Clean and Fair Elections Act

Clean and Fair Elections Act - Expresses the sense of the Senate with respect to congressional attention to elections and voting, including concerning:

• structuring election administration and campaign finance systems so that the interests of the American public are the first priority;
• greater transparency and an end to anonymous political spending by shadow groups and special interests;
• disclosure of campaign contributions in a searchable, public online database,
• safeguarding the right to vote, including by prohibiting deceptive and misleading efforts to prevent voters from exercising the franchise;
• streamlining voting procedures;
• passage of legislation that includes expanded absentee voting, mandatory early voting periods, and voter registration reforms;
• ensuring that local election officials have working voting systems that are accessible, secure, and easy to use;
• state plans to reduce lines at polling places and provide additional flexibility in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency; and
• enforcement of the guarantees of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 so that all Americans are able to vote and have their votes count without discrimination.

[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 9 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                  S. 9

To strengthen our Nation's electoral system by ensuring clean and fair 
                               elections.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

             January 22 (legislative day, January 3), 2013

Mr. Reid (for himself, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Murray, 
 Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Brown, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Coons, Mrs. Feinstein, 
 Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Sanders, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Schatz, 
Mr. Menendez, Mr. Levin, Mr. Rockefeller, and Mr. Heinrich) introduced 
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 
                      on Rules and Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To strengthen our Nation's electoral system by ensuring clean and fair 
                               elections.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Clean and Fair Elections Act''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF THE SENATE.

    It is the sense of the Senate that Congress should--
            (1) recognize that--
                    (A) our elections belong to the voters of the 
                United States; and
                    (B) our systems of election administration and 
                campaign finance should be structured in a way that 
                prioritizes the interests of the American public first;
            (2) pass legislation to bring greater transparency to our 
        elections and end anonymous political spending by shadow groups 
        and special interests;
            (3) require greater disclosure of campaign contributions in 
        a searchable, public online database;
            (4) take steps to safeguard the right to vote for every 
        eligible voter, including prohibiting deceptive and misleading 
        efforts to prevent voters from exercising the franchise;
            (5) improve access to the polls for every eligible voter by 
        streamlining voting procedures;
            (6) pass election reform legislation that includes expanded 
        absentee voting, mandatory early voting periods, and voter 
        registration reforms;
            (7) support local election officials to ensure they have 
        working voting systems that are accessible, secure, and easy to 
        use;
            (8) require States to develop plans to reduce lines at 
        polling places and develop contingency plans that provide 
        additional flexibility in the event of a natural disaster or 
        other emergency situation; and
            (9) ensure that the guarantees of the 14th and 15th 
        amendments to the Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 
        1965 are enforced so that all Americans are able to vote and 
        have their votes count without discrimination.
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