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Federal office, the aggrieved person need not provide 
notice to the chief election official of the State under 
paragraph (1) before bringing a civil action to obtain 
declaratory or injunctive relief with respect to the 
violation. 
SEC. 1404. NOTIFICATION OF RESTORATION OF VOTING 
RIGHTS. 
(a) STATE NOTIFICATION.— 
(1) NOTIFICATION.—On the date determined 
under paragraph (2), each State shall notify in writ-
ing any individual who has been convicted of a 
criminal offense under the law of that State that 
such individual has the right to vote in an election 
for Federal office pursuant to the Democracy Res-
toration Act of 2019 and may register to vote in any 
such election and provide such individual with any 
materials that are necessary to register to vote in 
any such election. 
(2) DATE OF NOTIFICATION.— 
(A) FELONY CONVICTION.—In the case of 
such an individual who has been convicted of a 
felony, the notification required under para-
graph (1) shall be given on the date on which 
the individual— 
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(i) is sentenced to serve only a term 
of probation; or 
(ii) is released from the custody of 
that State (other than to the custody of 
another State or the Federal Government 
to serve a term of imprisonment for a fel-
ony conviction). 
(B) MISDEMEANOR
CONVICTION.—In the 
case of such an individual who has been con-
victed of a misdemeanor, the notification re-
quired under paragraph (1) shall be given on 
the date on which such individual is sentenced 
by a State court. 
(b) FEDERAL NOTIFICATION.— 
(1) NOTIFICATION.—Any individual who has 
been convicted of a criminal offense under Federal 
law shall be notified in accordance with paragraph 
(2) that such individual has the right to vote in an 
election for Federal office pursuant to the Democ-
racy Restoration Act of 2019 and may register to 
vote in any such election and provide such individual 
with any materials that are necessary to register to 
vote in any such election. 
(2) DATE OF NOTIFICATION.— 
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(A) FELONY CONVICTION.—In the case of 
such an individual who has been convicted of a 
felony, the notification required under para-
graph (1) shall be given— 
(i) in the case of an individual who is 
sentenced to serve only a term of proba-
tion, by the Assistant Director for the Of-
fice of Probation and Pretrial Services of 
the Administrative Office of the United 
States Courts on the date on which the in-
dividual is sentenced; or 
(ii) in the case of any individual com-
mitted to the custody of the Bureau of 
Prisons, by the Director of the Bureau of 
Prisons, during the period beginning on 
the date that is 6 months before such indi-
vidual is released and ending on the date 
such individual is released from the cus-
tody of the Bureau of Prisons. 
(B) MISDEMEANOR
CONVICTION.—In the 
case of such an individual who has been con-
victed of a misdemeanor, the notification re-
quired under paragraph (1) shall be given on 
the date on which such individual is sentenced 
by a court established by an Act of Congress. 
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SEC. 1405. DEFINITIONS. 
For purposes of this subtitle: 
(1) CORRECTIONAL
INSTITUTION
OR
FACIL-
ITY.—The term ‘‘correctional institution or facility’’ 
means any prison, penitentiary, jail, or other institu-
tion or facility for the confinement of individuals 
convicted of criminal offenses, whether publicly or 
privately operated, except that such term does not 
include any residential community treatment center 
(or similar public or private facility). 
(2) ELECTION.—The term ‘‘election’’ means— 
(A) a general, special, primary, or runoff 
election; 
(B) a convention or caucus of a political 
party held to nominate a candidate; 
(C) a primary election held for the selec-
tion of delegates to a national nominating con-
vention of a political party; or 
(D) a primary election held for the expres-
sion of a preference for the nomination of per-
sons for election to the office of President. 
(3) FEDERAL OFFICE.—The term ‘‘Federal of-
fice’’ means the office of President or Vice President 
of the United States, or of Senator or Representa-
tive in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, 
the Congress of the United States. 
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(4) PROBATION.—The term ‘‘probation’’ means 
probation, imposed by a Federal, State, or local 
court, with or without a condition on the individual 
involved concerning— 
(A) the individual’s freedom of movement; 
(B) the payment of damages by the indi-
vidual; 
(C) periodic reporting by the individual to 
an officer of the court; or 
(D) supervision of the individual by an of-
ficer of the court. 
SEC. 1406. RELATION TO OTHER LAWS. 
