I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION H. R. 10215 
To amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to treat the lease 
for a dwelling unit under certain federally assisted housing programs 
as a simultaneous application for voter registration in elections for Fed-
eral office, to designate owners of dwelling units under certain federally 
assisted housing programs as voter registration agencies for purposes 
of such Act, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 21, 2024 
Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois (for himself, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Ms. SCANLON, 
Mrs. RAMIREZ, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. JOHNSON 
of Georgia, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. 
POCAN, Mr. TONKO, Mr. DELUZIO, Mr. CASTEN, Mr. SOTO, Mr. LIEU, 
Ms. TLAIB, Ms. STANSBURY, and Ms. BARRAGA´N) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administra-
tion 
A BILL 
To amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to 
treat the lease for a dwelling unit under certain federally 
assisted housing programs as a simultaneous application 
for voter registration in elections for Federal office, to 
designate owners of dwelling units under certain federally 
assisted housing programs as voter registration agencies 
for purposes of such Act, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Our Homes, Our Votes 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PROMOTING VOTER REGISTRATION FOR RESI-
DENTS OF UNITS UNDER CERTAIN FEDER-
ALLY ASSISTED HOUSING PROGRAMS. 
(a) TREATMENT OF LEASE AS SIMULTANEOUS AP-
PLICATION FOR VOTER REGISTRATION.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The National Voter Reg-
istration Act of 1993 is amended by inserting after 
section 5 (52 U.S.C. 20504) the following new sec-
tion: 
‘‘SEC. 5A. SIMULTANEOUS APPLICATION FOR VOTER REG-
ISTRATION AND LEASE FOR PHA-ASSISTED 
HOUSING. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 
‘‘(1) APPLICATION
FOR
VOTER
REGISTRA-
TION.—Each lease and annual income recertification 
for a PHA-assisted dwelling unit (as such term is 
defined in subsection (h)) submitted to the applica-
ble public housing agency for such unit shall serve 
as an application for voter registration with respect 
to elections for Federal office for each lessee who 
signs the lease unless the lessee fails to sign the 
voter registration application. 
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‘‘(2) UPDATE.—An application for voter reg-
istration submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall 
be considered as updating any previous voter reg-
istration by the applicant. 
‘‘(b) LIMITATION ON USE OF INFORMATION.—No in-
formation relating to the failure of a lessee of PHA-as-
sisted dwelling unit to sign a voter registration application 
may be used for any purpose other than voter registration. 
‘‘(c) FORMS AND PROCEDURES.— 
‘‘(1) INCLUSION.—Each owner of a PHA-as-
sisted dwelling unit shall include a voter registration 
application form for elections for Federal office as 
part of a lease for such dwelling unit. 
‘‘(2) INCLUDED INFORMATION.—The voter reg-
istration application portion of a lease for a PHA- 
assisted dwelling unit— 
‘‘(A) may not require any information that 
duplicates information required in the lease por-
tion of the form (other than a second signature 
or other information necessary under subpara-
graph (C)); 
‘‘(B) may require only the minimum 
amount of information necessary to— 
‘‘(i) prevent duplicate voter registra-
tions; and 
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‘‘(ii) enable State election officials to 
assess the eligibility of the applicant and to 
administer voter registration and other 
parts of the election process; 
‘‘(C) shall include a statement that— 
‘‘(i) states each eligibility requirement 
(including citizenship); 
‘‘(ii) contains an attestation that the 
applicant meets each such requirement; 
and 
‘‘(iii) requires the signature of the ap-
plicant, under penalty of perjury; 
‘‘(D) shall include, in print that is identical 
to that used in the attestation portion of the 
application— 
‘‘(i) the information required in sub-
paragraphs (A) and (B) of section 8(a)(5) 
of this Act; 
‘‘(ii) a statement that, if an applicant 
declines to register to vote, the fact that 
the applicant has declined to register will 
remain confidential and will be used only 
for voter registration purposes; and 
‘‘(iii) a statement that if an applicant 
does register to vote, the office at which 
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the applicant submits a voter registration 
application will remain confidential and 
will be used only for voter registration pur-
poses; and 
‘‘(E) shall be made available (as submitted 
by the applicant, or in machine readable or 
other format) to the appropriate State election 
official as provided by State law. 
‘‘(d) ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS TO ENSURE COMPLI-
ANCE WITH VOTER REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) TRAINING FOR EMPLOYEES.—The owner 
of a PHA-assisted dwelling unit shall ensure that its 
employees receive annual training on voter registra-
tion procedures applicable to the PHA-assisted 
dwelling unit under this Act. 
‘‘(2) LANGUAGE ACCESS FOR CITIZENS WITH 
LIMITED
ENGLISH
PROFICIENCY.—In accordance 
with section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 
(52 U.S.C. 10503), the owner of a PHA-assisted 
dwelling unit shall ensure that its employees provide 
the services required under this Act in a manner 
which ensures that individuals who are members of 
a single language minority and are limited-English 
proficient receive such services, including the por-
tions of the leasing document which serve as voter 
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registration materials and the assistance provided by 
the owner in the administration of such materials, in 
the language of the applicable minority group as well 
as in the English language. 
