[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2985 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2985

       To expand youth access to voting, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

           September 28 (legislative day, September 22), 2023

   Ms. Warren (for herself, Mr. Booker, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Markey, Mrs. 
Feinstein, Mr. Whitehouse, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Wyden, Ms. Baldwin, and 
 Mr. Sanders) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
         referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
       To expand youth access to voting, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Youth Voting 
Rights Act''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Sense of Congress.
Sec. 3. Findings.
Sec. 4. Enforcement of the 26th Amendment.
Sec. 5. Treatment of public institutions of higher education as voter 
                            registration agencies under National Voter 
                            Registration Act of 1993.
Sec. 6. Pre-registration of minors for voting in Federal elections.
Sec. 7. On-campus polling locations.
Sec. 8. Prohibition of residency requirements.
Sec. 9. Requirements for voter identification.
Sec. 10. Grants to States for activities to encourage involvement of 
                            youth in election activities.
Sec. 11. Absentee voting.
Sec. 12. Studies and data collection.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) 50 years ago, our Nation came together unanimously to 
        expand the franchise to those 18 years of age and older and to 
        outlaw age-based discrimination in accessing the franchise;
            (2) 50 years later, the promises of the 26th Amendment to 
        the Constitution of the United States (referred to in this Act 
        as the ``26th Amendment'') remain unfulfilled although the 
        reasons that motivated its ratification endure; and
            (3) pursuant to section 2 of the 26th Amendment, Congress 
        is empowered to enforce the article by appropriate legislation 
        and acts accordingly in this Act.

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Over 50 years ago, on July 1, 1971, this Nation 
        ratified into the Constitution of the United States the 26th 
        Amendment, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 years of age 
        and outlawing the denial or abridgement of the right to vote on 
        account of age.
            (2) Support for the 26th Amendment was nearly unanimous. 
        The proposed constitutional amendment passed with bipartisan 
        supermajorities, passing in the Senate with a vote of 94-0, and 
        passing in the House of Representatives with a vote of 401-19. 
        The 26th Amendment was approved by the requisite 38 States in 
        less than 100 days, making it the quickest constitutional 
        amendment to be ratified in United States history.
            (3) Support for lowering the voting age to 18 was 
        championed across the aisle. President Dwight Eisenhower, 
        former Commander of the Allied Forces, included the issue in 
        his 1954 State of the Union Address. Moreover, President 
        Richard Nixon emphasized his support for the 26th Amendment 
        during its certification ceremony, describing that young people 
        serve a critical role by infusing the practice of democracy 
        with ``some idealism, some courage, some stamina, some high 
        moral purpose that this Nation always needs, because a country, 
        throughout history, we find, goes through ebbs and flows of 
        idealism.''. Similarly, Senate Majority Leader Michael 
        Mansfield and Senator Ted Kennedy were key advocates of the 
        measure, having first proposed a statutory route for lowering 
        the voting age in the Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1970 
        (Public Law 91-285), in addition to supporting a path through 
        constitutional ratification.
            (4) The Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1970 (Public Law 
        91-285) marked the first Federal law to enfranchise youth and 
        outlaw age discrimination in accessing the franchise. In title 
        III of that Act, Congress declared, with strong bipartisan 
        support, that the 21-year age requirement--
                    (A) ``denies and abridges the inherent 
                constitutional rights of citizens eighteen years of age 
                but not yet twenty-one years of age to vote'';
                    (B) has the effect of denying those disenfranchised 
                ``the due process and equal protection of the laws that 
                are guaranteed to them under the Fourteenth 
                Amendment''; and
                    (C) ``does not bear a reasonable relationship to 
                any compelling State interest.''.
            (5) The age-based expansion of the franchise via the Voting 
        Rights Act Amendments of 1970 was ultimately found by a 
        strongly divided Supreme Court to be unconstitutional as 
        applied to State and local races and constitutional as applied 
        to Federal races. Thus, to ensure uniform election 
        administration in Federal and State races, a constitutional 
        solution was required.
            (6) A variety of reasons were advanced to support 
        ratification of the 26th Amendment. The emerging themes 
        included--
                    (A) the value of idealism, courage, and moral 
                purpose that youth provide in reenergizing the practice 
                of democracy;
                    (B) the increased political competence of young 
                people compared to prior generations, due to greater 
                access to information through standardized education 
                and technology such as then-widely available television 
                sets;
                    (C) the increased responsibilities assumed by the 
                group as they fought in war, assumed debt, and lived 
                independently;
                    (D) a general recognition of the Nation's expansion 
                toward a more inclusive suffrage; and
                    (E) the stemming of unrest by encouraging 
                institutionalized mechanisms to advance change.