(a) STATE LAWS RELATING TO VOTING RIGHTS.— 
Nothing in this subtitle be construed to prohibit the States 
from enacting any State law which affords the right to 
vote in any election for Federal office on terms less restric-
tive than those established by this subtitle. 
(b) CERTAIN FEDERAL ACTS.—The rights and rem-
edies established by this subtitle are in addition to all 
other rights and remedies provided by law, and neither 
rights and remedies established by this Act shall super-
sede, restrict, or limit the application of the Voting Rights 
Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.) or the National 
Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20501 et seq.). 
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SEC. 1407. FEDERAL PRISON FUNDS. 
No State, unit of local government, or other person 
may receive or use, to construct or otherwise improve a 
prison, jail, or other place of incarceration, any Federal 
funds unless that person has in effect a program under 
which each individual incarcerated in that person’s juris-
diction who is a citizen of the United States is notified, 
upon release from such incarceration, of that individual’s 
rights under section 1402. 
SEC. 1408. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
This subtitle shall apply to citizens of the United 
States voting in any election for Federal office held after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
Subtitle F—Promoting Accuracy, 
Integrity, and Security Through 
Voter-Verified Permanent Paper 
Ballot 
SEC. 1501. SHORT TITLE. 
This subtitle may be cited as the ‘‘Voter Confidence 
and Increased Accessibility Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 1502. PAPER BALLOT AND MANUAL COUNTING RE-
QUIREMENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 301(a)(2) of the Help 
America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21081(a)(2)) is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(2) PAPER BALLOT REQUIREMENT.— 
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any manner that makes it possible, at any 
time after the ballot has been cast, to asso-
ciate a voter with the record of the voter’s 
vote without the voter’s consent. 
‘‘(ii) PRESERVATION
AS
OFFICIAL 
RECORD.—The individual, durable, voter- 
verified paper ballot used in accordance 
with clause (i) shall constitute the official 
ballot and shall be preserved and used as 
the official ballot for purposes of any re-
count or audit conducted with respect to 
any election for Federal office in which the 
voting system is used. 
‘‘(iii) MANUAL
COUNTING
REQUIRE-
MENTS FOR RECOUNTS AND AUDITS.—(I) 
Each paper ballot used pursuant to clause 
(i) shall be suitable for a manual audit, 
and shall be counted by hand in any re-
count or audit conducted with respect to 
any election for Federal office. 
‘‘(II) In the event of any inconsist-
encies or irregularities between any elec-
tronic vote tallies and the vote tallies de-
termined by counting by hand the indi-
vidual, durable, voter-verified paper ballots 
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used pursuant to clause (i), and subject to 
subparagraph (B), the individual, durable, 
voter-verified paper ballots shall be the 
true and correct record of the votes cast. 
‘‘(iv) APPLICATION
TO
ALL
BAL-
LOTS.—The requirements of this subpara-
graph shall apply to all ballots cast in elec-
tions for Federal office, including ballots 
cast by absent uniformed services voters 
and overseas voters under the Uniformed 
and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act 
and other absentee voters. 
‘‘(B) SPECIAL RULE FOR TREATMENT OF 
DISPUTES WHEN PAPER BALLOTS HAVE BEEN 
SHOWN TO BE COMPROMISED.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—In the event 
that— 
‘‘(I) there is any inconsistency 
between any electronic vote tallies and 
the vote tallies determined by count-
ing by hand the individual, durable, 
voter-verified paper ballots used pur-
suant to subparagraph (A)(i) with re-
spect to any election for Federal of-
fice; and 
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‘‘(II) it is demonstrated by clear 
and convincing evidence (as deter-
mined in accordance with the applica-
ble standards in the jurisdiction in-
volved) in any recount, audit, or con-
test of the result of the election that 
the paper ballots have been com-
promised (by damage or mischief or 
otherwise) and that a sufficient num-
ber of the ballots have been so com-
promised that the result of the elec-
tion could be changed, 
the determination of the appropriate rem-
edy with respect to the election shall be 
made in accordance with applicable State 
law, except that the electronic tally shall 
not be used as the exclusive basis for de-
termining the official certified result. 
