Elections and voting

This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to lower the minimum age for the right to vote from 18 to 16.

High School Voter Empowerment Act of 2026

This bill directs states to designate public high schools as voter registration agencies and requires public high schools to conduct annual voter registration drives to register eligible students. The Department of Education must reimburse eligible public high schools for carrying out voter registration drives.

Shell Company Abuse Act

This bill makes it unlawful to establish or use a corporation, company, or other entity with the intent to conceal an election contribution or donation by a foreign national.

A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both.

This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment limiting the pardon power of the President.

The amendment prohibits the President from granting a pardon or reprieve to himself or herself, to relatives or members of the administration, to paid campaign employees, to a person or entity for an offense motivated by an interest of any of those people, or to a person or entity for an offense directed by or coordinated with the President.

The amendment also invalidates pardons issued for a corrupt purpose.

Let America Vote Act

This bill requires states to allow unaffiliated voters to vote in primary elections for federal office. It also restricts certain federal election funding for states that allow noncitizens to vote in state or local elections.

Specifically, each state must permit an unaffiliated voter who is registered to vote in a federal election held in the state to vote in any primary election for federal office. A state shall not permit an unaffiliated voter to vote in primary elections for more than one political party.

The bill prohibits a state from (1) sharing unaffiliated voter information with a political party or any other person who may reasonably be expected to use the information for political purposes, including soliciting funds; or (2) treating an unaffiliated voter as a member of a political party for purposes of the state's official voter registration list.

States must, in order to use federal election administration funds, certify their compliance with these unaffiliated voter requirements. Upon certification, the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) must make five-year grants to the state for the costs of permitting unaffiliated voters to vote in primary elections.

The bill specifically prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections. (Current federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections.)

A state may not use federal election administration funds unless the state certifies to the EAC that it does not permit a noncitizen to vote in state or local elections or vote on any ballot initiative or referendum held in the state.

Protecting Election Administration from Interference Act of 2025

This bill revises preservation and retention requirements for federal election records. It also revises criminal penalties related to election records and the voting process.

Under current law, election officials must, for a period of 22 months from the federal election, retain and preserve all election-related records and papers. This bill extends the requirement to electronic records and election equipment.

Next, the bill directs the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to issue minimum standards and best practices for retaining and preserving records (including electronic records), papers, and election equipment, including protocols for observing their preservation, security, and transfer by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and a representative of each political party.

In addition, the bill revises the federal criminal offense related to election records or papers to include reckless disregard of election record requirements resulting in the theft, destruction, concealment, mutilation, or alteration of a record, paper, or election equipment.

Further, the bill allows DOJ to demand electronic records and election equipment be made available for inspection and generally prohibits DOJ from disclosing this information.

The bill allows DOJ and candidates for federal office to bring an action in a district court to compel compliance with election record requirements.

Finally, the bill extends criminal penalties related to voting interference to include intimidating, threatening, or coercing (or attempting to do so) an individual for processing or scanning ballots, tabulating, canvassing, or certifying voting results.

Tax Filer Voter Registration Act or the Filer Voter Act

This bill treats certain tax return preparers as voter registration agencies.

Specifically, the bill requires tax return preparers who prepare at least 100 individual tax returns in a taxable year to provide voter registration application forms to their customers. The form must be made available by (1) displaying copies of the form in the preparer's office for customers who receive in-person services, and (2) providing a hyperlink to the form for customers who receive online services.

The bill also outlines the responsibilities of the Department of the Treasury to enable certified volunteer tax preparers to meet the requirements of the bill.

Inaugural Committee Transparency Act of 2025

This bill requires the presidential inaugural committee to disclose to the Federal Election Commission, by 90 days after the presidential inaugural ceremony, any disbursement made in an amount equal to or greater than $200 and the purpose of each disbursement. The committee must also disclose the name and address of the person to whom the disbursement was made, the date of the disbursement, and the total amount and purpose of the disbursement.

The bill prohibits (1) an inaugural committee from soliciting or receiving a donation from a foreign national, in addition to the current ban on a committee accepting such a donation; (2) a person from making a donation to an inaugural committee in the name of another; (3) a foreign national from making a donation or making a promise to make a donation to such a committee; or (4) converting a donation to an inaugural committee to personal use.

The committee must disburse any remaining donated funds not later than 90 days after the inaugural ceremony to tax-exempt charitable organizations, but may request an extension of such 90-day period.

Voter Integrity Protection Act

This bill imposes additional immigration-related penalties for non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) who vote in an election for federal office.

It shall be an aggravated felony for a non-U.S. national who is unlawfully present to violate an existing prohibition against a non-U.S. national voting in a federal election. (An aggravated felony conviction carries various immigration consequences, such as rendering the non-U.S. national inadmissible, deportable, and barred from establishing good moral character for naturalization.)

A non-U.S. national who is unlawfully present and who knowingly violates the prohibition against voting in a federal election shall be deportable.

Voter Empowerment Act of 2026

This bill expands voter registration and voting access.

Specifically, the bill expands voter registration by requiring states to (1) make available online voter registration, (2) establish automatic voter registration systems, (3) permit same-day voter registration, and (4) accept voter registration applications from individuals under age 18.

