I 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5971 
To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require each individual 
who desires to vote in an election for Federal office to provide the 
appropriate election official with a government-issued photo identification, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 19, 2012 
Mr. WALSH of Illinois introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on House Administration 
A BILL 
To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require 
each individual who desires to vote in an election for 
Federal office to provide the appropriate election official 
with a government-issued photo identification, and for 
other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Federal Election Integ-
rity Act of 2012’’. 
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SEC. 2. REQUIRING VOTERS TO PROVIDE PHOTO IDENTI-
FICATION. 
(a) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE PHOTO IDENTIFICA-
TION AS CONDITION OF RECEIVING BALLOT.—Section 
303(b) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 
15483(b)) is amended— 
(1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘FOR VOTERS 
WHO REGISTER BY MAIL’’ and inserting ‘‘FOR PRO-
VIDING PHOTO IDENTIFICATION’’; and 
(2) by striking paragraphs (1) through (3) and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(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 government-issued, 
current, and valid photo identification. 
‘‘(B) AVAILABILITY OF PROVISIONAL BAL-
LOT.—If an individual does not present the 
identification required under subparagraph (A), 
the individual shall be permitted to cast a provi-
sional ballot with respect to the election under 
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section 302(a), except that the appropriate 
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 unless the individual presents the 
identification required under subparagraph (A) 
to the official not later than 48 hours after 
casting the provisional ballot. 
‘‘(2) INDIVIDUALS
VOTING
OTHER
THAN
IN 
PERSON.— 
‘‘(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 a copy of 
a government-issued, current, and valid photo 
identification. 
‘‘(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 
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this subparagraph, the term ‘absent uniformed 
services voter’ has the meaning given such term 
in section 107(1) of the Uniformed and Over-
seas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 U.S.C. 
1973ff–6(1)), other than an individual de-
scribed in section 107(1)(C) of such Act. 
‘‘(3) SPECIFIC
REQUIREMENTS
FOR
IDENTI-
FICATIONS.—For purposes of paragraphs (1) and 
(2), an identification is ‘government-issued’ if it is 
issued by the Federal Government or by the govern-
ment of a State.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 303 of 
such Act (42 U.S.C. 15483) is amended— 
(1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘FOR VOTERS 
WHO REGISTER BY MAIL’’ and inserting ‘‘FOR 
PROVIDING PHOTO IDENTIFICATION’’; and 
(2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘subsections 
(a)(5)(A)(I)(II) and (b)(3)(B)(I)(II)’’ and inserting 
‘‘subsection (a)(5)(A)(I)(II)’’. 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 
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 and re-
quirements for providing photo identification.’’. 
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—This section and the amend-
ments made by this section shall apply with respect 
to the regularly scheduled general election for Fed-
eral office held in November 2014 and each subse-
quent election for Federal office. 
(2) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Section 
303(d)(2) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 15483(d)(2)) is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(2) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE PHOTO IDEN-
TIFICATION.—Paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection 
(b) shall apply with respect to the regularly sched-
uled general election for Federal office held in No-
vember 2014 and each subsequent election for Fed-
eral office.’’. 
SEC. 3. MAKING PHOTO IDENTIFICATIONS AVAILABLE. 
(a) REQUIRING STATES TO MAKE IDENTIFICATION 
AVAILABLE.—Section 303(b) of the Help America Vote 
Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 15483(b)), as amended by section 
2(a)(2), is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and (5) as 
paragraphs (5) and (6); and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(4) MAKING PHOTO IDENTIFICATIONS AVAIL-
ABLE.— 
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‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—During fiscal year 
2014 and each succeeding fiscal year, each 
State shall establish a program to provide photo 
identifications which may be used to meet the 
requirements of paragraphs (1) and (2) by indi-
viduals who desire to vote in elections held in 
the State but who do not otherwise possess a 
government-issued photo identification. 
‘‘(B) IDENTIFICATIONS PROVIDED AT NO 
COST TO INDIGENT INDIVIDUALS.—If a State 
charges an individual a fee for providing a 
photo identification under the program estab-
lished under subparagraph (A)— 
‘‘(i) the fee charged may not exceed 
the reasonable cost to the State of pro-
viding the identification to the individual; 
and 
‘‘(ii) the State may not charge a fee 
to any individual who provides an attesta-
tion that the individual is unable to afford 
the fee. 
‘‘(C) IDENTIFICATIONS NOT TO BE USED 
FOR OTHER PURPOSES.—Any photo identifica-
tion provided under the program established 
under subparagraph (A) may not serve as a 
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government-issued photo identification for pur-
poses of any program or function of a State or 
local government other than the administration 
of elections.’’. 
(b) PAYMENTS TO STATES TO COVER COSTS.—Sub-
title D of title II of such Act (42 U.S.C. 15321 et seq.) 
is amended by adding at the end the following new part: 
‘‘PART 7—PAYMENTS TO COVER COSTS OF PRO-
VIDING PHOTO IDENTIFICATIONS TO INDI-
GENT INDIVIDUALS 
‘‘SEC. 297. PAYMENTS TO COVER COSTS TO STATES OF PRO-
VIDING PHOTO IDENTIFICATIONS FOR VOT-
ING TO INDIGENT INDIVIDUALS. 
‘‘(a) PAYMENTS TO STATES.—The Commission shall 
make payments to States to cover the costs incurred in 
providing photo identifications under the program estab-
lished under section 303(b)(4) to individuals who are un-
able to afford the fee that would otherwise be charged 
under the program. 
‘‘(b) AMOUNT OF PAYMENT.—The amount of the 
payment made to a State under this part for any year 
shall be equal to the amount of fees which would have 
been collected by the State during the year under the pro-
gram established under section 303(b)(4) but for the ap-
plication of section 303(b)(4)(B)(ii), as determined on the 
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basis of information furnished to the Commission by the 
State at such time and in such form as the Commission 
may require. 
‘‘SEC. 297A. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated for pay-
ments under this part such sums as may be necessary for 
fiscal year 2014 and each succeeding fiscal year.’’. 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 
of such Act is amended by adding at the end of the item 
relating to subtitle D of title II the following: 
‘‘PART 7—PAYMENTS TO COVER COSTS OF PROVIDING PHOTO 
IDENTIFICATIONS TO INDIGENT INDIVIDUALS 
‘‘Sec. 297. Payments to cover costs to States of providing photo identifications 
for voting to indigent individuals. 
‘‘Sec. 297A. Authorization of appropriations.’’. 
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section and the amend-
ments made by this section shall take effect October 1, 
2013. 
Æ 
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