‘‘(ii) RULE FOR CONSIDERATION OF 
BALLOTS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH VOTING 
MACHINE.—For purposes of clause (i), 
only the paper ballots deemed com-
promised, if any, shall be considered in the 
calculation of whether or not the result of 
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the election could be changed due to the 
compromised paper ballots.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT CLARIFYING APPLI-
CABILITY OF ALTERNATIVE LANGUAGE ACCESSIBILITY.— 
Section 301(a)(4) of such Act (52 U.S.C. 21081(a)(4)) 
is amended by inserting ‘‘(including the paper ballots re-
quired to be used under paragraph (2))’’ after ‘‘voting sys-
tem’’. 
(c) OTHER CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 
301(a)(1) of such Act (52 U.S.C. 21081(a)(1)) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in subparagraph (A)(i), by striking ‘‘count-
ed’’ and inserting ‘‘counted, in accordance with 
paragraphs (2) and (3)’’; 
(2) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by striking ‘‘count-
ed’’ and inserting ‘‘counted, in accordance with 
paragraphs (2) and (3)’’; 
(3) in subparagraph (A)(iii), by striking ‘‘count-
ed’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘counted, in 
accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3)’’; and 
(4) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking ‘‘count-
ed’’ and inserting ‘‘counted, in accordance with 
paragraphs (2) and (3)’’. 
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SEC. 1503. ACCESSIBILITY AND BALLOT VERIFICATION FOR 
INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 301(a)(3)(B) of the Help 
America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21081(a)(3)(B)) is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(B)(i) ensure that individuals with dis-
abilities and others are given an equivalent op-
portunity to vote, including with privacy and 
independence, in a manner that produces a 
voter-verified paper ballot as for other voters; 
‘‘(ii) satisfy the requirement of subpara-
graph (A) through the use of at least one voting 
system equipped for individuals with disabil-
ities, including nonvisual and enhanced visual 
accessibility for the blind and visually impaired, 
and nonmanual and enhanced manual accessi-
bility for the mobility and dexterity impaired, at 
each polling place; and 
‘‘(iii) meet the requirements of subpara-
graph (A) and paragraph (2)(A) by using a sys-
tem that— 
‘‘(I) allows the voter to privately and 
independently verify the permanent paper 
ballot through the presentation, in acces-
sible form, of the printed or marked vote 
selections from the same printed or 
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marked information that would be used for 
any vote counting or auditing; and 
‘‘(II) allows the voter to privately and 
independently verify and cast the perma-
nent paper ballot without requiring the 
voter to manually handle the paper bal-
lot;’’. 
(b) SPECIFIC REQUIREMENT OF STUDY, TESTING, 
AND DEVELOPMENT
OF ACCESSIBLE PAPER BALLOT 
VERIFICATION MECHANISMS.— 
(1) STUDY
AND
REPORTING.—Subtitle C of 
title II of such Act (52 U.S.C. 21081 et seq.) is 
amended— 
(A) by redesignating section 247 as section 
248; and 
(B) by inserting after section 246 the fol-
lowing new section: 
‘‘SEC. 247. STUDY AND REPORT ON ACCESSIBLE PAPER 
BALLOT VERIFICATION MECHANISMS. 
‘‘(a) STUDY AND REPORT.—The Director of the Na-
tional Science Foundation shall make grants to not fewer 
than 3 eligible entities to study, test, and develop acces-
sible paper ballot voting, verification, and casting mecha-
nisms and devices and best practices to enhance the acces-
sibility of paper ballot voting and verification mechanisms 
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for individuals with disabilities, for voters whose primary 
language is not English, and for voters with difficulties 
in literacy, including best practices for the mechanisms 
themselves and the processes through which the mecha-
nisms are used. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—An entity is eligible to receive a 
grant under this part if it submits to the Director (at such 
time and in such form as the Director may require) an 
application containing— 
‘‘(1) certifications that the entity shall specifi-
cally investigate enhanced methods or devices, in-
cluding non-electronic devices, that will assist such 
individuals and voters in marking voter-verified 
paper ballots and presenting or transmitting the in-
formation printed or marked on such ballots back to 
such individuals and voters, and casting such ballots; 
‘‘(2) a certification that the entity shall com-
plete the activities carried out with the grant not 
later than December 31, 2020; and 
‘‘(3) such other information and certifications 
as the Director may require. 
