I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2358 
To modernize voter registration, promote access to voting for individuals 
with disabilities, protect the ability of individuals to exercise the right 
to vote in elections for Federal office, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 5, 2021 
Mr. CLYBURN (for himself, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Ms. ADAMS, Ms. 
BARRAGA´N, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. BLUMENAUER, 
Mr. BROWN, Ms. BUSH, Mr. COURTNEY, Mrs. DEMINGS, Mr. EVANS, Ms. 
GARCIA of Texas, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HASTINGS, Mrs. HAYES, Ms. 
JAYAPAL, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Ms. LEE of California, Mrs. MCBATH, Mr. 
MCGOVERN, Ms. NORTON, Mr. POCAN, Mr. RUSH, Mr. SARBANES, Ms. 
SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SOTO, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. TORRES of New York, Mrs. 
TRAHAN, and Mr. WELCH) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the 
Committees on the Judiciary, Science, Space, and Technology, Oversight 
and Reform, Education and Labor, and Financial Services, for a period 
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To modernize voter registration, promote access to voting 
for individuals with disabilities, protect the ability of 
individuals to exercise the right to vote in elections for 
Federal office, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Voter Empowerment Act of 2021’’. 
(b) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It is the policy of the 
United States that— 
(1) the ability of all eligible citizens of the 
United States to access and exercise their constitu-
tional right to vote in a free, fair, and timely manner 
must be vigilantly enhanced, protected, and main-
tained; and 
(2) the integrity, security, and accountability of 
the voting process must be vigilantly protected, 
maintained, and enhanced in order to protect and 
preserve electoral and participatory democracy in the 
United States. 
SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
The table of contents of this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; statement of policy. 
Sec. 2. Table of contents. 
TITLE I—VOTER REGISTRATION MODERNIZATION 
Subtitle A—Promoting Internet Registration 
Sec. 1001. Requiring availability of internet for voter registration. 
Sec. 1002. Use of internet to update registration information. 
Sec. 1003. Provision of election information by electronic mail to individuals 
registered to vote. 
Sec. 1004. Clarification of requirement regarding necessary information to 
show eligibility to vote. 
Sec. 1005. Prohibiting State from requiring applicants to provide more than 
last 4 digits of Social Security number. 
Sec. 1006. Report on data collection. 
Sec. 1007. Permitting voter registration application form to serve as application 
for absentee ballot. 
Sec. 1008. Effective date. 
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Subtitle B—Automatic Voter Registration 
Sec. 1101. Findings and purpose. 
Sec. 1102. Automatic registration of eligible individuals. 
Sec. 1103. Contributing agency assistance in registration. 
Sec. 1104. One-time contributing agency assistance in registration of eligible 
voters in existing records. 
Sec. 1105. Voter protection and security in automatic registration. 
Sec. 1106. Registration portability and correction. 
Sec. 1107. Payments and grants. 
Sec. 1108. Treatment of exempt States. 
Sec. 1109. Miscellaneous provisions. 
Sec. 1110. Definitions. 
Sec. 1111. Effective date. 
Subtitle C—Same Day Voter Registration 
Sec. 1201. Same day registration. 
Subtitle D—Conditions on Removal on Basis of Interstate Cross-Checks 
Sec. 1301. Conditions on removal of registrants from official list of eligible vot-
ers on basis of interstate cross-checks. 
Subtitle E—Other Initiatives To Promote Voter Registration 
Sec. 1401. Annual reports on voter registration statistics. 
Sec. 1402. Ensuring pre-election registration deadlines are consistent with tim-
ing of legal public holidays. 
Sec. 1403. Use of Postal Service hard copy change of address form to remind 
individuals to update voter registration. 
Sec. 1404. Grants to States for activities to encourage involvement of minors 
in election activities. 
Sec. 1405. Permission to place exhibits. 
Sec. 1406. Requiring States to establish and operate voter privacy programs. 
Sec. 1407. Inclusion of voter registration information with certain leases and 
vouchers for federally assisted rental housing and mortgage ap-
plications. 
Subtitle F—Availability of HAVA Requirements Payments 
Sec. 1501. Availability of requirements payments under HAVA to cover costs 
of compliance with new requirements. 
Subtitle G—Prohibiting Interference With Voter Registration 
Sec. 1601. Prohibiting hindering, interfering with, or preventing voter registra-
tion. 
Sec. 1602. Establishment of best practices. 
