I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5670 
To require certain actions relating to the protection of free, fair, and 
transparent elections in Venezuela, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (for herself and Ms. SALAZAR) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and 
in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require certain actions relating to the protection of free, 
fair, and transparent elections in Venezuela, 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 ‘‘Venezuelans Over-
coming Interference and Corruption in Elections Act’’ or 
the ‘‘VOICE Act’’. 
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
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(1) the arbitrary and unconstitutional actions of 
the Maduro regime to undermine Venezuelan democ-
racy, including attempts to disqualify opposition can-
didates from participating in the 2024 presidential 
election, demonstrate flagrant disregard for the 
basic political rights of Venezuelans and merit con-
demnation in the strongest terms from the United 
States and other Western Hemisphere democracies; 
(2) the disqualification of political opponents il-
lustrates the Maduro regime’s intent to continue to 
remove checks and balances on the executive, politi-
cize the judiciary, undermine the independence of 
the legislature through use of executive decree pow-
ers, persecute and prosecute its political opponents, 
curtail freedom of the press, and limit the free ex-
pression of its citizens; 
(3) the United States supports the people of 
Venezuela in their efforts to advance representative 
democracy, human rights, and the rule of law within 
their country; and 
(4) the United States should make every pos-
sible effort to promote international recognition of 
the legitimacy of the presidential primary organized 
by the democratic Unitary Platform, and to support 
the registration and participation of Venezuelan mi-
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grants and refugees residing in the United States in 
the election. 
SEC. 3. SANCTIONS FOR CERTAIN ACTIONS RELATING TO 
DISQUALIFICATION OF VENEZUELAN PRESI-
DENTIAL CANDIDATES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose the 
sanctions described in subsection (b) with respect to any 
foreign person, including any current or former official of 
the Government of Venezuela or any person acting on be-
half of that Government, that the President determines— 
(1) has prevented, or is responsible for ordering 
or otherwise directing the prevention of, any indi-
vidual that the President determines to be an oppo-
nent candidate, or prospective opponent candidate, 
seeking presidential election (including Marı´a Corina 
Machado, Henrique Capriles, and Freddy Superlano) 
from participating in the 2024 Venezuelan presi-
dential election; or 
(2) has knowingly materially assisted, spon-
sored, or provided significant financial, material, or 
technological support for, or goods or services in 
support of, the commission of the acts described in 
paragraph (1). 
(b) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—The sanctions described in 
this subsection are the following: 
(A) ASSET BLOCKING.—The exercise of all 
powers granted to the President by the Inter-
national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 
U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent necessary to 
block and prohibit all transactions in all prop-
erty and interests in property of a person deter-
mined by the President to be subject to sub-
section (a) if such property and interests in 
property are in the United States, come within 
the United States, or are or come within the 
possession or control of a United States person. 
(B) 
EXCLUSION
FROM
THE
UNITED 
STATES AND REVOCATION OF VISA OR OTHER 
DOCUMENTATION.—In the case of an alien de-
termined by the President to be subject to sub-
section (a), denial of a visa to, and exclusion 
from the United States of, the alien, and rev-
ocation in accordance with section 221(i) of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1201(i)), of any visa or other documentation of 
the alien. 
(2) PENALTIES.—A person that violates, at-
tempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a 
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violation of paragraph (1)(A) or any regulation, li-
cense, or order issued to carry out paragraph (1)(A) 
shall be subject to the penalties set forth in sub-
sections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the Inter-
national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 
U.S.C. 1705) to the same extent as a person that 
commits an unlawful act described in subsection (a) 
of that section. 
(3) EXCEPTIONS.—The sanctions described in 
paragraph (1) shall not apply with respect to a for-
eign person— 
(A) that the President determines is the 
subject of other sanctions equivalent to those 
described in paragraph (1); or 
(B) that is an alien, if admitting the alien 
into the United States is necessary to permit 
the United States to comply with the Agree-
ment regarding the Headquarters of the United 
Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 
1947, and entered into force November 21, 
1947, between the United Nations and the 
United States, or other applicable international 
obligations. 
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(c) WAIVER.—The President may waive the applica-
tion of sanctions under subsection (b) with respect to a 
foreign person if the President— 
(1) determines that such a waiver is in the na-
tional interest of the United States; and 
(2) on or before the date on which the waiver 
takes effect, submits to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of 
the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
and the Committee on Appropriations of the House 
of Representatives a notice of and justification for 
the waiver. 
(d) REGULATORY AUTHORITY.—The President shall 
issue such regulations, licenses, and orders as are nec-
essary to carry out this section. 
(e) DEFINITION.—In this section: 
(1) ADMITTED; ALIEN.—The terms ‘‘admitted’’ 
and ‘‘alien’’ have the meanings given those terms in 
section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
(8 U.S.C. 1101). 
(2) FOREIGN PERSON.—The term ‘‘foreign per-
son’’ means a person that is not a United States 
person. 
(3) GOOD.—The term ‘‘good’’ has the meaning 
given that term in section 16 of the Export Adminis-
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tration Act of 1979 (50 U.S.C. App. 2415) (as con-
tinued in effect pursuant to the International Emer-
gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et 
seq.)). 
(4) KNOWINGLY.—The term ‘‘knowingly’’, with 
respect to conduct, a circumstance, or a result, 
means that a person has actual knowledge, or should 
have known, of the conduct, the circumstance, or the 
result. 
(5) MATERIALLY ASSISTED.—The term ‘‘mate-
rially assisted’’ means the provision of assistance 
that is significant and of a kind directly relevant to 
acts described in paragraphs (1) through (3) of sub-
section (a). 
(6) 
UNITED
STATES
PERSON.—The 
term 
‘‘United States person’’ means— 
(A) a United States citizen or an alien law-
fully admitted for permanent residence to the 
United States; or 
(B) an entity organized under the laws of 
the United States or of any jurisdiction within 
the United States, including a foreign branch of 
such an entity. 
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