‘‘(3) COMPLIANCE FOR PRIVATE LANDLORDS OF 
SUBSIDIZED
HOUSING.—The owner of a PHA-as-
sisted 
dwelling 
unit 
described 
in 
subsection 
(h)(1)(B) shall include a clause in its contract with 
the applicable public housing agency that mandates 
compliance with voter registration duties under this 
section or any other Federal law, rule, or regulation, 
including Executive Order 14019. Failure to comply 
may result in penalties or sanctions under the De-
partment of Housing and Urban Development con-
tract. 
‘‘(e) ENFORCEMENT AND OVERSIGHT.— 
‘‘(1) STATE
ELECTION
OFFICIAL
RESPONSI-
BILITY.—The chief State election official designated 
under section 10 to be responsible for coordination 
of State responsibilities under this Act, in consulta-
tion with the Election Assistance Commission and 
the Attorney General shall oversee the compliance of 
owners of PHA-assisted dwelling units with the re-
quirements of this section, including requirements 
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for the timely transmittal of voter registration mate-
rials. 
‘‘(2) CRIMINAL
PENALTIES
FOR
NONCOMPLI-
ANCE.—An owner of a PHA-assisted dwelling unit 
who fails to comply with this section, including fail-
ing to transmit voter registration materials to the 
appropriate election offices in a timely manner, shall 
be subject to the criminal penalties described in sec-
tion 12. 
‘‘(f) REQUIREMENTS TO REPORT ON COMPLIANCE.— 
‘‘(1) BIANNUAL REPORTING REQUIREMENT FOR 
OWNERS OF PHA-ASSISTED DWELLING UNITS.—The 
owner of a PHA-assisted dwelling unit shall submit 
biannual reports to chief State election official des-
ignated under section 10 to be responsible for co-
ordination of State responsibilities under this Act 
detailing the compliance of the unit with the applica-
ble provisions of this Act, including the following: 
‘‘(A) REGISTERING VOTERS.—The number 
of voter registration applications submitted on 
behalf of eligible tenants residing in the unit. 
‘‘(B) TRAINING EMPLOYEES.—Documenta-
tion of staff participation in the annual voter 
registration training mandated under subsection 
(d)(1). 
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‘‘(C) LANGUAGE
ACCESS
SUPPORT.—A 
summary of language access services provided 
to non-English-speaking tenants who are eligi-
ble to register to vote, as required under sub-
section (d)(2). 
‘‘(2) COORDINATION
WITH
STATE
ELECTION 
OFFICIALS.—The owner of a PHA-assisted dwelling 
unit shall coordinate with State election officials to 
ensure that the owner’s voter registration activities 
comply with the requirements of this Act, and shall, 
in accordance with such deadlines as may be estab-
lished by the chief State election official designated 
under section 10 to be responsible for coordination 
of State responsibilities under this Act— 
‘‘(A) certify to such official that the unit 
has processed all voter registration applications 
submitted to the owner in a timely manner and 
in accordance with State law; and 
‘‘(B) submit to such official evidence of the 
owner’s ongoing compliance with all applicable 
voter registration provisions of this Act. 
‘‘(3) INCLUSION OF INFORMATION ON REQUIRE-
MENTS IN REPORTS TO COMMISSION.—The biannual 
reports submitted by the State election official to the 
Election Assistance Commission under the Help 
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America Vote Act of 2002 shall specifically include 
sections detailing the efforts of owners of PHA-as-
sisted dwelling units to ensure that all eligible ten-
ants have access to voter registration forms and 
services under this section, as well as their compli-
ance with the registration requirements outlined in 
this section. 
‘‘(g) TRANSMITTAL.— 
‘‘(1) BY OWNER.—In the case of lease or an-
nual income recertification for a PHA-assisted dwell-
ing unit described in subsection (h)(1)(B), the owner 
of the dwelling unit shall transmit a completed voter 
registration portion of a lease or annual income re-
certification to the public housing agency providing 
assistance with respect to such unit not later than 
10 days after the date of acceptance. 
‘‘(2) BY PHA.—Subject to paragraph (3), a 
completed voter registration portion of a lease or an-
nual income recertification for a PHA-assisted dwell-
ing unit accepted by the public housing agency as 
owner of such a dwelling unit, or pursuant to para-
graph (1), shall be transmitted to the appropriate 
State election official not later than 10 days after 
the date of acceptance. 
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‘‘(3) APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED WITHIN 5 DAYS 
OF REGISTRATION DEADLINE.—If a registration ap-
plication is accepted by a public housing agency pur-
suant to paragraph (2) within 5 days before the last 
day for registration to vote in an election, the appli-
cation shall be transmitted to the appropriate State 
election official not later than 5 days after the date 
of acceptance. 
‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section: 
‘‘(1) PHA-ASSISTED
DWELLING
UNIT.—The 
term ‘PHA-assisted dwelling unit’ means a dwelling 
unit— 
‘‘(A) in public housing, as such term is de-
fined in section 3(b) of the United States Hous-
ing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)); or 
‘‘(B) that is assisted under the program 
for tenant-based rental assistance under section 
8(o) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 
(42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)), including the program 
under paragraph (13) of such section 8(o). 
‘‘(2) PUBLIC
HOUSING
AGENCY.—The term 
‘public housing agency’ has the meaning given such 
term in section 3(b) of the United States Housing 
Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)). 
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‘‘(3) OWNER.—The term ‘owner’ means, with 
respect to a PHA-assisted dwelling unit— 
‘‘(A) in the case of a unit described in 
paragraph (1)(A) of this subsection, the public 
housing agency that owns or operates such unit; 
or 
‘‘(B) in the case of a unit described in 
paragraph (1)(B) of this subsection, the private 
person or entity having the legal right to lease 
such unit.’’. 
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made 
by paragraph (1) shall apply with respect to leases 
entered into on or after the expiration of the 90-day 
period beginning on the date of the enactment of 
this Act. 
(b) TREATMENT OF OWNERS OF UNITS AS VOTER 
REGISTRATION AGENCIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 7 of such Act (52 
U.S.C. 20506) is amended— 
(A) in subsection (a)(2)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 
and’’; and 
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(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new subparagraph: 
‘‘(C) each owner (as such term is defined in 
subsection (e)) of a dwelling unit assisted under a 
covered federally assisted housing program (as such 
term is defined in such subsection) located within 
such State, subject to section 5A in the case of an 
owner described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of sub-
section (e)(1), except that such an owner shall be a 
voter registration agency for purposes of this section 
only with respect to lessees of such dwelling units of 
such owner located within such State.’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
subsection: 
‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section: 
‘‘(1) COVERED FEDERALLY ASSISTED HOUSING 
PROGRAM.—The term ‘covered federally assisted 
housing program’ means— 
‘‘(A) the public housing program under 
title I of the United States Housing Act of 
1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437 et seq.); 
‘‘(B) the programs for rental housing as-
sistance under section 8 of the United States 
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f), includ-
ing— 
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‘‘(i) the program for tenant-based 
rental assistance under subsection (o) of 
such section 8; and 
‘‘(ii) the program for project-based 
rental assistance under such section 8; 
‘‘(C) the program for supportive housing 
for the elderly under section 202 of the Hous-
ing Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C. 1701q); 
‘‘(D) the program for supportive housing 
for persons with disabilities under section 811 
of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable 
Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 8013); 
‘‘(E) the program for housing opportuni-
ties for persons with AIDS under subtitle D of 
title VIII of the Cranston-Gonzalez National 
Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12901 et 
seq.); 
‘‘(F) the program under subtitle A of title 
IV of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance 
Act (42 U.S.C. 11360 et seq.); 
‘‘(G) the HOME Investment Partnerships 
Program under subtitle A of title II of the 
Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Hous-
ing Act (42 U.S.C. 12741 et seq.); 
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‘‘(H) the program under paragraph (3) of 
section 221(d) of the National Housing Act (12 
U.S.C. 1715l(d)(3)) that bears interest at a 
rate determined under the proviso under para-
graph (5) of such section 221(d); 
‘‘(I) the rental assistance program under 
section 236 of the National Housing Act (12 
U.S.C. 1715z–1); 
‘‘(J) the programs for rural housing assist-
ance provided under sections 514, 515, 516, 
522, and 538 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 
U.S.C. 1484, 1485, 1486, 1490m, and 1490p– 
2); 
‘‘(K) the low income housing tax credit 
program under section 42 of the Internal Rev-
enue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 42); 
‘‘(L) the program for rural housing vouch-
ers under section 542 of the Housing Act of 
1949 (42 U.S.C. 1490r); 
‘‘(M) the program for assistance from the 
Housing Trust Fund established under section 
1338 of the Federal Housing Enterprises Fi-
nancial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 (12 
U.S.C. 4568); and 
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‘‘(N) the program for assistance for Indian 
tribes and tribally designated housing entities 
authorized under title I of the Native American 
Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act 
of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4101 et seq.). 
‘‘(2) OWNER.—The term ‘owner’ means, with 
respect to a dwelling unit assisted under a covered 
federally assisted housing program— 
‘‘(A) in the case of a dwelling unit assisted 
under a program specified in subparagraph (A) 
or (B)(1) of paragraph (1) of this subsection, 
the public housing agency that owns or operates 
such unit or provides rental assistance with re-
spect to such unit, as applicable; or 
‘‘(B) in the case of a dwelling unit assisted 
under any other covered federally assisted hous-
ing program, the private person or entity hav-
ing the legal right to lease such unit.’’. 
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 
by paragraph (1) shall apply with respect to assist-
ance provided on or after the expiration of the 90- 
day period beginning on the date of the enactment 
of this Act. 
Æ 
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