Foreign-Free Elections Act
Bill: H.R.1294 | Sponsor: Rep. Gohmert, Louie (R-TX)
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Foreign-Free Elections Act
This bill prohibits foreign entities from administering federal elections.
Specifically, each state must ensure that no foreign entity carries out the administration of federal elections, including maintaining or operating equipment or software.
Additionally, the bill prohibits a nonprofit organization from carrying out activities related to voting or elections for state public office if the organization accepts funds from a foreign entity.

To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to prohibit the 
 participation of foreign entities in the administration of elections 
                          for Federal office.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Foreign-Free 
Elections Act''.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) because Federal elections decide the future of American 
        citizens, it is unacceptable to have any foreign participation 
        in these elections; and
            (2) elections in the United States should be carried out 
        with the highest degree of integrity and safeguards to ensure 
        legality and United States control, in order to prevent the 
        disenfranchisement of legal voters.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITING PARTICIPATION OF FOREIGN ENTITIES IN ADMINISTRATION 
              OF FEDERAL ELECTIONS.

    (a) Prohibition.--Title III of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 
(52 U.S.C. 21081 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating sections 304 and 305 as sections 305 
        and 306; and
            (2) by inserting after section 303 the following new 
        section:

``SEC. 304. PROHIBITING PARTICIPATION OF FOREIGN ENTITIES IN 
              ADMINISTRATION OF ELECTIONS.

    ``(a) Prohibition.--Each State shall ensure that no foreign entity 
carries out any role in the administration of elections for Federal 
office in the State, including providing, maintaining, programming, 
operating, storing, or compiling any of the equipment, software, 
supplies, or information used in the administration of the election.
    ``(b) Role of Nonprofit Organizations.--A nonprofit organization 
may not carry out any activities related to voting or elections for 
public office in a State if the organization accepts any funds from a 
foreign entity.
    ``(c) Foreign Entity Defined.--In this section, the term `foreign 
entity' means--
            ``(1) any individual who is not a citizen or national of 
        the United States;
            ``(2) any person who is a foreign principal described in 
        section 1(b) of the of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 
        1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 611(b));
            ``(3) any partnership, association, corporation, or other 
        business organization in which any individual described in 
        paragraph (1) or any person described in paragraph (2) directly 
        or indirectly owns or controls any voting share or directly or 
        indirectly has any ownership interest; and
            ``(4) any person (including a citizen or national of the 
        United States) who, at the time of carrying out any role 
        requiring connection to or use of the Internet in the 
        administration of an election for Federal office, is not 
        present in a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth 
        of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin 
        Islands, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
        Islands.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment Relating to Enforcement.--Section 401 of 
such Act (52 U.S.C. 21111) is amended by striking ``and 303'' and 
inserting ``303, and 304''.
    (c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents of such Act is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating the items relating to sections 304 and 
        305 as relating to sections 305 and 306; and
            (2) by inserting after the item relating to section 303 the 
        following new item:

``Sec. 304. Prohibiting participation of foreign entities in 
                            administration of elections.''.
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