Subtitle H—Voter Registration Efficiency Act 
Sec. 1701. Requiring applicants for motor vehicle driver’s licenses in new State 
to indicate whether State serves as residence for voter registra-
tion purposes. 
Subtitle I—Providing Voter Registration Information to Secondary School 
Students 
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Sec. 1801. Pilot program for providing voter registration information to sec-
ondary school students prior to graduation. 
Sec. 1802. Reports. 
Sec. 1803. Authorization of appropriations. 
Subtitle J—Voter Registration of Minors 
Sec. 1901. Acceptance of voter registration applications from individuals under 
18 years of age. 
TITLE II—ACCESS TO VOTING FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH 
DISABILITIES 
Sec. 2001. Requirements for States to promote access to voter registration and 
voting for individuals with disabilities. 
Sec. 2002. Expansion and reauthorization of grant program to assure voting 
access for individuals with disabilities. 
Sec. 2003. Pilot programs for enabling individuals with disabilities to register 
to vote privately and independently at residences. 
Sec. 2004. GAO analysis and report on voting access for individuals with dis-
abilities. 
TITLE III—PROHIBITING VOTER CAGING 
Sec. 3001. Voter caging and other questionable challenges prohibited. 
Sec. 3002. Development and adoption of best practices for preventing voter 
caging. 
TITLE IV—PROHIBITING DECEPTIVE PRACTICES AND 
PREVENTING VOTER INTIMIDATION 
Sec. 4001. Prohibition on deceptive practices in Federal elections. 
Sec. 4002. Corrective action. 
Sec. 4003. Reports to Congress. 
TITLE V—DEMOCRACY RESTORATION 
Sec. 5001. Findings. 
Sec. 5002. Rights of citizens. 
Sec. 5003. Enforcement. 
Sec. 5004. Notification of restoration of voting rights. 
Sec. 5005. Definitions. 
Sec. 5006. Relation to other laws. 
Sec. 5007. Federal prison funds. 
Sec. 5008. Effective date. 
TITLE VI—PROMOTING ACCURACY, INTEGRITY, AND SECURITY 
THROUGH VOTER-VERIFIED PERMANENT PAPER BALLOT 
Sec. 6001. Paper ballot and manual counting requirements. 
Sec. 6002. Accessibility and ballot verification for individuals with disabilities. 
Sec. 6003. Durability and readability requirements for ballots. 
Sec. 6004. Study and report on optimal ballot design. 
Sec. 6005. Paper ballot printing requirements. 
Sec. 6006. Effective date for new requirements. 
TITLE VII—PROVISIONAL BALLOTS 
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Sec. 7001. Requirements for counting provisional ballots; establishment of uni-
form and nondiscriminatory standards. 
TITLE VIII—EARLY VOTING 
Sec. 8001. Early voting. 
TITLE IX—VOTING BY MAIL 
Sec. 9001. Voting by mail. 
Sec. 9002. Absentee ballot tracking program. 
Sec. 9003. Voting materials postage. 
Sec. 9004. Study and report on vote-by-mail procedures. 
TITLE X—ABSENT UNIFORMED SERVICES VOTERS AND 
OVERSEAS VOTERS 
Sec. 10001. Pre-election reports on availability and transmission of absentee 
ballots. 
Sec. 10002. Enforcement. 
Sec. 10003. Revisions to 45-day absentee ballot transmission rule. 
Sec. 10004. Use of single absentee ballot application for subsequent elections. 
Sec. 10005. Extending guarantee of residency for voting purposes to family 
members of absent military personnel. 
Sec. 10006. Requiring transmission of blank absentee ballots under UOCAVA 
to certain voters. 
Sec. 10007. Department of Justice report on voter disenfranchisement. 
Sec. 10008. Effective date. 
TITLE XI—POLL WORKER RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING 
Sec. 11001. Grants to States for poll worker recruitment and training. 
Sec. 11002. State defined. 
TITLE XII—ENHANCEMENT OF ENFORCEMENT 
Sec. 12001. Enhancement of enforcement of Help America Vote Act of 2002. 
TITLE XIII—FEDERAL ELECTION INTEGRITY 
Sec. 13001. Prohibition on campaign activities by chief State election adminis-
tration officials. 
TITLE XIV—PROMOTING VOTER ACCESS THROUGH ELECTION 
ADMINISTRATION IMPROVEMENTS 
Subtitle A—Promoting Voter Access 
Sec. 14001. Treatment of institutions of higher education. 
