IA 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. J. RES. 9 
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to protect 
the voting rights of the citizens of the United States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 3, 2019 
Mr. ENGEL submitted the following joint resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary 
JOINT RESOLUTION 
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United 
States to protect the voting rights of the citizens of 
the United States. 
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the United States of America in Congress assembled
(two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the fol-
lowing article is proposed as an amendment to the Con-
stitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all 
intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when 
ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several 
States within seven years after the date of its submission 
for ratification: 
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‘‘ARTICLE — 
‘‘SECTION 1. The President and Vice President shall 
be elected by the citizens of the United States. 
‘‘SECTION 2. No voting qualification or prerequisite 
to voting, nor any standard, practice, or procedure, shall 
be imposed or applied by Congress, or by any State or 
political subdivision, to deny or abridge the right of any 
citizen of the United States to vote. The right of the citi-
zens of the United States to vote shall not be infringed 
on account of any undue burden of proof of identity or 
citizenship, nor by any standard, practice, or procedure 
implemented since the previous national election for Sen-
ator and Representative in Congress. 
‘‘SECTION 3. The right of the citizens of the United 
States to engage in free and fair political debate shall be 
free from acts or expenditures by foreign persons, and 
from undue or anonymous influence from any person. 
‘‘SECTION 4. Districts represented by members of 
Congress, or by members of any legislative body of any 
State or political subdivision, shall be geographically com-
pact and composed of contiguous territory. No State or 
political subdivision shall deviate from this requirement 
except by reference to existing natural or political bound-
aries. 
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‘‘SECTION 5. No citizen who has reached eighteen 
years of age shall be barred from participating in elections 
for President and Vice President, or for Senator or Rep-
resentative in Congress, on account of failure to register 
to vote. 
‘‘SECTION 6. Elections for President and Vice Presi-
dent, and for Senator and Representative in Congress, 
shall be held on the Tuesday next after the first Monday 
in November. This day shall be designated a national holi-
day. No entity shall interfere with, withhold regular com-
pensation from, or otherwise penalize the exercise of the 
right of any of its agents, employees, contractors, or as-
signs so entitled to vote on this day. 
‘‘SECTION 7. Congress shall have the power to en-
force this article by appropriate legislation. 
‘‘SECTION 8. This article shall take effect two years 
after the date of its ratification.’’. 
Æ 
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