‘‘(c) AVAILABILITY
OF TECHNOLOGY.—Any tech-
nology developed with the grants made under this section 
shall be treated as non-proprietary and shall be made 
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available to the public, including to manufacturers of vot-
ing systems. 
‘‘(d) COORDINATION WITH GRANTS
FOR TECH-
NOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS.—The Director shall carry out 
this section so that the activities carried out with the 
grants made under subsection (a) are coordinated with the 
research conducted under the grant program carried out 
by the Commission under section 271, to the extent that 
the Director and Commission determine necessary to pro-
vide for the advancement of accessible voting technology. 
‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated to carry out subsection 
(a) $5,000,000, to remain available until expended.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con-
tents of such Act is amended— 
(A) by redesignating the item relating to 
section 247 as relating to section 248; and 
(B) by inserting after the item relating to 
section 246 the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 247. Study and report on accessible paper ballot verification mecha-
nisms.’’. 
(c) CLARIFICATION OF ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS 
UNDER VOLUNTARY VOTING SYSTEM GUIDANCE.—In 
adopting any voluntary guidance under subtitle B of title 
III of the Help America Vote Act with respect to the ac-
cessibility of the paper ballot verification requirements for 
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individuals with disabilities, the Election Assistance Com-
mission shall include and apply the same accessibility 
standards applicable under the voluntary guidance adopt-
ed for accessible voting systems under such subtitle. 
(d) PERMITTING USE OF FUNDS FOR PROTECTION 
AND ADVOCACY SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT ACTIONS TO EN-
FORCE ELECTION-RELATED DISABILITY ACCESS.—Sec-
tion 292(a) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 
U.S.C. 21062(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘; except that’’ 
and all that follows and inserting a period. 
SEC. 1504. DURABILITY AND READABILITY REQUIREMENTS 
FOR BALLOTS. 
Section 301(a) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 
(52 U.S.C. 21081(a)) is amended by adding at the end 
the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(7) DURABILITY AND READABILITY REQUIRE-
MENTS FOR BALLOTS.— 
‘‘(A) DURABILITY
REQUIREMENTS
FOR 
PAPER BALLOTS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—All voter-verified 
paper ballots required to be used under 
this Act shall be marked or printed on du-
rable paper. 
‘‘(ii) DEFINITION.—For purposes of 
this Act, paper is ‘durable’ if it is capable 
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of withstanding multiple counts and re-
counts by hand without compromising the 
fundamental integrity of the ballots, and 
capable 
of 
retaining 
the 
information 
marked or printed on them for the full du-
ration of a retention and preservation pe-
riod of 22 months. 
‘‘(B) READABILITY
REQUIREMENTS
FOR 
PAPER BALLOTS MARKED BY BALLOT MARKING 
DEVICE.—All voter-verified paper ballots com-
pleted by the voter through the use of a ballot 
marking device shall be clearly readable by the 
voter without assistance (other than eyeglasses 
or other personal vision enhancing devices) and 
by an optical character recognition device or 
other device equipped for individuals with dis-
abilities.’’. 
SEC. 1505. PAPER BALLOT PRINTING REQUIREMENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 301(a) of the Help Amer-
ica Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21081(a)), as amended 
by section 1504, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(8) PRINTING
REQUIREMENTS
FOR
BAL-
LOTS.—All paper ballots used in an election for Fed-
eral office shall be printed on recycled paper.’’. 
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(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply with respect to elections occurring 
on or after January 1, 2021. 
SEC. 1506. STUDY AND REPORT ON OPTIMAL BALLOT DE-
SIGN. 
(a) STUDY.—The Election Assistance Commission 
shall conduct a study of the best ways to design ballots 
used in elections for public office, including paper ballots 
and electronic or digital ballots, to minimize confusion and 
user errors. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than January 1, 2020, the 
Election Assistance Commission shall submit to Congress 
a report on the study conducted under subsection (a). 
SEC. 1507. PAPER BALLOT PRINTING REQUIREMENTS. 
Section 301(a) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 
(52 U.S.C. 21081(a)), as amended by section 1504, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new para-
graph: 
‘‘(8) PRINTING
REQUIREMENTS
FOR
BAL-
LOTS.—All paper ballots used in an election for Fed-
eral office shall be printed in the United States on 
paper manufactured in the United States.’’. 
