I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8825 
To protect the right to vote in elections for Federal office, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 25, 2024 
Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania (for herself, Mr. NEGUSE, Ms. NORTON, Mr. 
DELUZIO, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. MULLIN, Ms. 
LEE of California, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. PETERS, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. 
THANEDAR, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. FROST, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. 
PORTER, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Mr. EVANS, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. ROBERT GAR-
CIA of California, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, 
Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. SWALWELL, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. 
STANSBURY, Ms. SALINAS, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, and Ms. OMAR) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Ju-
diciary 
A BILL 
To protect 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, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Right to Vote Act’’. 
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SEC. 3. JUDICIAL REVIEW. 
(a) CIVIL ACTION.—An action challenging a violation 
of the rights created by this Act may be brought in the 
district court for the District of Columbia, or the district 
court for the district in which the violation took place or 
where any defendant resides or does business, at the selec-
tion of the plaintiff, to obtain all appropriate relief, wheth-
er declaratory or injunctive, or facial or as-applied. Proc-
ess may be served in any district where a defendant re-
sides, does business, or may be found. 
(b) STANDARDS TO BE APPLIED.—Courts adjudi-
cating actions brought to enforce the rights created by this 
Act shall apply the following standards: 
(1) RETROGRESSION.— 
(A) A plaintiff establishes a prima facie 
case of retrogression by demonstrating by a 
preponderance of the evidence that a rule, 
standard, practice, procedure, or other govern-
mental action diminishes the ability, or other-
wise makes it more difficult, to vote. 
(B) Once a plaintiff establishes a prima 
facie case as described in subparagraph (A), the 
government shall be provided an opportunity to 
demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence 
that the diminishment is necessary to signifi-
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cantly further an important, particularized gov-
ernmental interest. 
(C) If the government meets its burden 
under subparagraph (B), the challenged rule, 
standard, practice, procedure, or other govern-
mental action shall nonetheless be deemed in-
valid if the plaintiff demonstrates by a prepon-
derance of the evidence that the government 
could adopt or implement a less-restrictive 
means of furthering the particular important 
governmental interest. 
(2) SUBSTANTIAL IMPAIRMENT.— 
(A) A plaintiff establishes a prima facie 
case 
of 
substantial 
impairment 
by 
dem-
onstrating by a preponderance of the evidence 
that a rule, standard, practice, procedure, or 
other governmental action substantially impairs 
the ability, or makes it substantially difficult, to 
vote. 
(B) Once a plaintiff establishes a prima 
facie case as described in subparagraph (A), the 
government shall be provided an opportunity to 
demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence 
that the impairment significantly furthers an 
important, particularized governmental interest. 
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(c) DUTY TO EXPEDITE.—It shall be the duty of the 
court to advance on the docket and to expedite to the 
greatest reasonable extent the disposition of the action 
and appeal under this section. 
(d) ATTORNEY’S FEES.—Section 722(b) of the Re-
vised Statutes (42 U.S.C. 1988(b)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘or section 40302’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘section 40302’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘, the court’’ and inserting ‘‘, or 
the Right to Vote Act, the court’’. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act— 
(1) the term ‘‘covered entity’’ means the Dis-
trict of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto 
Rico, and each territory and possession of the 
United States; 
(2) the terms ‘‘election’’ and ‘‘Federal office’’ 
have the meanings given such terms in section 301 
of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 
U.S.C. 30101); 
(3) the term ‘‘government’’ includes a branch, 
department, agency, instrumentality, and official (or 
other person acting under color of law) of the 
United States, of any State, of any covered entity, 
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or of any political subdivision of any State or cov-
ered entity; and 
(4) the term ‘‘vote’’ means all actions necessary 
to make a vote effective, including registration or 
other action required by law as a prerequisite to vot-
ing, casting a ballot, and having such ballot counted 
and included in the appropriate totals of votes cast 
with respect to candidates for public office for which 
votes are received in an election. 
SEC. 5. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION. 
(a) BURDENS NOT AUTHORIZED.—Nothing in this 
Act may be construed to authorize a government to burden 
the right to vote in elections for Federal office. 
(b) OTHER RIGHTS
AND REMEDIES.—Nothing in 
this Act shall be construed as indicating an intent on the 
part of Congress to alter any rights existing under a State 
constitution or the Constitution of the United States, or 
to limit any remedies for any other violations of Federal, 
State, or local law. 
(c) OTHER PROVISION.—Nothing in this Act shall be 
construed as conflicting with section 1703 (‘‘Rights of 
Citizens’’) of S. 1 of the 118th Congress. 
SEC. 6. SEVERABILITY. 
If any provision of this Act or the application of such 
provision to any citizen or circumstance is held to be un-
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constitutional, the remainder of this Act and the applica-
tion of the provisions of such to any citizen or cir-
cumstance shall not be affected thereby. 
SEC. 7. EFFECTIVE DATES. 
(a) ACTIONS BROUGHT FOR RETROGRESSION.—Sub-
section (b) of section 2 shall apply to any law, rule, stand-
ard, practice, procedure, or other governmental action that 
was not in effect during the November 2022 general elec-
tion for Federal office but that will be in effect with re-
spect to elections for Federal office occurring on or after 
September 1, 2024, even if such law, rule, standard, prac-
tice, procedure, or other governmental action is already 
in effect as of the date of enactment of this Act. 
(b) ACTIONS BROUGHT FOR SUBSTANTIAL IMPAIR-
MENT.—Subsection (c) of section 2 shall apply to any law, 
rule, standard, practice, procedure, or other governmental 
action in effect with respect to elections for Federal office 
occurring on or after September 1, 2024. 
Æ 
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