Restoring Faith in Our Elections Act

Bill: 116-hr-8781
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Banks, Jim [R-IN-3]
Introduced: 2020-11-19
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Congressional oversight

Elections, voting, political campaign regulation

Government information and archives

State and local government operations
Latest action: action_date: 2020-11-19
text: Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-11-19
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Restoring Faith in Our Elections Act</b></p> <p>This bill requires individuals who are registering to vote in a federal election to provide their full Social Security number on the voter registration application. Currently, applicants must provide their driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. Further, states must use Social Security numbers to verify the identification of each individual who casts a ballot in a federal election.</p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8781 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES November 19, 2020 Mr. Banks introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration A BILL To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require individuals applying to register to vote in elections for Federal office to provide a complete Social Security number with the application, to require States to use Social Security numbers to cross-check the identifications of individuals who vote in elections for Federal office in the State with the identifications of individuals who are registered to vote in such elections, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Restoring Faith in Our Elections Act . 2. Requiring applicants for voter registration to provide full Social Security numbers (a) Requirement Section 303(a)(5)(A) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 ( 52 U.S.C. 21083(a)(5)(A) ) is amended to read as follows: (A) Requiring applicants to provide full Social Security number Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an application for voter registration for an election for Federal office may not be accepted or processed by a State unless the application includes the applicant’s full Social Security number. . (b) Conforming amendment relating to certain voters registering by mail Section 303(b)(3)(B)(i) of such Act ( 52 U.S.C. 21083(b)(3)(B)(i) ) is amended by striking either— and all that follows through ; and and inserting the individual’s full Social Security number; and . (c) Conforming amendment relating to waiver of Privacy Act Section 303(c) of such Act ( 52 U.S.C. 21083(c) ) is amended to read as follows: (c) Permitted use of Social Security numbers Section 7 of the Privacy Act of 1974 ( 5 U.S.C. 552a note) does not apply to the use of a Social Security number under subsection (a)(5)(A) or subsection (b)(3)(B)(i). . (d) Effective date The amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to elections held in 2022 or any succeeding year. 3. Use of Social Security numbers to cross-check identifications of individuals casting ballots in elections with individuals registered to vote in elections (a) Requiring cross-Check of identifications 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: 304. Use of Social Security numbers to cross-check identifications of individuals casting ballots in an election with individuals registered to vote in the election (a) Requirement Immediately upon the closing of the polls in an election for Federal office, each State shall verify the identification of each individual who cast a ballot in the election by carrying out a cross-check of the individual’s identification with the individual’s identification in the official list of individuals who are registered to vote in the election, using the individual’s full Social Security number as the method for determining the individual’s identification. (b) Report to Congress Not later than 7 days after the closing of the polls in an election for Federal office, the State shall submit to the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate a report on the State’s compliance with subsection (a), and shall include in the report— (1) the percentage of individuals who cast votes in the election whose identifications were verified by the State under such subsection; and (2) the number of individuals who cast votes in the election, or who attempted to cast votes in the election, whose identifications could not be verified by the State under such subsection. (c) Effective date This section shall apply with respect to elections held in 2022 or any succeeding year. . (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: Sec. 304. Use of Social Security numbers to cross-check identifications of individuals casting ballots in an election with individuals registered to vote in the election. .