SEC. 1508. EFFECTIVE DATE FOR NEW REQUIREMENTS. 
Section 301(d) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 
(52 U.S.C. 21081(d)) is amended to read as follows: 
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‘‘(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), each State and jurisdiction shall be re-
quired to comply with the requirements of this sec-
tion on and after January 1, 2006. 
‘‘(2) SPECIAL
RULE
FOR
CERTAIN
REQUIRE-
MENTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
section 1505(b) of the For the People Act of 
2019 and subparagraphs (B) and (C), the re-
quirements of this section which are first im-
posed on a State and jurisdiction pursuant to 
the amendments made by the Voter Confidence 
and Increased Accessibility Act of 2019 shall 
apply with respect to voting systems used for 
any election for Federal office held in 2020 or 
any succeeding year. 
‘‘(B) DELAY
FOR
JURISDICTIONS
USING 
CERTAIN PAPER RECORD PRINTERS OR CERTAIN 
SYSTEMS
USING
OR
PRODUCING
VOTER- 
VERIFIABLE PAPER RECORDS IN 2018.— 
‘‘(i) DELAY.—In the case of a juris-
diction described in clause (ii), subpara-
graph (A) shall apply to a voting system in 
the jurisdiction as if the reference in such 
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subparagraph to ‘2020’ were a reference to 
‘2022’, but only with respect to the fol-
lowing requirements of this section: 
‘‘(I) Paragraph (2)(A)(i)(I) of 
subsection (a) (relating to the use of 
voter-verified paper ballots). 
‘‘(II) Paragraph (3)(B)(ii)(I) and 
(II) of subsection (a) (relating to ac-
cess to verification from and casting 
of the durable paper ballot). 
‘‘(III) Paragraph (7) of sub-
section (a) (relating to durability and 
readability requirements for ballots). 
‘‘(ii) JURISDICTIONS
DESCRIBED.—A 
jurisdiction described in this clause is a ju-
risdiction— 
‘‘(I) which used voter verifiable 
paper record printers attached to di-
rect recording electronic voting ma-
chines, or which used other voting 
systems that used or produced paper 
records of the vote verifiable by voters 
but that are not in compliance with 
paragraphs (2)(A)(i)(I), (3)(B)(iii)(I) 
and (II), and (7) of subsection (a) (as 
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amended or added by the Voter Con-
fidence and Increased Accessibility 
Act of 2019), for the administration 
of the regularly scheduled general 
election for Federal office held in No-
vember 2018; and 
‘‘(II) which will continue to use 
such printers or systems for the ad-
ministration of elections for Federal 
office held in years before 2022. 
‘‘(iii) MANDATORY
AVAILABILITY
OF 
PAPER
BALLOTS
AT
POLLING
PLACES 
USING
GRANDFATHERED
PRINTERS
AND 
SYSTEMS.— 
‘‘(I) REQUIRING BALLOTS TO BE 
OFFERED
AND
PROVIDED.—The ap-
propriate election official at each poll-
ing place that uses a printer or sys-
tem described in clause (ii)(I) for the 
administration of elections for Federal 
office shall offer each individual who 
is eligible to cast a vote in the election 
at the polling place the opportunity to 
cast the vote using a blank pre-print-
ed paper ballot which the individual 
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may mark by hand and which is not 
produced by the direct recording elec-
tronic voting machine or other such 
system. The official shall provide the 
individual with the ballot and the sup-
plies necessary to mark the ballot, and 
shall ensure (to the greatest extent 
practicable) that the waiting period 
for the individual to cast a vote is the 
lesser of 30 minutes or the average 
waiting period for an individual who 
does not agree to cast the vote using 
such a paper ballot under this clause. 
‘‘(II) TREATMENT OF BALLOT.— 
Any paper ballot which is cast by an 
individual under this clause shall be 
counted and otherwise treated as a 
regular ballot for all purposes (includ-
ing by incorporating it into the final 
unofficial vote count (as defined by 
the State) for the precinct) and not as 
a provisional ballot, unless the indi-
vidual casting the ballot would have 
otherwise been required to cast a pro-
visional ballot. 
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‘‘(III) POSTING
OF
NOTICE.— 
The appropriate election official shall 
ensure there is prominently displayed 
at each polling place a notice that de-
scribes the obligation of the official to 
offer individuals the opportunity to 
cast votes using a pre-printed blank 
paper ballot. 
