HR 6807 · 116th Congress 2019–2021, ended

VoteSafe Act of 2020

Introduced May 12, 2020 Originated House Sponsor James E. Clyburn D-SC

Fact sheet Spreadsheet

Latest action · May 12, 2020 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.

  1. IntroducedMay 12, 2020
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

VoteSafe Act of 2020

This bill expands vote-by-mail and early in-person voting during the 2020 federal elections. It also directs polling places to follow certain guidance related to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) preparedness.

Specifically, each state and local jurisdiction must permit no-excuse mail-in absentee voting. Among other things, each state and jurisdiction must (1) provide a mail-in ballot with prepaid return postage to each registered voter who requests such a ballot, (2) allow voters to submit online ballot requests, (3) allow voters to cure certain signature discrepancies, and (4) provide secured drop-off boxes from 45 days before the date of the election.

Each state and local jurisdiction must maintain an early in-person voting period of at least 20 days.

Additionally, each state must establish a plan to ensure that polling places are implementing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention related to COVID-19 preparedness. Among other requirements, each plan must (1) keep as many voting locations open as possible, (2) prepare polling locations to implement social distancing protocols, (3) provide sufficient quantities of hygiene and cleaning supplies at polling locations, and (4) provide additional compensation and protective equipment to poll workers.

The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) must make a payment, within 30 days, to each state to carry out these requirements.

Finally, the EAC must make payments to eligible states to carry out certain activities related to in-person voting, such as ensuring that elections are accessible to individuals with disabilities and implementing curbside voting.

Cosponsors 65

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 12, 2020 to May 19, 2020; 54 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-NYAdriano EspaillatOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-CAAlan S. LowenthalOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-FLAlcee L. HastingsOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-NCAlma S. AdamsOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-INAndré CarsonOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-MIAndy LevinOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-CABarbara LeeOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-ILBobby L. RushOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-NJBonnie Watson ColemanOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-MIDaniel T. KildeeOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-ILDanny K. DavisOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-FLDarren SotoOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-RIDavid N. CicillineOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-NMDebra A. HaalandOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-CODiana DeGetteOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-FLDonna E. ShalalaOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-PADwight EvansOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-TXEddie Bernice JohnsonOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-DCEleanor Holmes NortonOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-NYEliot L. EngelOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-NCG. K. ButterfieldOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-CAGilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr.OriginalMay 12, 2020
D-CAGrace F. NapolitanoOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-NYGrace MengOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-WIGwen MooreOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-NYHakeem S. JeffriesOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-GAHenry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr.OriginalMay 12, 2020
D-CTJahana HayesOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-MAJames P. McGovernOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-MDJamie RaskinOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-ILJanice D. SchakowskyOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-CAJerry McNerneyOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-ILJesús G. "Chuy" GarcíaOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-COJoe NeguseOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-MAJoseph P. Kennedy IIIOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-OHJoyce BeattyOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-CAKaren BassOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-CALucille Roybal-AllardOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-CAMark TakanoOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-CAMike ThompsonOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-ORPeter A. DeFazioOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-AZRaúl M. GrijalvaOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-CARo KhannaOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-VARobert C. "Bobby" ScottOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-MAStephen F. LynchOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-TXSylvia R. GarciaOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-CATed LieuOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-ALTerri A. SewellOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-FLTheodore E. DeutchOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-OHTim RyanOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-CATony CárdenasOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-FLVal Butler DemingsOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-MOWm. Lacy ClayOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-NYYvette D. ClarkeOriginalMay 12, 2020
D-MDAnthony G. BrownMay 19, 2020
D-MNBetty McCollumMay 19, 2020
D-WADenny HeckMay 19, 2020
D-OREarl BlumenauerMay 19, 2020
D-HIEd CaseMay 19, 2020
D-MALori TrahanMay 19, 2020
D-TXMarc A. VeaseyMay 19, 2020
D-PAMichael F. DoyleMay 19, 2020
D-CANorma J. TorresMay 19, 2020
D-ILRobin L. KellyMay 19, 2020
D-TNSteve CohenMay 19, 2020

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseCommittee on House Administration
Referred May 12, 2020

Actions 2

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. May 12, 2020Introduced in House
  2. May 12, 2020Referred 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

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: The Elections Clause of the United States Constitution gives Congress sweeping power to regulate the time, place, and manner of Federal elections (Article I, section 4 of the Constitution of the United States; see also Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., 570 U.S. 1 (2013)). Congress also has enforcement power under the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments of the Constitution of the United States.

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 166, no. 89, May 12, 2020, page H1993.

Printed hearings 1

Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.

NumberHearingCommitteeHeld
Serial No. 116-79PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO VOTE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC146 pagesJudiciary CommitteeJun 3, 2020

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.

Related bills 3

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
S 3725VoteSafe Act of 2020Related billMay 13, 2020
S 3822DemocracyCorps ActRelated billMay 21, 2020
HR 7068VoteSafe Act of 2020Related billJun 1, 2020

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced
To expand vote by mail and early voting, and to improve the safety, accessibility, and efficiency of in-person voting during elections for Federal office.
Short Title(s) as Introduced
VoteSafe Act of 2020

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. May 12, 2020Introduced in House

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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.