Sec. 14002. Minimum notification requirements for voters affected by polling 
place changes. 
Sec. 14003. Permitting use of sworn written statement to meet identification 
requirements for voting. 
Sec. 14004. Accommodations for voters residing in Indian lands. 
Sec. 14005. Voter information response systems and hotline. 
Sec. 14006. Ensuring equitable and efficient operation of polling places. 
Sec. 14007. Requiring States to provide secured drop boxes for voted absentee 
ballots in elections for Federal office. 
Sec. 14008. Prohibiting States from restricting curbside voting. 
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Sec. 14009. Election Day holiday. 
Sec. 14010. GAO study on voter turnout rates. 
Sec. 14011. Study on ranked-choice voting. 
Subtitle B—Disaster and Emergency Contingency Plans 
Sec. 14101. Requirements for Federal election contingency plans in response to 
natural disasters and emergencies. 
Subtitle C—Improvements in Operation of Election Assistance Commission 
Sec. 14201. Reauthorization of Election Assistance Commission. 
Sec. 14202. Requiring States to participate in post-general election surveys. 
Sec. 14203. Reports by National Institute of Standards and Technology on use 
of funds transferred from Election Assistance Commission. 
Sec. 14204. Recommendations to improve operations of Election Assistance 
Commission. 
Sec. 14205. Repeal of exemption of Election Assistance Commission from cer-
tain government contracting requirements. 
Subtitle D—Miscellaneous Provisions 
Sec. 14301. Application of Federal election administration laws to territories of 
the United States. 
Sec. 14302. Definition of election for Federal office. 
Sec. 14303. Authorizing payments to voting accessibility protection and advo-
cacy systems serving the American Indian Consortium. 
Sec. 14304. Application of Federal voter protection laws to territories of the 
United States. 
Sec. 14305. Placement of statues of citizens of territories of the United States 
in Statuary Hall. 
Sec. 14306. No effect on other laws. 
Sec. 14307. Clarification of exemption for States without voter registration. 
Subtitle E—Voter Notice 
Sec. 14401. Public education campaigns in event of changes in elections in re-
sponse to emergencies. 
Sec. 14402. Requirements for websites of election officials. 
Sec. 14403. Payments by Election Assistance Commission to States for costs 
of compliance. 
TITLE XV—SEVERABILITY 
Sec. 15001. Severability. 
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TITLE I—VOTER REGISTRATION 
MODERNIZATION 
Subtitle A—Promoting Internet 
Registration 
SEC. 1001. REQUIRING AVAILABILITY OF INTERNET FOR 
VOTER REGISTRATION. 
(a) REQUIRING AVAILABILITY
OF INTERNET
FOR 
REGISTRATION.—The National Voter Registration Act of 
1993 (52 U.S.C. 20501 et seq.) is amended by inserting 
after section 6 the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 6A. INTERNET REGISTRATION. 
‘‘(a) REQUIRING AVAILABILITY OF INTERNET FOR 
ONLINE REGISTRATION.—Each State, acting through the 
chief State election official, shall ensure that the following 
services are available to the public at any time on the offi-
cial public websites of the appropriate State and local elec-
tion officials in the State, in the same manner and subject 
to the same terms and conditions as the services provided 
by voter registration agencies under section 7(a): 
‘‘(1) Online application for voter registration. 
‘‘(2) Online assistance to applicants in applying 
to register to vote. 
‘‘(3) Online completion and submission by ap-
plicants of the mail voter registration application 
form prescribed by the Election Assistance Commis-
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‘‘(A) In the case of an individual who has 
a signature on file with a State agency, includ-
ing the State motor vehicle authority, that is 
required to provide voter registration services 
under this Act or any other law, the individual 
consents to the transfer of that electronic signa-
ture. 
‘‘(B) If subparagraph (A) does not apply, 
the individual submits with the application an 
electronic copy of the individual’s handwritten 
signature through electronic means. 
‘‘(C) If subparagraph (A) and subpara-
graph (B) do not apply, the individual executes 
a computerized mark in the signature field on 
an online voter registration application, in ac-
cordance with reasonable security measures es-
tablished by the State, but only if the State ac-
cepts such mark from the individual. 
‘‘(2) TREATMENT OF INDIVIDUALS UNABLE TO 
MEET REQUIREMENT.—If an individual is unable to 
meet the requirements of paragraph (1), the State 
shall— 
‘‘(A) permit the individual to complete all 
other elements of the online voter registration 
application; 
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