Voting Opportunity and Technology Enhancement Rights Act of 2005

Bill: 109-hr-533
Sponsor: Rep. Conyers, John, Jr. [D-MI-14]
Introduced: 2005-02-02 in the House
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Absentee voting
Administrative procedure
Administrative remedies
Americans in foreign countries
Armed Forces and National Security
Authorization
Ballots
Civil actions and liability
Commemorations
Computer software
Conflict of interests
Congress
Congressional elections
Congressional reporting requirements
Crime and Law Enforcement
Damages
Department of Justice
Economics and Public Finance
Election Assistance Commission
Election Day
Election administration
Election fraud
Employee training
Fines (Penalties)
Government contractors
Government paperwork
Government procurement
Government publicity
Governmental investigations
Holidays
Identification devices
Independent regulatory commissions
Injunctions
Internet
Labor and Employment
Law
Legal fees
Postal service
Presidential elections
Punitive damages
Science, Technology, Communications
Soldier voting
Standards
State laws
Volunteer workers
Voter registration
Voting
Voting machines
Voting rights

Summary:
action_date: 2005-02-02
text: 
Voting Opportunity and Technology Enhancement Rights Act of 2005 - Makes it unlawful for any person to engage in unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting voting in Federal elections. Directs the Attorney General to prevent persons, partnerships, or corporations from using unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting voting in Federal elections. 
 
Directs the Attorney General to carry out certain activities and prescribe rules regarding complaints alleging such acts or practices.
 
Provides for civil actions for violations of rules and cease and desist orders respecting unfair or deceptive acts or practices.
 
Amends the Federal criminal code to establish criminal penalties for such acts or practices, including conspiracy.
 

 
Requires the Attorney General to direct the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division and the Chief of the Voting Section to: (1) develop and implement procedures to ensure that the Voting Section has a reliable method of tracking and documenting allegations of voting irregularities and actions taken to address them; and (2) implement a method to track and report on election monitoring program activities in the Interactive Case Management System.
 
Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 with respect to: (1) use of national Federal write-in absentee ballot; (2) verified ballots; (3) preservation of records; (4) requirements for counting provisional ballots; (5) minimum required voting systems and poll workers in polling places; (6) standards for establishing the minimum required voting systems and poll workers; (7) election day registration; (8) removal from voter registration list; (9) early voting; (10) acceleration of study on election day as a public holiday; (11) voting systems and voter registration; (12) Internet registration; (13) establishing voter identification; (14) Election Administration requirements; (15) standards and training for election officials working at polling places; (16) requiring use of publicly available open source software in voting machines; (17) standards for conducting recounts; and (18) prohibiting agreements with entities failing to meet anti-conflict of interest standards for entities involved with voting machines.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-02-02
text: Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2005-02-02
text: Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2005-02-02
text: Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2005-02-02
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E157-158)
action_date: 2005-02-02
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2005-02-02
text: Introduced in House