‘‘(IV) TRAINING
OF
ELECTION 
OFFICIALS.—The chief State election 
official shall ensure that election offi-
cials at polling places in the State are 
aware of the requirements of this 
clause, including the requirement to 
display a notice under subclause (III), 
and are aware that it is a violation of 
the requirements of this title for an 
election official to fail to offer an indi-
vidual the opportunity to cast a vote 
using a blank pre-printed paper ballot. 
‘‘(V) 
PERIOD
OF
APPLICA-
BILITY.—The requirements of this 
clause apply only during the period in 
which the delay is in effect under 
clause (i). 
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‘‘(C) SPECIAL
RULE
FOR
JURISDICTIONS 
USING
CERTAIN
NONTABULATING
BALLOT 
MARKING DEVICES.—In the case of a jurisdic-
tion which uses a nontabulating ballot marking 
device which automatically deposits the ballot 
into a privacy sleeve, subparagraph (A) shall 
apply to a voting system in the jurisdiction as 
if the reference in such subparagraph to ‘any 
election for Federal office held in 2020 or any 
succeeding year’ were a reference to ‘elections 
for Federal office occurring held in 2022 or 
each succeeding year’, but only with respect to 
paragraph (3)(B)(iii)(II) of subsection (a) (re-
lating to nonmanual casting of the durable 
paper ballot).’’. 
Subtitle G—Provisional Ballots 
SEC. 1601. REQUIREMENTS FOR COUNTING PROVISIONAL 
BALLOTS; 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: 
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‘‘(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. 
‘‘(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This subsection shall 
apply with respect to elections held on or after Janu-
ary 1, 2020. 
‘‘(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, 2020.’’. 
(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-
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serting ‘‘Except as provided in subsections (d)(2) and 
(e)(2), each State’’. 
Subtitle H—Early Voting 
SEC. 1611. EARLY VOTING. 
(a) REQUIREMENTS.—Subtitle A of title III of the 
Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21081 et seq.), 
as amended by section 1031(a) and section 1101(a), is 
amended— 
(1) by redesignating sections 306 and 307 as 
sections 307 and 308; and 
(2) by inserting after section 305 the following 
new section: 
‘‘SEC. 306. EARLY VOTING. 
‘‘(a) REQUIRING VOTING PRIOR TO DATE OF ELEC-
TION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall allow indi-
viduals to vote in an election for Federal office dur-
ing an early voting period which occurs prior to the 
date of the election, in the same manner as voting 
is allowed on such date. 
‘‘(2) LENGTH
OF
PERIOD.—The early voting 
period required under this subsection with respect to 
an election shall consist of a period of consecutive 
days (including weekends) which begins on the 15th 
day before the date of the election (or, at the option 
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of the State, on a day prior to the 15th day before 
the date of the election) and ends on the date of the 
election. 
‘‘(b) MINIMUM EARLY VOTING REQUIREMENTS.— 
Each polling place which allows voting during an early vot-
ing period under subsection (a) shall— 
‘‘(1) allow such voting for no less than 10 hours 
on each day; 
‘‘(2) have uniform hours each day for which 
such voting occurs; and 
‘‘(3) allow such voting to be held for some pe-
riod of time prior to 9:00 a.m (local time) and some 
period of time after 5:00 p.m. (local time). 
‘‘(c) LOCATION OF POLLING PLACES.— 
‘‘(1) 
PROXIMITY
TO
PUBLIC
TRANSPOR-
TATION.—To the greatest extent practicable, a State 
shall ensure that each polling place which allows vot-
ing during an early voting period under subsection 
(a) is located within walking distance of a stop on 
a public transportation route. 
‘‘(2) AVAILABILITY
IN
RURAL
AREAS.—The 
State shall ensure that polling places which allow 
voting during an early voting period under sub-
section (a) will be located in rural areas of the State, 
and shall ensure that such polling places are located 
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in communities which will provide the greatest op-
portunity for residents of rural areas to vote during 
the early voting period. 
‘‘(d) STANDARDS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall issue 
standards for the administration of voting prior to 
the day scheduled for a Federal election. Such 
standards shall include the nondiscriminatory geo-
graphic placement of polling places at which such 
voting occurs. 
