I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9818 
To prohibit the intimidation of election officials and election workers. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 25, 2024 
Mr. DELUZIO (for himself, Mr. RUIZ, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. 
GOLDMAN of New York, Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. 
ROBERT GARCIA of California, and Ms. NORTON) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To prohibit the intimidation of election officials and election 
workers. 
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 ‘‘Freedom from Intimi-
dation in Elections Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PROHIBITING INTIMIDATION OF ELECTION OFFI-
CIALS AND ELECTION WORKERS. 
Section 11 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 
U.S.C. 10307) is amended— 
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(1) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘section 3(a), 
6, 8, 9, 10, or 12(e)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 3(a), 
8, 10, or 12(e)’’; 
(2) by redesignating subsections (c), (d), and 
(e) as subsections (d), (e), and (f), respectively; and 
(3) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(c) No person, whether acting under color of law 
or otherwise, shall intimidate, threaten, or coerce, or at-
tempt to intimidate, threaten, or coerce any person for ex-
ercising any powers or duties to administer Federal elec-
tions, including vote counting, tabulation, canvassing, and 
election certification, and any of the duties of the Election 
Assistance Commission as set out in section 202 of the 
Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 20922), or 
because of the person’s status, or previous status, as a 
participant in the administration of Federal elections.’’. 
SEC. 3. PRESUMPTION THAT FIREARMS NEAR ELECTION- 
RELATED CONDUCT ARE INTIMIDATING. 
Title I of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 
10301 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new section: 
‘‘SEC. 21. ENFORCEMENT PROCEEDINGS CONCERNING IN-
TIMIDATION INVOLVING FIREARMS. 
‘‘(a) PRESUMPTION.— 
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‘‘(1) VOTER INTIMIDATION.—In any suit to en-
force section 11(b), a person shall be presumed to 
have violated such section, in the absence of an af-
firmative showing to the contrary by a preponder-
ance of the evidence, if such person displays or car-
ries a visible firearm, imitation firearm, or antique 
firearm while interacting with or observing another 
person— 
‘‘(A) voting or attempting to vote; 
‘‘(B) urging or aiding a person voting or 
attempting to vote; or 
‘‘(C) exercising any powers or duties under 
section 3(a), 8, 10, or 12(e). 
‘‘(2) INTIMIDATION
OF
ELECTION
OFFICIALS 
AND ELECTION WORKERS.—In any suit to enforce 
section 11(c), a person shall be presumed to have 
violated such section, in the absence of an affirma-
tive showing to the contrary by a preponderance of 
the evidence, if such person displays or carries a 
visible firearm, imitation firearm, or antique firearm 
while interacting with or observing another person— 
‘‘(A) exercising any powers or duties to ad-
minister elections; or 
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