Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2003

Bill: 108-hr-2239
Sponsor: Rep. Holt, Rush [D-NJ-12]
Introduced: 2003-05-22 in the House
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Authorization
Ballots
Computer security measures
Computer software
Computers
Congress
Congressional elections
Directories
Disabled
Economics and Public Finance
Election administration
Government paperwork
Government procurement
Government publicity
Grants-in-aid
Laboratories
Law
Licenses
Presidential elections
Science, Technology, Communications
Standards
Voter registration
Voting
Voting machines
Voting of the disabled
Voting rights
Wireless communication

Summary:
action_date: 2003-05-22
text: Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2003 - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to provide for an extension of time for States to request payments for activities to improve administration of elections and for replacement of punch card or lever voting machines.
Repeals the exemption of the Election Assistance Commission from certain Government contracting requirements (thus requiring the Commission to advertise for proposals for purchases and contracts for supplies or services).
Revises audit capacity requirements to require the voting system to produce a voter-verified paper record suitable for a manual audit equivalent or superior to that of a paper ballot box system.
Requires the voting system to provide a mechanism for voter-verification of results with respect to individuals with disabilities which separates the function of vote generation from the function of vote casting, but does not require the use of paper. Requires instruction of election officials in the rights of the disabled to vote with the assistance of an aide of their selection under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Requires the Commission to study and develop best practices to enhance accessibility and voter-verification mechanisms for disabled voters.
Accelerates the deadline for compliance with voting systems standards from January 1, 2006, to the regularly scheduled November 2004 general Federal election.
Requires each State and jurisdiction unable to meet such deadline to receive a paper voting system at Commission expense that shall be deemed compliant with such standards for use in the November 2004 general election.
Requires Federal certification of technological security of voter registration lists.
Directs the Commission to: (1) conduct manual mandatory surprise recounts of the voter-verified records of each election for Federal office (and, at State or local option, of elections for State and local office) in .5 percent of the jurisdictions in each State and .5 percent of the overseas jurisdictions in which voter-verified records are preserved in accordance with this Act immediately following each general election for Federal office; and (2) promptly publish the results of those recounts.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2004-04-21
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H2253-2256, H2258, H2261)
action_date: 2003-10-08
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H9357)
action_date: 2003-05-23
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1081-1082)
action_date: 2003-05-22
text: Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
action_date: 2003-05-22
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2003-05-22
text: Introduced in House