‘‘(2) DEVIATION.—The standards described in 
paragraph (1) shall permit States, upon providing 
adequate public notice, to deviate from any require-
ment in the case of unforeseen circumstances such 
as a natural disaster, terrorist attack, or a change 
in voter turnout. 
‘‘(e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply 
with respect to elections held on or after January 1, 
2020.’’. 
(b) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENT
RELATING
TO 
ISSUANCE OF VOLUNTARY GUIDANCE BY ELECTION AS-
SISTANCE COMMISSION.—Section 311(b) of such Act (52 
U.S.C. 21101(b)), as amended by section 1101(b), is 
amended— 
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(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 
(3); 
(2) by striking the period at the end of para-
graph (4) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(5) in the case of the recommendations with 
respect to section 306, June 30, 2020.’’. 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 
of such Act, as amended by section 1031(c) and section 
1101(d), is amended— 
(1) by redesignating the items relating to sec-
tions 306 and 307 as relating to sections 307 and 
308; and 
(2) by inserting after the item relating to sec-
tion 305 the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 306. Early voting.’’. 
Subtitle I—Voting by Mail 
SEC. 1621. VOTING BY MAIL. 
(a) REQUIREMENTS.—Subtitle A of title III of the 
Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21081 et seq.), 
as amended by section 1031(a), section 1101(a), and sec-
tion 1611(a), is amended— 
(1) by redesignating sections 307 and 308 as 
sections 308 and 309; and 
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(2) by inserting after section 306 the following 
new section: 
‘‘SEC. 307. PROMOTING ABILITY OF VOTERS TO VOTE BY 
MAIL. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—If an individual in a State is eli-
gible to cast a vote in an election for Federal office, the 
State may not impose any additional conditions or require-
ments on the eligibility of the individual to cast the vote 
in such election by absentee ballot by mail, except as re-
quired under subsection (b) and except to the extent that 
the State imposes a deadline for requesting the ballot and 
related voting materials from the appropriate State or 
local election official and for returning the ballot to the 
appropriate State or local election official. 
‘‘(b) REQUIRING SIGNATURE VERIFICATION.— 
‘‘(1) REQUIREMENT.—A State may not accept 
and process an absentee ballot submitted by any in-
dividual with respect to an election for Federal office 
unless the State verifies the identification of the in-
dividual by comparing the individual’s signature on 
the absentee ballot with the individual’s signature on 
the official list of registered voters in the State, in 
accordance with such procedures as the State may 
adopt (subject to the requirements of paragraph 
(2)). 
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‘‘(B) OTHER REQUIREMENTS.—An election 
official may not make a determination that a 
discrepancy exists between the signature on an 
absentee ballot and the signature of the indi-
vidual who submits the ballot on the official list 
of registered voters in the State unless— 
‘‘(i) at least 2 election officials make 
the determination; and 
‘‘(ii) each official who makes the de-
termination has received training in proce-
dures used to verify signatures. 
‘‘(3) REPORT.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 120 
days after the end of a Federal election cycle, 
each chief State election official shall submit to 
Congress a report containing the following in-
formation for the applicable Federal election 
cycle in the State: 
‘‘(i) The number of ballots invalidated 
due to a discrepancy under this subsection. 
‘‘(ii) Description of attempts to con-
tact voters to provide notice as required by 
this subsection. 
‘‘(iii) Description of the cure process 
developed by such State pursuant to this 
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subsection, including the number of ballots 
determined valid as a result of such proc-
ess. 
‘‘(B) FEDERAL
ELECTION
CYCLE
DE-
FINED.—For purposes of this subsection, the 
term ‘Federal election cycle’ means the period 
beginning on January 1 of any odd numbered 
year and ending on December 31 of the fol-
lowing year. 
‘‘(c) DEADLINE FOR PROVIDING BALLOTING MATE-
RIALS.—If an individual requests to vote by absentee bal-
lot in an election for Federal office, the appropriate State 
or local election official shall ensure that the ballot and 
relating voting materials are received by the individual— 
‘‘(1) not later than 2 weeks before the date of 
the election; or 
‘‘(2) in the case of a State which imposes a 
deadline for requesting an absentee ballot and re-
lated voting materials which is less than 2 weeks be-
fore the date of the election, as expeditiously as pos-
sible before the date of the election. 