            (7) In referring the 26th Amendment to the States for 
        ratification, Congress invoked the Voting Rights Act and the 
        principles protected by the 14th Amendment to the Constitution 
        of the United States, explaining that ``[F]orcing young voters 
        to undertake special burdens-obtaining absentee ballots, or 
        traveling to one centralized location in each city, for 
        example-in order to exercise their right to vote might well 
        serve to dissuade them from participating in the election. This 
        result, and the election procedures that create it, are at 
        least inconsistent with the purpose of the Voting Rights [A]ct, 
        which sought to encourage greater political participation on 
        the part of the young; such segregation might even amount to a 
        denial of their 14th Amendment right to equal protection of the 
        laws in the exercise of the franchise.''.
            (8) According to the Center for Information & Research on 
        Civic Learning and Engagement (referred to in this Act as 
        ``CIRCLE'') of Tufts University, a record-high 28 percent of 
        young people voted in the 2018 midterm elections, more than 
        doubling the record-low 13 percent youth turnout in 2014. 
        Still, young people vote at lower levels than older adults.
            (9) Lower youth voting rates are not a sign of generational 
        apathy but of systemic barriers and issues with the culture of 
        political engagement that have plagued young people of various 
        generations for decades. Individuals that were part of older 
        generations voted at similar rates as individuals in the 
        Millennial and Gen Z generations when those older generations 
        were youth. For the first presidential election in which a 
        generation's entire 18-24 age cohort was eligible to vote (1972 
        for Boomers, 1992 for Gen X, and 2008 for Millennials), each 
        participated at about 50 percent.
            (10) The outsized reliance by young voters on provisional 
        ballots in recent years demonstrates the structural obstacles 
        young voters face due to voter restrictions. A 2016 survey 
        found that 1 in 4 Millennials voted provisionally in the 2016 
        race, compared to 6 percent of Baby Boomers, and 2 percent of 
        the Greatest Generation.
            (11) In addition to voting provisionally at 
        disproportionate rates, young voters' provisional ballots are 
        also disproportionally rejected. As determined by a recent 
        Federal court, voters aged 18 to 21 in Florida had their 
        provisional ballots rejected at a rate more than 4 times higher 
        than the rejection rate for provisional ballots cast by voters 
        between the ages of 45 to 64.
            (12) Similarly, young voters experience a higher rejection 
        rate of vote-by-mail ballots compared to older voters. One 
        study found that voters aged 18 to 21 had their vote-by-mail 
        ballots rejected at a rate of over 5 times that of voters 
        between the ages of 45 to 64 and over 8 times those over the 
        age of 65. These rejection rates trend with those of voters of 
        color. For example, the study found that the rate of rejection 
        of vote-by-mail ballots for Hispanic and African American 
        voters is over 2 times that of White voters.
            (13) Moreover, when special burdens are removed, young 
        people vote more frequently. Once polling places were finally 
        situated on campuses during the early voting period, pursuant 
        to successful 26th Amendment litigation, one study found that 
        on 12 campuses alone, nearly 60,000 registered voters 
        participated in the 2018 general election through early in-
        person voting. Young voters, people of color, and those who did 
        not cast a ballot in 2016 disproportionately voted at the on-
        campus voting locations. Voter turnout is bolstered by on-
        campus voting locations because those locations lower the 
        opportunity costs for voting for all registered voters, 
        particularly for young registered voters.
            (14) Young people are passionate about political issues and 
        often want to engage in the political process, but they face 
        barriers to participation. For example, they may face 
        structural obstacles such as proof requirements that obscure a 
        young person's right to vote, barriers to voter registration, 
        inaccessible or poorly equipped polling places, campus 
        gerrymanders, over-reliance on provisional ballots, unequal 
        access to vote-by-mail, and unfair treatment of provisional and 
        vote-by-mail ballots. Some of these barriers are acute for the 
        youngest voters who are particularly transient and move every 
        year, thereby struggling to update their voter registration, or 
        who are less likely to have a driver's license to use as voter 
        identification. Youth voters are similarly vulnerable to 
        confusion about their right to vote from their campus 
        residences. Although the Supreme Court summarily affirmed the 
        right of college students to vote from their campus residences 
        in 1979, pursuant to the 26th Amendment, misinformation, 
        disinformation, and legal challenges persist about this right. 
