‘‘(C) SINGLE DEBATE FOR MULTIPLE MO-
TIONS
IN
RELATION
TO
APPOINTMENT
OF 
ELECTORS.—If more than one motion in rela-
tion to the appointment of electors from a State 
is made under subsection (b) that satisfies the 
requirements of paragraph (5), such motions 
shall be debatable for a single period of two 
hours as provided in subparagraph (B)(i). 
‘‘(D) SINGLE DEBATE FOR MULTIPLE OB-
JECTIONS.—If more than one objection with re-
spect to any vote from a State is made under 
subsection (c) that satisfies the requirements of 
paragraph (5), such objections shall be debat-
able for a single period of two hours as pro-
vided in subparagraph (B)(ii). 
‘‘(E) SPECIAL RULE REGARDING LENGTH 
OF DEBATE.—If the proceedings of the joint 
session have not been completed in five calendar 
days, the presiding officer may reduce the 
length of debate for any question to not less 
than 30 minutes equally divided and controlled 
by the majority leader and minority leader of 
each House or their respective designees. 
‘‘(b) RULES
FOR IDENTIFYING
THE DULY AP-
POINTED ELECTORS OF A STATE.— 
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The presiding officer shall 
announce the electors whose appointments are re-
flected in a certificate that is received under section 
6 of this title. Pursuant to section 6 of this title, 
such electors shall be the conclusive appointed elec-
tors for the State, and in no case shall the presiding 
officer or the joint session consider any other person 
to be an appointed elector for a State. 
‘‘(2) MOTIONS IN RELATION TO THE APPOINT-
MENT OF ELECTORS.—After the declaration of the 
presiding officer under paragraph (1) with respect to 
a State, the following motions may be submitted: 
‘‘(A) A motion to reject the declaration of 
the appointment of electors for the State by the 
presiding officer under paragraph (1) on the 
grounds that the certificate of appointment pre-
sented by the presiding officer is not conclusive 
under section 6 of this title and to receive a 
certificate of appointment from the State that 
is conclusive under section 6 of this title. 
‘‘(B) In the absence of any presentation of 
a certificate from a State by the presiding offi-
cer, a motion to receive a certificate of appoint-
ment from the State that is conclusive under 
section 6 of this title. 
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‘‘(3) VOTING BY THE HOUSES.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—When all motions of-
fered pursuant to paragraph (2) with respect to 
a State have been received and read in the joint 
session, the Senate shall thereupon withdraw, 
and such motions shall be submitted to the Sen-
ate for its decision, and the Speaker of the 
House of Representatives shall submit such mo-
tions to the House of Representatives for its de-
cision. 
‘‘(B) ANNOUNCEMENT
OF
DECISION.— 
When the two Houses have voted, they shall im-
mediately resume proceedings in the joint ses-
sion, and the presiding officer shall announce 
the decision on any such motions. 
‘‘(4) ANNOUNCEMENT
OF
APPOINTMENT
OF 
ELECTORS.—If a motion under paragraph (2) is 
adopted, the presiding officer shall declare the list of 
electors that was received under such motion to be 
the appointed electors for the State. 
‘‘(c) OBJECTIONS TO CERTIFICATE OF ELECTORAL 
VOTES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Once the joint session has 
identified the duly appointed electors of a State pur-
suant to the procedures described in subsection (a) 
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and the rules described in subsection (b), the pre-
siding officer shall call for objections, if any, to one 
or more electoral votes cast by the electors of the 
State on the grounds specified in paragraph (2). No 
votes from a State shall be acted upon until any ob-
jections made to the votes from a State under this 
subsection have been decided. 
‘‘(2) GROUNDS FOR OBJECTIONS.—To raise an 
objection under this subsection, a Member must sub-
mit such objection pursuant to the requirements of 
subsection (a)(5) and specify in writing the number 
of electoral votes objected to and one of the following 
grounds for the objection: 
‘‘(A) The State in question was not validly 
a State at the time its electors cast their elec-
toral votes and is thus not entitled to such 
votes, except that such objection may not be 
raised with respect to the District of Columbia. 
‘‘(B) The State in question submitted more 
votes than it is constitutionally entitled to, and 
thus a corresponding number of its purported 
votes should be rejected. 
‘‘(C) One or more of the State’s electors 
are constitutionally ineligible for the office of 
elector under article II, section I, clause 2 or 
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section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment of the 
Constitution of the United States, except if a 
State has replaced the ineligible elector with an 
eligible elector pursuant to the authority de-
scribed in section 4 of this title prior to the 
casting of electoral votes by its electors, then it 
shall not be in order to cite the initial appoint-
ment of the ineligible elector as grounds for 
raising an objection under this subparagraph. 
‘‘(D) One or more of the State’s electoral 
votes were cast for a candidate who is ineligible 
for the office of President or Vice President 
pursuant to— 
‘‘(i) article I, section 3, clause 7 of the 
Constitution of the United States; 
‘‘(ii) article II, section 1, clause 5 of 
the Constitution of the United States; 
‘‘(iii) section 3 of the Fourteenth 
Amendment to the Constitution of the 
United States; or 
‘‘(iv) section 1 of the Twenty-second 
Amendment to the Constitution of the 
United States. 
