Right to Vote Act
Latest action · Jul 10, 2024 Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H4561)
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.
- IntroducedJun 25, 2024
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Right to Vote Act
This bill addresses the right to vote in federal elections.
Specifically, the bill declares that every citizen of legal voting age shall have the fundamental right to vote in federal elections.
In addition, the bill prohibits federal, state, and local governments from substantially impairing the ability to vote in federal elections unless the government action furthers an important and particularized governmental interest. Further, the bill specifies that a government may not diminish the ability to vote in federal elections unless the action uses the least restrictive means to achieve such an interest.
A violation of rights created by the bill may be challenged in district court, and a prevailing plaintiff may receive attorney fees. The bill outlines judicial review standards for challenges to voting practices.
Cosponsors 40
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 25, 2024 to Dec 19, 2024; 28 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NY | Adriano Espaillat | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-NY | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-OR | Andrea Salinas | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-MA | Ayanna Pressley | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-MS | Bennie G. Thompson | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-NJ | Bonnie Watson Coleman | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-PA | Christopher R. Deluzio | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-IL | Delia C. Ramirez | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-PA | Dwight Evans | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-CA | Eric Swalwell | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-GA | Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-MN | Ilhan Omar | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-IL | Janice D. Schakowsky | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-CO | Joe Neguse | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-IL | Jonathan L. Jackson | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-CA | Katie Porter | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-CA | Kevin Mullin | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-FL | Maxwell Frost | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-NM | Melanie A. Stansbury | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-NY | Nydia M. Velázquez | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-IL | Raja Krishnamoorthi | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-MI | Rashida Tlaib | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-CA | Robert Garcia | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-CA | Scott H. Peters | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-TX | Sheila Jackson Lee | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-MI | Shri Thanedar | Original | Jun 25, 2024 |
| D-OH | Shontel M. Brown | Jun 26, 2024 | |
| D-VA | Jennifer L. McClellan | Jun 28, 2024 | |
| D-TX | Greg Casar | Jul 2, 2024 | |
| D-IL | Jesús G. "Chuy" García | Jul 2, 2024 | |
| D-TX | Marc A. Veasey | Jul 2, 2024 | |
| D-MD | Kweisi Mfume | Jul 15, 2024 | |
| D-IL | Robin L. Kelly | Jul 15, 2024 | |
| D-MO | Cori Bush | Jul 22, 2024 | |
| D-NY | Jamaal Bowman | Jul 22, 2024 | |
| D-AZ | Raúl M. Grijalva | Aug 30, 2024 | |
| D-MA | Lori Trahan | Sep 19, 2024 | |
| D-TX | Al Green | Dec 19, 2024 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Jun 25, 2024 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 10, 2024Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H4561)
- Jun 25, 2024Introduced in House
- Jun 25, 2024Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H4561 | Summer L. Lee D-PA | Jul 10, 2024 |
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. 170, no. 106, June 25, 2024, page H4152.
Related bills 3
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1 | Freedom to Vote Act | Related bill | Jul 25, 2023 |
| HR 11 | Freedom to Vote Act | Related bill | Dec 17, 2024 |
| S 2344 | Freedom to Vote Act | Related bill | Jul 18, 2023 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To protect the right to vote in elections for Federal office, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Right to Vote Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 25, 2024Introduced 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.
