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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4881 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4881
To direct the Election Assistance Commission to make grants to States
for procuring and maintaining electronic pollbooks with the capability
of collecting and disseminating wait time information, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 5, 2025
Ms. Crockett (for herself, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Mr. Deluzio, Mr.
Evans of Pennsylvania, Mr. Fields, Mr. Goldman of New York, Mr. Johnson
of Georgia, Ms. Norton, and Mr. Thompson of Mississippi) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House
Administration
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Election Assistance Commission to make grants to States
for procuring and maintaining electronic pollbooks with the capability
of collecting and disseminating wait time information, and for other
purposes.
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 ``Supplying Wait-time Information to
Facilitate Timely Voting with Operational and Technology Enhancements
Act'' or the ``SWIFT VOTE Act''.
SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR PROCURING AND MAINTAINING ELECTRONIC POLLBOOKS.
(a) Grants.--
(1) Authority to make grants.--Not later than 1 year after
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Election Assistance
Commission shall make a grant to each eligible jurisdiction in
a State for the purpose of--
(A) procuring or maintaining electronic pollbooks
(hereafter referred to as ``e-pollbooks''); or
(B) developing the capability of collecting and
disseminating wait time information for use in
elections for Federal office, whether through the use
of e-pollbooks with such capability or through other
means.
(2) Prioritization of grants to procure e-pollbooks.--In
making grants to eligible jurisdictions under this section, the
Commission shall give priority to eligible jurisdictions
showing demonstrated need for new or additional e-pollbooks
which the jurisdiction will use to reduce wait times at polling
places on the dates of elections for Federal office, and give
priority to eligible jurisdictions that propose the development
of capability to report wait time information in accordance
with subsection (c)(2)(A).
(b) Eligibility.--An eligible jurisdiction is eligible to receive a
grant under this section if the eligible jurisdiction submits to the
Commission, at such time and in such form as the Commission may
require, an application containing the information and assurances
described in subsection (c).
(c) Information Described.--The information and assurances
described in this subsection are, with respect to an eligible
jurisdiction, the following:
(1) For an eligible jurisdiction seeking funding for e-
pollbooks, a description of the need of the eligible
jurisdiction for procuring or maintaining e-pollbooks.
(2) For an eligible jurisdiction seeking funding for the
collection and dissemination of wait time information--
(A) a certification that the chief election
official of the eligible jurisdiction shall publish on
the official public website of the chief election
official the most recent wait time information for each
polling place which is open for voters to vote in an
election for Federal office--
(i) in the case of a polling place which is
open for 4 hours or fewer on such a day, on an
hourly basis on such a day; or
(ii) in the case of a polling place which
is open for more than 4 hours on such a day, on
at least 4 regular intervals on such a day.
(B) Following each election cycle, publish on the
official public website of the chief election official
of the eligible jurisdiction a report detailing wait
time information through that election cycle, including
on the date of the election as well as any dates on
which individuals were permitted to vote in person
prior to the date of the election, including wait times
throughout each such day of voting, to the extent such
information is available.
(3) An assurance that--
(A) the funds provided under this section will be
used to supplement and not supplant other funds used to
carry out the activities for which the funds are
provided; and
(B) the chief election official of the eligible
jurisdiction shall provide regular reports to the
Commission containing information on the procurement
and maintenance of e-pollbooks with the funds provided
under this section.
(4) An assurance that the eligible jurisdiction shall
develop procedures for certifying that the procurement and
maintenance of e-pollbooks with the funds provided under this
section is in compliance with the Commission's Voluntary
Electronic Poll Book Certification Program, or any similar or
successor program established by the Commission for e-pollbook
certification. Nothing in this paragraph may be construed to
prohibit a eligible jurisdiction in a State from receiving a
grant under this section on the grounds that the State has in
effect standards and procedures for the use of e-pollbooks
which are in addition to the standards and procedures required
by the Commission.
(5) An assurance that the eligible jurisdiction will work
with experts in voting system technology and infrastructure to
develop and carry out training programs in the use of e-
pollbooks by election officials, and that such programs will
train election officials in methods that will enable the
officials to meet the needs of individual voters, including
voters with limited English language proficiency and voters
with disabilities, without regard to age, gender, or sexual
orientation.
(6) Such other information and assurances as the Commission
may require.
(d) Definitions.--In this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) The term ``Commission'' means the Election Assistance
Commission.
(2) The term ``election cycle'' means the period beginning
on the day after the date of the most recent regularly
scheduled general election for Federal office and ending on the
date of the next such election.
(3) The term ``eligible jurisdiction'' means a State or a
political subdivision of a State which is responsible for
carrying out an election for Federal office in the State.
(4) The term ``e-pollbook'' means a device or technology
that may be used at a polling place in an election for Federal
office in place of a traditional paper poll book and that
partially automates the process of checking in voters,
assigning voters the correct ballot style, and tracking voters
who have been issued a ballot. An e-pollbook may be used at the
polling place together with a separate copy of the list of
registered voters or may be networked into a central voter
registration system which enables the election official at the
polling place to check and update voter records in real time.
(5) The term ``State'' means each of the several States,
the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,
American Samoa, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, and the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
(6) The term ``wait time information'' means, with respect
to a polling place in an election for Federal office, the
length of time between when an individual arrives at the
polling place and completes the polling place's check-in
process, as well as the length of time between the completion
of that individual's check-in process and when that individual
receives a ballot or, if a physical ballot is not provided,
until the individual is directed to an electronic voting
machine.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $120,000,000, to remain
available until expended.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
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