‘‘(d) ACCESSIBILITY FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DIS-
ABILITIES.—Consistent with section 305, the State shall 
ensure that all absentee ballots and related voting mate-
rials in elections for Federal office are accessible to indi-
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viduals with disabilities in a manner that provides the 
same opportunity for access and participation (including 
with privacy and independence) as for other voters. 
‘‘(e) PAYMENT
OF POSTAGE
ON BALLOTS.—Con-
sistent with regulations of the United States Postal Serv-
ice, the State or the unit of local government responsible 
for the administration of an election for Federal office 
shall prepay the postage on any ballot in the election which 
is cast by mail. 
‘‘(f) UNIFORM DEADLINE
FOR ACCEPTANCE
OF 
MAILED BALLOTS.—If a ballot submitted by an individual 
by mail with respect to an election for Federal office in 
a State is postmarked on or before the date of the election, 
the State may not refuse to accept or process the ballot 
on the grounds that the individual did not meet a deadline 
for returning the ballot to the appropriate State or local 
election official. 
‘‘(g) PERMITTING VOTERS TO RETURN BALLOT TO 
POLLING PLACE ON DATE OF ELECTION.—The State 
shall permit an individual to whom a ballot in an election 
was provided under this section to cast the ballot on the 
date of election by delivering the ballot on that date to 
a polling place. 
‘‘(h) NO EFFECT ON BALLOTS SUBMITTED BY AB-
SENT MILITARY AND OVERSEAS VOTERS.—Nothing in 
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this section may be construed to affect the treatment of 
any ballot submitted by an individual who is entitled to 
vote by absentee ballot under the Uniformed and Overseas 
Citizens Absentee Voting Act (52 U.S.C. 20301 et seq.). 
‘‘(i) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply 
with respect to elections held on or after January 1, 
2020.’’. 
(b) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENT
RELATING
TO 
ISSUANCE OF VOLUNTARY GUIDANCE BY ELECTION AS-
SISTANCE COMMISSION.—Section 311(b) of such Act (52 
U.S.C. 21101(b)), as amended by section 1101(b) and sec-
tion 1611(b), is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 
(4); 
(2) by striking the period at the end of para-
graph (5) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(6) in the case of the recommendations with 
respect to section 307, June 30, 2020.’’. 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 
of such Act, as amended by section 1031(c), section 
1101(d), and section 1611(c), is amended— 
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(1) by redesignating the items relating to sec-
tions 307 and 308 as relating to sections 308 and 
309; and 
(2) by inserting after the item relating to sec-
tion 306 the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 307. Promoting ability of voters to vote by mail.’’. 
(d) DEVELOPMENT OF BIOMETRIC VERIFICATION.— 
(1) DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARDS.—The Na-
tional Institute of Standards, in consultation with 
the Election Assistance Commission, shall develop 
standards for the use of biometric methods which 
could be used voluntarily in place of the signature 
verification requirements of section 307(b) of the 
Help America Vote Act of 2002 (as added by sub-
section (a)) for purposes of verifying the identifica-
tion of an individual voting by absentee ballot in 
elections for Federal office. 
(2) PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENT.—The Na-
tional Institute of Standards shall solicit comments 
from the public in the development of standards 
under paragraph (1). 
(3) DEADLINE.—Not later than one year after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the National 
Institute of Standards shall publish the standards 
developed under paragraph (1). 
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established under section 2414(b) a selection pool of 
36 individuals who are eligible to serve as members 
of the independent redistricting commission of the 
State under this subtitle, consisting of individuals in 
the following categories: 
(A) A majority category, consisting of 12 
individuals who are affiliated with the political 
party whose candidate received the most votes 
in the most recent Statewide election for Fed-
eral office held in the State. 
(B) A minority category, consisting of 12 
individuals who are affiliated with the political 
party whose candidate received the second most 
votes in the most recent Statewide election for 
Federal office held in the State. 
(C) An independent category, consisting of 
12 individuals who are not affiliated with either 
of the political parties described in subpara-
graph (A) or subparagraph (B). 
(2) FACTORS TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT IN DEVEL-
OPING POOL.—In selecting individuals for the selec-
tion pool under this subsection, the nonpartisan 
agency shall— 
(A) ensure that the pool is representative 
of the demographic groups (including racial, 
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