Further, the bill limits removing voters from voter rolls and prohibits interference with voter registration or voting.

Next, the bill requires states to allow individuals with disabilities to use absentee registration procedures and to vote by absentee ballot in federal elections.

The bill also prohibits voter caging (the practice of sending mail to addresses on voter rolls, compiling a list of the undeliverable mail, and using the list to remove registered voters from voter rolls).

Next, the bill expands voting access by requiring states to allow early voting and voting by mail without additional conditions. It also requires states to provide secured drop boxes at which individuals may drop off their completed absentee ballots.

In addition, the bill declares that the right of a U.S. citizen to vote in any federal election shall not be denied or abridged because that individual has been convicted of a criminal offense unless, at the time of the election, such individual is serving a felony sentence.

Finally, the bill permanently reauthorizes the Election Assistance Commission (EAC). It also directs the EAC to make grants to states for specified activities, including to implement automatic voter registration systems.

Prior Approval Reform Act

This bill allows a trade association or a separate segregated fund established by a trade association to solicit contributions from a member corporation's stockholders and executive or administrative personnel and their families without the approval of the member corporation. Such a solicitation may be made by more than one trade association in a calendar year.

Revoke Exemptions for Venezuelan Oil to Curb Autocratic Repression Act of 2025 or the REVOCAR Act of 2025

This bill prohibits U.S. investment in Venezuela's energy sector.

Specifically, the bill prohibits any transaction by a U.S. person (individual or entity) to invest, trade, or operate within Venezuela's energy sector and any transaction that attempts to evade such prohibition. This prohibition includes the provision of goods, services, or finance to (1) Venezuela's state-owned oil and natural gas company (Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A.), its subsidiaries, representatives, or related companies; or (2) the regime of Nicolas Maduro or any nondemocratic successor government in Venezuela.

The prohibitions of this bill terminate on the earlier of December 31, 2027, or the date the President submits a determination to Congress that the Maduro regime has recognized the July 28, 2024, electoral victory of Edmundo Gonzalez and relinquished power to the democratically elected government.

The President may waive these prohibitions on a case-by-case basis for not more than 90 days after determining such a waiver is vital to U.S. national security interests and submitting a report to Congress. Such waivers may be renewed.

Restoring American Confidence in Elections Act or the RACE Act

This bill establishes deadlines for states to count ballots and certify results in federal elections.

Specifically, the bill requires a state to finish counting the ballots cast in a federal election held in the state not later than 10:00 p.m. on the date of the election. Further, the state must certify the election results not later than 48 hours after the election.

The bill provides exceptions to these deadlines for bona fide emergencies (e.g., major disasters) or technical difficulties (e.g., malfunctioning election equipment or software).

Campaign Finance Transparency Act

This bill addresses campaign finance in federal elections, including by expanding contribution and disclosure requirements.

Specifically, the bill requires political committees, when accepting a credit or debit card contribution over the internet, to collect the credit or debit card's (1) verification value or verification code, and (2) ZIP Code of the billing address associated with the card. The bill generally requires an individual or entity making a contribution to have a U.S. mailing address; however, the bill provides an exception for U.S. citizens, nationals, or those lawfully admitted for permanent residence who provide the political committee with specified identifying information.

The bill prohibits political committees from (1) accepting any credit or debit card contribution unless the name on the card used to make such contribution matches the name of the individual or entity donating the contribution, or (2) accepting a contribution made through the use of a gift certificate or store gift card.

The bill removes a $200 threshold requirement for disclosing contributions, thereby requiring political committees to report identifying information about contributors, regardless of the amount contributed.

The bill also prohibits knowingly directing, helping, or assisting any person in making a contribution in the name of another person. Any recipient of a contribution who suspects that the contribution was made by one person in the name of another person shall report it to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

The FEC must promulgate regulations to carry out this bill.

Protecting Our Local Elections Act or the POLE Act

This bill prohibits a state from receiving federal election administration funds if the state does not permit localities to hold elections for local office in odd-numbered years.

Securing our Elections Act of 2025

This bill establishes certain photo identification requirements for voting in federal elections.

Specifically, the bill prohibits a state or local election official from providing a ballot for a federal election to an individual who does not present valid photo identification.

Next, the bill outlines the availability of provisional ballots and the requirements for counting those ballots. In particular, an individual who does not present a valid photo identification must be permitted to cast a provisional ballot. However, an election official may not determine that the individual is eligible under state law to vote in the election unless, not later than three days after casting the provisional ballot, the individual presents (1) the identification required, or (2) an affidavit attesting that the individual does not possess the identification because of a religious objection to being photographed.

An election official may not allow for voting methods other than in-person voting unless the individual submits the ballot with (1) a copy of their photo identification, or (2) the last four digits of their Social Security number with an affidavit attesting that the individual is unable to obtain a copy of a valid photo identification after making reasonable efforts to obtain a copy. This prohibition shall not apply to overseas military voters.

The bill also requires a state to provide an individual with a valid photo identification without charge if that individual presents an affidavit attesting to an inability to afford or otherwise obtain a valid photo identification.