I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3169 
To direct the Election Assistance Commission to make grants to States 
to respond to election administration needs which result from a major 
natural disaster, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 24, 2007 
Mr. JEFFERSON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on House Administration 
A BILL 
To direct the Election Assistance Commission to make grants 
to States to respond to election administration needs 
which result from a major natural disaster, 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 ‘‘Disaster Voting Re-
form Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina 
came ashore and destroyed 295 out of 442 polling 
locations in Orleans Parish, Louisiana. 
(2) In advance of the April 2006 municipal 
elections, Louisiana election officials requested $2.4 
million from the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency (FEMA) for replacement, repairs, re-inspec-
tion, and certification of voting machines damaged 
by the hurricane. 
(3) While FEMA provided $733,000 for re-
pairs, those funds could not be used to locate Orle-
ans Parish voters spread across 48 states, and the 
State of Louisiana incurred a cost of $750,000 for 
the purposes of voter outreach and education for 
those displaced voters. 
SEC. 3. GRANTS TO STATES FOR RESPONDING TO ELEC-
TION ADMINISTRATION NEEDS RESULTING 
FROM NATURAL DISASTERS. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO MAKE GRANTS.—The Election 
Assistance Commission shall make a grant to each eligible 
State, in such amount as the Commission considers appro-
priate, for purposes of restoring and replacing supplies, 
materials, and equipment used in the administration of 
elections in the State which were damaged as a result of 
a major natural disaster, and for conducting voter out-
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reach and education for voters displaced as a result of a 
major natural disaster, as determined on the basis of such 
criteria as the Commission may establish. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A State is eligible to receive 
a grant under this Act if it submits to the Commis-
sion (at such time and in such form as the Commis-
sion may require) a certification that supplies, mate-
rials, and equipment used in the administration of 
elections in the State were damaged as a result of 
a major natural disaster. 
(2) PREFERENCE FOR STATES USING FUNDS 
FOR SATELLITE VOTING SITES.—In determining the 
eligibility of States for receiving grants under this 
Act and the amount of the grant awarded to a 
State, the Commission shall give preference to 
States which will use the grant to operate voting 
sites for displaced voters which are located outside 
of the area which was affected by the major natural 
disaster. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2008 for 
grants under this section $50,000,000, to remain available 
until expended. 
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SEC. 4. APPLICABILITY OF PROTECTIONS FOR ABSENT 
MILITARY AND OVERSEAS VOTERS TO DIS-
PLACED CITIZENS. 
(a) RIGHT OF EVACUEES TO USE ABSENTEE BAL-
LOTING AND REGISTRATION PROCEDURES AVAILABLE TO 
MILITARY AND OVERSEAS VOTERS.—In the case of any 
individual who is an eligible disaster evacuee, with respect 
to any election occurring during the period described in 
subsection (d)— 
(1) the individual shall be treated in the same 
manner as an absent uniformed services voter and 
overseas voter for purposes of the Uniformed and 
Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 U.S.C. 
1973ff et seq.), other than section 103(b)(1) (42 
U.S.C. 1973ff–2(b)(1)); and 
(2) the individual shall be deemed to be an indi-
vidual who is entitled to vote by absentee ballot for 
purposes of the National Voter Registration Act of 
1993 and the Help America Vote Act of 2002. 
(b) ELIGIBLE DISASTER EVACUEE DEFINED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of this section, 
the term ‘‘eligible disaster evacuee’’ means an indi-
vidual— 
(A) whose place of residence where the in-
dividual is otherwise qualified to vote is located 
within a jurisdiction described in paragraph (2); 
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(B) who provides the appropriate State 
election official with a certification that the in-
dividual is absent from such place of residence 
as a result of evacuation from an area affected 
by a major natural disaster; and 
(C) who provides the official with an affi-
davit stating that the individual intends to re-
turn to such place of residence after the elec-
tion or elections involved. 
(2) JURISDICTION DESCRIBED.—A jurisdiction 
described in this paragraph is a registrar’s jurisdic-
tion defined in section 8(j) of the National Voter 
Registration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1973gg–6(j)) in 
which not fewer than 20 percent of the voting age 
population is absent as a result of evacuation from 
an area affected by a major natural disaster (deter-
mined as of the date on which the individual pro-
vides the certification and affidavit referred to in 
paragraph (1)). 
(c) REQUIRING DESIGNATED VOTER REGISTRATION 
AGENCIES
TO
NOTIFY
DISPLACED
INDIVIDUALS
OF 
AVAILABILITY OF PROTECTIONS.—Each motor vehicle au-
thority in a State and each voter registration agency des-
ignated in a State under section 7(a) of the National Voter 
Registration Act of 1993 shall take such steps as may be 
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