‘‘(b) DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF CON-
TINGENCY PLANS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall develop, 
and implement to the greatest extent practicable, a 
contingency plan under which the State shall provide 
additional poll workers, machines, ballots, and other 
equipment and supplies (as the case may be) on the 
date of the election to any polling place used in an 
election for Federal office, including a polling place 
at which individuals may cast ballots prior to the 
date of the election, at which waiting times exceed 
one hour. 
‘‘(2) APPROVAL
OF
PLAN
BY
COMMISSION.— 
The State shall ensure that the contingency plan de-
veloped under paragraph (1) is approved by the 
Commission prior to the date of the election in-
volved, in accordance with such procedures as the 
Commission may establish. 
‘‘(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply 
with respect to elections held on or after January 1, 
2018.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con-
tents of such Act is amended— 
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(A) by redesignating the items relating to 
sections 304 and 305 as relating to sections 
306 and 307; and 
(B) by inserting after the item relating to 
section 303 the following new items: 
‘‘Sec. 304. Early voting. 
‘‘Sec. 305. Preventing unreasonable waiting times for voters.’’. 
(b) REPORT
BY ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMIS-
SION.—Not later than June 30 of each odd-numbered 
year, the Election Assistance Commission shall submit to 
Congress a report assessing the impact of sections 304 
and 305 of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (as added 
by subsection (a)) on the administration of elections for 
Federal office during the preceding 2-year period, and 
shall include in the report such recommendations as the 
Commission considers appropriate. 
(c) NO EFFECT ON AUTHORITY OF STATE TO PRO-
VIDE
FOR LONGER PERIODS
OF EARLY VOTING
OR 
GREATER
AMOUNT
OF
RESOURCES
AT
POLLING 
PLACES.—Nothing in this section or in any amendment 
made by this section may be construed to prohibit a State, 
with respect to any election for Federal office— 
(1) from providing (in an equitable and non-
discriminatory manner) a longer period for early vot-
ing than the minimum period required under section 
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304 of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (as 
added by subsection (a)); or 
(2) from providing (in an equitable and non-
discriminatory manner) a greater number of sys-
tems, poll workers, and other election resources at 
any polling place than the minimum number re-
quired under section 305 of such Act (as added by 
subsection (a)). 
SEC. 3. REQUIREMENTS FOR COUNTING PROVISIONAL BAL-
LOTS; ESTABLISHMENT OF UNIFORM AND 
NONDISCRIMINATORY STANDARDS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 302 of the Help America 
Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21082) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub-
section (f); and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol-
lowing new subsections: 
‘‘(d) STATEWIDE COUNTING OF PROVISIONAL BAL-
LOTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of subsection 
(a)(4), notwithstanding the precinct or polling place 
at which a provisional ballot is cast within the State, 
the appropriate election official shall count each vote 
on such ballot for each election in which the indi-
vidual who cast such ballot is eligible to vote. 
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‘‘(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This subsection shall 
apply with respect to elections held on or after Janu-
ary 1, 2018. 
‘‘(e) UNIFORM
AND NONDISCRIMINATORY STAND-
ARDS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Consistent with the re-
quirements of this section, each State shall establish 
uniform and nondiscriminatory standards for the 
issuance, handling, and counting of provisional bal-
lots. 
‘‘(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This subsection shall 
apply with respect to elections held on or after Janu-
ary 1, 2018.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 302(f) of 
such Act (52 U.S.C. 21082(f)), as redesignated by sub-
section (a), is amended by striking ‘‘Each State’’ and in-
serting ‘‘Except as provided in subsections (d)(2) and 
(e)(2), each State’’. 
SEC. 4. AVAILABILITY OF CIVIL PENALTIES AND PRIVATE 
RIGHTS 
OF 
ACTION 
TO 
ENFORCE 
HELP 
AMERICA VOTE ACT OF 2002. 
(a) AVAILABILITY OF CIVIL PENALTIES AND PRI-
VATE RIGHTS
OF ACTION.—Section 401 of the Help 
America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21111) is amended 
to read as follows: 
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‘‘SEC. 401. ENFORCEMENT. 
‘‘(a) ACTION BY ATTORNEY GENERAL.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General may 
bring a civil action against any State or jurisdiction 
in an appropriate United States District Court for 
such declaratory and injunctive relief (including a 
temporary restraining order, a permanent or tem-
porary injunction, or other order) as may be nec-
essary to carry out the requirements of subtitle A of 
title III. 
‘‘(2) ASSESSMENT
OF
CIVIL
MONEY
PEN-
ALTY.—In a civil action brought under paragraph 
(1), if the court finds that the State or jurisdiction 
violated any provision of subtitle A of title III, it 
may, to vindicate the public interest, assess a civil 
penalty against the State or jurisdiction— 
‘‘(A) in an amount not to exceed $110,000 
for each such violation, in the case of a first 
violation; or 
‘‘(B) in an amount not to exceed $220,000 
for each such violation, for any subsequent vio-
lation. 
‘‘(3) INTERVENTION.—Upon timely application, 
a person aggrieved by a violation of subtitle A of 
title III with respect to which a civil action is com-
menced under paragraph (1) may intervene in such 
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