIC ACCESS TO DIGITAL IMAGING DE-
VICES.—With respect to each State, the appropriate 
State or local government official of the State shall 
ensure, to the extent practicable, public access to a 
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digital imaging device, which shall include a printer, 
copier, image scanner, or multifunction machine, at 
State and local government buildings in the State, 
including courts, libraries, and police stations, for 
the purpose of allowing individuals to use such a de-
vice at no cost to the individual to make a copy of 
a valid photo identification. 
‘‘(c) VALID PHOTO IDENTIFICATIONS DESCRIBED.— 
For purposes of this section, a ‘valid photo identification’ 
means, with respect to an individual who seeks to vote in 
a State, any of the following: 
‘‘(1) A valid State-issued motor vehicle driver’s 
license that includes a photo of the individual and an 
expiration date. 
‘‘(2) A valid State-issued identification card 
that includes a photo of the individual and an expi-
ration date. 
‘‘(3) A valid United States passport for the in-
dividual. 
‘‘(4) A valid military identification for the indi-
vidual. 
‘‘(5) Any other form of government-issued iden-
tification that the State may specify as a valid photo 
identification for purposes of this subsection. 
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‘‘(d) NOTIFICATION OF IDENTIFICATION REQUIRE-
MENT TO APPLICANTS FOR VOTER REGISTRATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Each State shall ensure 
that, at the time an individual applies to register to 
vote in elections for Federal office in the State, the 
appropriate State or local election official notifies 
the individual of the photo identification require-
ments of this section. 
‘‘(2) SPECIAL RULE FOR INDIVIDUALS APPLY-
ING TO REGISTER TO VOTE ONLINE.—Each State 
shall ensure that, in the case of an individual who 
applies to register to vote in elections for Federal of-
fice in the State online, the online voter registration 
system notifies the individual of the photo identifica-
tion requirements of this section before the indi-
vidual completes the online registration process. 
‘‘(e) TREATMENT OF STATES WITH CERTAIN PHOTO 
IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS IN EFFECT AS OF DATE 
OF ENACTMENT.—If, as of the date of the enactment of 
this section, a State has in effect a law that satisfies or 
exceeds the requirements of this section for an individual 
to provide a photo identification as a condition of casting 
a ballot in elections for Federal office held in the State 
and the law remains in effect on and after the effective 
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date of this section, the State shall be considered to meet 
the requirements of this section if— 
‘‘(1) the State submits a request to the Attor-
ney General and provides such information as the 
Attorney General may consider necessary to deter-
mine that the State has in effect such a law and 
that the law remains in effect; and 
‘‘(2) the Attorney General— 
‘‘(A) approves the request; or 
‘‘(B) fails to issue a determination with re-
spect to the request during the 180-day period 
that begins on the date the State submits such 
request. 
‘‘(f) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply 
with respect to elections for Federal office held in 2026 
or any succeeding year.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con-
tents of such Act is amended by inserting after the 
item relating to section 303 the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 303A. Photo identification requirements.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT RELATING TO VOL-
UNTARY GUIDANCE BY ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMIS-
SION.—Section 311(b) of such Act (52 U.S.C. 21101(b)) 
is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 
(2); 
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(2) by striking the period at the end of para-
graph (3) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(4) in the case of the recommendations with 
respect to section 303A, October 1, 2025.’’. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT RELATING TO EN-
FORCEMENT.—Section 401 of such Act (52 U.S.C. 21111) 
is amended by striking ‘‘303, and 304’’ and inserting 
‘‘303, 303A, and 304’’. 
(d) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS RELATING TO RE-
PEAL OF EXISTING PHOTO IDENTIFICATION REQUIRE-
MENTS FOR CERTAIN VOTERS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 303 of such Act (52 
U.S.C. 21083) is amended— 
(A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘AND RE-
QUIREMENTS FOR VOTERS WHO REGISTER 
BY MAIL’’; 
(B) in the heading of subsection (b), by 
striking ‘‘FOR VOTERS WHO REGISTER
BY 
MAIL’’ and inserting ‘‘FOR MAIL-IN REGISTRA-
TION FORMS’’; 
(C) in subsection (b), by striking para-
graphs (1) through (3) and redesignating para-
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graphs (4) and (5) as paragraphs (1) and (2), 
respectively; and 
(D) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘sub-
sections (a)(5)(A)(i)(II) and (b)(3)(B)(i)(II)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘subsection (a)(5)(A)(i)(II)’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con-
tents of such Act is amended by amending the item 
relating to section 303 to read as follows: 
‘‘Sec. 303. Computerized statewide voter registration list requirements.’’. 
(e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section and the amend-
ments made by this section shall apply with respect to 
elections for Federal office held in 2026 or any succeeding 
year. 
Æ 
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