[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1280 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1280

 To amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to increase the 
penalties imposed for intimidating, threatening, or coercing any person 
   from engaging in voter registration activities or for procuring, 
    submitting, or casting false voter registration applications or 
 ballots, to require election officials to transmit voter registration 
 cards and absentee ballots to voters in elections for Federal office 
through the use of the automated tagging and tracing services provided 
      by the United States Postal Service, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 20, 2013

  Mr. Olson introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                   Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to increase the 
penalties imposed for intimidating, threatening, or coercing any person 
   from engaging in voter registration activities or for procuring, 
    submitting, or casting false voter registration applications or 
 ballots, to require election officials to transmit voter registration 
 cards and absentee ballots to voters in elections for Federal office 
through the use of the automated tagging and tracing services provided 
      by the United States Postal Service, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Voter Fraud Prevention Act''.

SEC. 2. INCREASE IN PENALTIES FOR CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES INVOLVING VOTER 
              REGISTRATION AND VOTING.

    (a) Increase in Length of Term of Imprisonment.--Section 12 of the 
National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1973gg-10) is 
amended in the matter following paragraph (2) by striking ``5 years'' 
and inserting ``10 years''.
    (b) Prohibition From Voting in Subsequent Elections.--Section 12 of 
such Act (42 U.S.C. 1973gg-10) is amended in the matter following 
paragraph (2) by striking the period at the end and inserting the 
following: ``and, in the case of an individual, shall not be permitted 
to cast a ballot in any subsequent election for Federal office.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply with respect to violations occurring on or after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. REQUIRING USE OF AUTOMATED TAGGING AND TRACING SERVICES FOR 
              VOTER REGISTRATION CARDS AND ABSENTEE BALLOTS.

    (a) Voter Registration Cards.--
            (1) In general.--Section 8(a) of the National Voter 
        Registration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1973gg-6(a)) is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph 
                (5);
                    (B) by striking the period at the end of paragraph 
                (6) and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                paragraph:
            ``(7) in transmitting voter registration cards to 
        individuals who are registered to vote--
                    ``(A) ensure that any tray or sack containing such 
                cards is tagged with Tag 191 or some other similar 
                tagging device used by the United States Postal Service 
                to provide greater visibility to containers of such 
                cards, and
                    ``(B) use IMb Tracing or other similar tracking 
                methods made available by the United States Postal 
                Service to provide real-time tracking information for 
                such cards.''.
            (2) Effective date.--The amendments made by paragraph (1) 
        shall apply with respect to elections for Federal office held 
        on or after January 1, 2014.
    (b) Absentee Ballots.--
            (1) In general.--Title III of the Help America Vote Act of 
        2002 (42 U.S.C. 15481 et seq.) is amended--
                    (A) by redesignating sections 304 and 305 as 
                sections 305 and 306; and
                    (B) by inserting after section 303 the following 
                new section:

``SEC. 304. USE OF AUTOMATED TAGGING AND TRACING SERVICES FOR ABSENTEE 
              BALLOTS.

    ``(a) Requiring Use of Automated Tagging and Tracing.--In 
transmitting blank absentee ballots to individuals who are eligible to 
vote by absentee ballot in an election for Federal office, the 
appropriate State election official shall--
            ``(1) ensure that any tray or sack containing such ballots 
        is tagged with Tag 191 or some other similar tagging device 
        used by the United States Postal Service to provide greater 
        visibility to containers of such ballots; and
            ``(2) use IMb Tracing or other similar tracking methods 
        made available by the United States Postal Service to provide 
        real-time tracking information for such ballots.
    ``(b) Effective Date.--Subsection (a) shall apply with respect to 
elections for Federal office held on or after January 1, 2014.''.
            (2) Conforming amendment relating to enforcement.--Section 
        401 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 15511) is amended by striking 
        ``sections 301, 302, and 303'' and inserting ``subtitle A of 
        title III''.
            (3) Clerical amendment.--The table of contents of such Act 
        is amended--
                    (A) by redesignating the items relating to sections 
                304 and 305 as relating to sections 305 and 306; and
                    (B) by inserting after the item relating to section 
                303 the following new item:

``Sec. 304. Use of automated tagging and tracing services for absentee 
                            ballots.''.
    (c) Report on Efforts To Deter and Prevent Loss and Theft of Voter 
Registration Cards and Absentee Ballots.--Not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Postmaster General shall 
submit a report to Congress detailing the efforts that the Postmaster 
General has undertaken to deter and prevent the loss and theft of voter 
registration cards and blank absentee ballots which are transmitted to 
voters in elections for Federal office.
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