‘‘(E) One or more of the State’s electoral 
votes were cast in violation of the requirements 
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enumerated by article II, section 1, clause 4 of 
the Constitution of the United States by failing 
to vote on the date specified in section 7 of this 
title, or one or more of the State’s electoral 
votes were cast in violation of the Twelfth 
Amendment to the Constitution of the United 
States by failing to be cast— 
‘‘(i) by ballot; or 
‘‘(ii) distinctly for the offices of Presi-
dent and Vice President, one of whom is 
not an inhabitant of the elector’s State. 
‘‘(3) VOTING BY THE HOUSES.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—When all objections 
offered pursuant to paragraph (1) with respect 
to a State have been received and read in the 
joint session, the Senate shall thereupon with-
draw, and such objections shall be submitted to 
the Senate for its decision, and the Speaker of 
the House of Representatives shall submit such 
objections to the House of Representatives for 
its decision. 
‘‘(B) ANNOUNCEMENT
OF
DECISION.— 
When the two Houses have voted, they shall im-
mediately resume proceedings in the joint ses-
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sion, and the presiding officer shall announce 
the decision on any such objections. 
‘‘(d) EFFECT
OF
REJECTION
OF
ELECTORAL 
VOTES.— 
‘‘(1) EFFECT
OF
REJECTION
OF
ELECTORAL 
VOTES.—If a State’s electoral votes are rejected 
under subsection (c)(2)— 
‘‘(A) in the case a State’s electoral votes 
are rejected pursuant to an objection under 
subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of such sub-
section, the whole number of electors appointed 
for purposes of the Twelfth Amendment of the 
Constitution of the United States shall be re-
duced by the number of rejected electoral ap-
pointments; and 
‘‘(B) in the case a State’s electoral votes 
are rejected pursuant to an objection under 
subparagraph (D) or (E) of such subsection, 
the whole number of electors appointed for pur-
poses of the Twelfth Amendment of the Con-
stitution of the United States shall be unaf-
fected. 
‘‘(2) CONSTITUTIONAL INELIGIBILITY.—For the 
purposes of section 3 of the Twentieth Amendment 
of the Constitution of the United States, in the case 
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an 
objection 
is 
sustained 
under 
subsection 
(c)(2)(D)— 
‘‘(A) the electoral votes cast for such can-
didate shall be counted for the purposes of de-
termining whether the candidate has been elect-
ed under such amendment; 
‘‘(B) such candidate shall be deemed to 
have failed to qualify under such amendment; 
and 
‘‘(C) subparagraphs (A) and (B) shall 
apply with respect to any electoral votes cast 
for such candidate from any other State that 
are otherwise valid under this section, except 
that nothing in this paragraph shall be con-
strued to prohibit a Member from objecting to 
any such electoral votes on other grounds de-
scribed in subsection (c)(2).’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Title 3, United 
States Code, is amended by striking sections 16 through 
18. 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
of such title is amended by striking the items relating to 
sections 16 through 18. 
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SEC. 11. PROTECTION OF TABULATION AND CERTIFI-
CATION. 
(a) PROHIBITION.—With respect to an election for 
the office of President, Vice President, or presidential elec-
tor, no person acting under color of law shall willfully fail 
or refuse to— 
(1) tabulate, count, or report any vote that is 
timely cast and is otherwise valid under applicable 
State and Federal law; or 
(2) certify the aggregate tabulations of such 
votes or certify the election of the candidates receiv-
ing sufficient such votes to be elected to office. 
(b) ENFORCEMENT.— 
(1) AUTHORIZING FILING OF ACTION BY CAN-
DIDATE.—Any candidate for President, Vice Presi-
dent, or presidential elector who appears on the bal-
lot in a State who is aggrieved by a violation of sub-
section (a) may file an action for such declaratory 
and injunctive relief as may be appropriate in the 
district court of the United States for the judicial 
district in which the capital of the State is located. 
(2) 
DETERMINATION
BY
THREE-JUDGE 
COURT.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—An action described 
under this subsection shall be heard and deter-
mined by a court of 3 judges convened pursuant 
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to section 2284 of title 28, United States Code, 
except that subsection (b)(2) of such section 
shall not apply to any such action, and any de-
termination with respect to such an action shall 
be reviewable only by appeal directly to the Su-
preme Court of the United States. 
(B) EXPEDITED CONSIDERATION.—It shall 
be the duty of the district court described in 
this subsection and the Supreme Court of the 
United States to advance on the docket and to 
expedite to the greatest extent possible the dis-
position of any action or appeal under this sub-
section. 
(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion may be construed to preempt any action conducted 
pursuant to State law duly enacted prior to the day fixed 
by section 1 of title 3, United States Code, or affect the 
right of any person to bring an action under any other 
Federal law. 
SEC. 12. SEVERABILITY. 
If any provision of this Act or an amendment made 
by this Act, or the application of any provision of this Act 
or an amendment made by this Act to any person or cir-
cumstance, is held to be unconstitutional, the remainder 
of this Act, and the application of such provision or 
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amendment to any other person or circumstance, shall not 
be affected by the holding. 
Æ 
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