Voting Opportunity and Technology Enhancement Rights Act of 2005
Latest action · Jul 20, 2006 Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S7999)
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJan 24, 2005
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Voting Opportunity and Technology Enhancement Rights Act of 2005 - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to permit any person who is otherwise qualified to vote in a Federal election in a State to use the national Federal write-in absentee ballot prescribed by the Election Assistance Commission to cast a vote in such an election.
Directs the Commission to prescribe a national Federal write-in absentee ballot for use in elections for Federal office.
Requires the voting system to provide for an independent means of voter verification, allowing each voter to verify the ballot before it is cast and counted.
Requires the State to: (1) count such ballot if the individual who cast it is otherwise eligible to vote; and (2) provide for the minimum required number of voting systems and poll workers for each polling place on the day of any Federal election, and on any days during which such State allows early voting.
Directs the Commission to issue standards regarding the minimum number of voting systems and poll workers.
Amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require each State, with certain exceptions, to permit any individual on the day of a Federal election to: (1) register to vote at the polling place; and (2) cast a vote in such election.
Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require: (1) the Commission to develop an election day registration form for elections for Federal office; (2) each State to provide public notice of all names which have been removed from the voter registration list since the later of the most recent Federal election or the day of the most recent previous public notice; (3) each State to allow individuals to vote in a Federal election at least 15 days before the day scheduled for it in the same manner as voting on such day (early voting); (4) each polling place which allows early voting to allow it for at least a uniform four hours each day; and (5) the Commission to issue standards for the administration of early voting.
Accelerates the study on election day as a public holiday.
Requires mail voter registration forms to include, in lieu of mandatory questions and statements, an affidavit to be signed by the registrant attesting both to citizenship and age.
Directs each State to establish a program under which individuals may access voter registration forms electronically through the Internet.
Provides for establishing voter identification with respect to in person voting and voting by mail.
Outlines election administration requirements.
Cosponsors 6
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 24, 2005 to Feb 16, 2005, with 4 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MD | Barbara A. Mikulski | Original | Jan 24, 2005 |
| D-NY | Charles E. Schumer | Original | Jan 24, 2005 |
| D-MI | Debbie Stabenow | Original | Jan 24, 2005 |
| D-WV | John D. Rockefeller IV | Original | Jan 24, 2005 |
| D-NV | Harry Reid | Feb 16, 2005 | |
| D-NJ | Jon S. Corzine | Feb 16, 2005 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 20, 2006Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S7999)
- Jan 26, 2005Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S563-565)
- Jan 24, 2005Introduced in Senate
- Jan 24, 2005Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration. (text of measure as introduced: CR S204-207)
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
- Absentee voting
- Administrative procedure
- Americans in foreign countries
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Authorization
- Ballots
- Commemorations
- Congress
- Congressional elections
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Economics and Public Finance
- Election administration
- Election Assistance Commission
- Election Day
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government paperwork
- Government publicity
- Governmental investigations
- Holidays
- Identification devices
- Internet
- Law
- Postal service
- Presidential elections
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Soldier voting
- Standards
- State laws
- Voter registration
- Voting machines
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.