Protecting American Votes and Elections Act of 2019
Latest action · May 15, 2019 Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
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.
- IntroducedMay 15, 2019
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Protecting American Votes and Elections Act of 2019
This bill addresses the security of federal elections, including by requiring paper ballots, requiring audits of election results, and establishing requirements for election cybersecurity.
The bill provides requirements for ballots. Voting systems must use a paper ballot that is verifiable by a voter before being cast and these ballots must be retained for recounts or audits. During a recount, ballots must be counted by hand.
States and jurisdictions must perform an audit of an election that must include a manual adjudication of voter intent from some or all of the ballots cast. The audit results must meet specified statistical requirements and must be published before such election is certified.
The bill provides a private right of action for any person aggrieved by a violation of voting system or audit requirements.
The Election Assistance Commission must provide funds to states
- to replace paperless voting systems to comply with requirements of the bill,
- for the acquisition of accessible ballot marking devices for voters with disabilities,
- for certain ballot design and printing costs, and
- for certain election audit costs.
The bill also directs the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within in the Department of Homeland Security to set mandatory election cybersecurity standards, including those regarding optical scanning devices, ballot marking devices, election management systems, voter registration websites, and election results systems.
Cosponsors 21
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 15, 2019 to Sep 26, 2019; 9 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-FL | Alcee L. Hastings | Original | May 15, 2019 |
| D-WA | Denny Heck | Original | May 15, 2019 |
| D-MD | Jamie Raskin | Original | May 15, 2019 |
| D-TN | Jim Cooper | Original | May 15, 2019 |
| D-GA | John Lewis | Original | May 15, 2019 |
| D-NY | Kathleen M. Rice | Original | May 15, 2019 |
| D-OR | Peter A. DeFazio | Original | May 15, 2019 |
| D-OR | Suzanne Bonamici | Original | May 15, 2019 |
| D-NY | Yvette D. Clarke | Original | May 15, 2019 |
| D-GA | Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. | May 16, 2019 | |
| D-CA | Anna G. Eshoo | May 21, 2019 | |
| D-CA | Susan A. Davis | May 30, 2019 | |
| D-NH | Ann M. Kuster | Jun 6, 2019 | |
| D-GA | David Scott | Jun 11, 2019 | |
| D-CA | Ro Khanna | Jun 19, 2019 | |
| D-NJ | Jefferson Van Drew | Jun 24, 2019 | |
| D-IL | Lauren Underwood | Jun 24, 2019 | |
| D-OK | Kendra S. Horn | Jul 16, 2019 | |
| D-CA | Jared Huffman | Aug 16, 2019 | |
| D-WA | Rick Larsen | Sep 24, 2019 | |
| D-CA | Ted Lieu | Sep 26, 2019 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Committee on House Administration | Referred May 15, 2019 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 15, 2019Introduced in House
- May 15, 2019Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 165, no. 81, May 15, 2019, page H3842.
CRS reports 2
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 2
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R46406 | Voter Registration: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress | Report | Oct 30, 2026 |
| R47592 | Federal Standards and Guidelines for Voting Systems: Overview and Potential Considerations for Congress | Report | Jun 12, 2023 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1472 | Protecting American Votes and Elections Act of 2019 | Identical bill | May 15, 2019 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require paper ballots and risk-limiting audits in all Federal elections, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Protecting American Votes and Elections Act of 2019
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
- Accounting and auditing
- Census and government statistics
- Civil actions and liability
- Computer security and identity theft
- Computers and information technology
- Congressional elections
- Congressional oversight
- Disability and paralysis
- Disability assistance
- Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
- Foreign language and bilingual programs
- Government information and archives
- Government Operations and Politics
- Internet and video services
- Internet, web applications, social media
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Public contracts and procurement
- Research administration and funding
- State and local finance
- State and local government operations
- Subversive activities
- Telephone and wireless communication
- U.S. territories and protectorates
- Voting rights
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 15, 2019Introduced in House
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; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
