HR 8341 · 117th Congress 2021–2023, ended

Youth Voting Rights Act

Introduced Jul 12, 2022 Originated House Sponsor Nikema Williams D-GA

Fact sheet Spreadsheet

Latest action · Nov 1, 2022 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.

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. IntroducedJul 12, 2022
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Youth Voting Rights Act

This bill expands voting access for youth.

Specifically, the bill establishes a private right of action to enforce the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, which prohibits denying or abridging the right to vote based on age.

Additionally, the bill directs each state to

  • designate as voter registration agencies all offices within public institutions of higher education (IHEs) that provide assistance to students,
  • implement a preregistration process to allow minors who are 16 years or older to register to vote in federal elections that take place when or after the preregistered individual turns age 18, and
  • ensure the availability of polling places on campuses of IHEs (with the availability of waivers).

The bill prohibits durational residency requirements for voting in all federal elections. Currently, this prohibition applies only to voting for the offices of President and Vice President.

States and local jurisdictions with voter identification requirements must treat IHE-issued student identification cards as voter identification.

The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) must make grants to states to increase the involvement of individuals under age 18 in public election activities.

The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on trends related to voter registration, absentee voting, and provisional voting. The EAC must also collect and make publicly available certain data from states.

Cosponsors 23

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jul 12, 2022 to Dec 13, 2022; 15 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-NJBonnie Watson ColemanOriginalJul 12, 2022
D-NYCarolyn B. MaloneyOriginalJul 12, 2022
D-NCDeborah K. RossOriginalJul 12, 2022
D-PADwight EvansOriginalJul 12, 2022
D-OREarl BlumenauerOriginalJul 12, 2022
D-DCEleanor Holmes NortonOriginalJul 12, 2022
D-NYJamaal BowmanOriginalJul 12, 2022
D-ILJesús G. "Chuy" GarcíaOriginalJul 12, 2022
D-MDJohn P. SarbanesOriginalJul 12, 2022
D-CAJuan VargasOriginalJul 12, 2022
D-PAMary Gay ScanlonOriginalJul 12, 2022
D-NYMondaire JonesOriginalJul 12, 2022
D-NYRitchie TorresOriginalJul 12, 2022
D-CASara JacobsOriginalJul 12, 2022
D-CATed LieuOriginalJul 12, 2022
D-CASalud O. CarbajalJul 14, 2022
D-INAndré CarsonAug 16, 2022
D-NVDina TitusAug 16, 2022
D-MIRashida TlaibSep 20, 2022
D-ILJanice D. SchakowskyOct 4, 2022
D-TXSheila Jackson LeeNov 14, 2022
D-CAAdam B. SchiffNov 30, 2022
D-CARo KhannaDec 13, 2022

Committees 2

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

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseCommittee on House Administration
Referred Jul 12, 2022
HouseJudiciary Committee
Referred Jul 12, 2022
Constitution and Limited Government Subcommittee
Referred Nov 1, 2022

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Nov 1, 2022Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.
  2. Jul 12, 2022Introduced in House
  3. Jul 12, 2022Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

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: This bill is enacted pursuant to the power granted to Congress under Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the United States Constitution.

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 168, no. 114, July 12, 2022, page H5975.

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 6

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

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
HR 635PROVE ActRelated billFeb 1, 2021
S 4085PROVE ActRelated billApr 26, 2022
S 4500Youth Voting Rights ActIdentical billJul 11, 2022
HR 4916Youth Voting Rights ActCross-Congress related billAug 5, 2025
HR 5293Youth Voting Rights ActReintroduced BillAug 25, 2023
Show all 6 related bills

Titles 2

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

Official Title as Introduced
To expand youth access to voting, and for other purposes.
Short Title(s) as Introduced
Youth Voting Rights Act

Subjects

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

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Jul 12, 2022Introduced 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.