        Congress finds that students indeed have a right to vote from 
        their campus residences. Relatedly, many young people have not 
        been taught about elections and voting, including the 
        practicalities of registering and casting a ballot and the 
        reasons why their voices and votes matter in democracy.
            (15) Seven States restrict access to vote-by-mail on 
        account of age, allowing voters above a certain age to vote 
        with no excuse, and requiring that voters below 60 or 65 meet a 
        narrow list of excuses to vote-by-mail. In those States, voters 
        65 and older comprise nearly 65 percent of all at-home ballots, 
        whereas the use of at-home ballots is more evenly distributed 
        across age cohorts in States without the age-restriction. In 
        age-discriminatory vote-at-home States, 21 percent of adults 
        over 65 voted at home in 2018, but less than 6 percent of 
        voters 18-34 did so. Congress further finds that eligible 
        voters, including youth, have the right to vote by mail in 
        Federal elections free of prima facie age restrictions.
            (16) Studies reinforce the habit-forming nature of voting, 
        making it all the more important that voting becomes normalized 
        at an early age through unobstructed access to the ballot. For 
        example, a recent study found that on average, voting in 1 
        election increases the probability of voting in a future 
        election by 10 percentage points.
            (17) According to CIRCLE, youth without college experience 
        also tend to vote at lower rates than young people in college. 
        For example, in 2018, 28 percent of youth (ages 18-29) voted, 
        while the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education of Tufts 
        University estimated that 40 percent of college students cast a 
        ballot. There are disparities by age, and even among youth; the 
        youngest group (ages 18 and 19) vote at lower rates. There are 
        also disparities by urbanicity, with young people in rural 
        areas and other civic deserts having lower voter turnout.
            (18) According to CIRCLE, low-income youth are acutely 
        impacted, since their economic struggles translate into 
        multiple logistical barriers to voting. A recent survey of low-
        income youth found that young voters reported barriers to 
        voting, including--
                    (A) confusion with voter identification rules (88 
                percent);
                    (B) confusion about the impact of voter 
                disenfranchisement (42 percent reported lack of clarity 
                about whether someone who paid a fine for driving under 
                the influence could vote or if someone with a suspended 
                driver's license could vote);
                    (C) confusion about the location of polling places 
                (39 percent did not know where to vote); and
                    (D) a high lack of confidence that they would be 
                fully prepared to vote if an election happened ``next 
                week'' (only half of surveyed youth reported 
                confidence).
            (19) Moreover, youth reported negative voting experiences 
        due to failure to see young people working at the polls (87 
        percent), failure to see poll workers that look like them (74 
        percent), and not believing that election officials make an 
        effort to ensure that people like them can vote (59 percent).
            (20) Presidential election years are particularly 
        consequential for youth voter engagement. For example, 61 
        percent of 18- to 29-year-olds were registered to vote in 2008, 
        compared to 49 percent in 2010. Moreover, youth who registered 
        to vote are considerably more likely to vote. Among youth 
        registered in 2008, 84 percent cast a ballot.
            (21) While direct youth voter registration, outreach, and 
        engagement is typically heightened in the Summer and Fall 
        months leading up to presidential elections, unprecedented 
        obstacles presented themselves amid the COVID-19 pandemic as 
        the economy slowed, the Nation shut down, and institutions of 
        higher education, technical and vocational schools, and high 
        schools, along with county election offices, changed their 
        normal operations.
            (22) The 2020 primary cycle shed light on the unique 
        obstacles faced by young voters in uncertain times as they were 
        displaced from the college domiciles where they would 
        eventually return. Confused and misinformed about their right 
        to vote from campus despite the temporary relocation, these 
        voters had to adjust for the first time to obtaining, printing, 
        properly filling out and submitting along with required proofs, 
        and mailing postage-required official forms and paperwork, such 
        as voter registration forms, absentee ballot requests, and 
        absentee ballots.
            (23) The 2020 election resulted in unprecedented voter 
        turnout overall, boasting the highest turnout in United States 
        history, with 17,000,000 more voters compared to the last 
        presidential cycle. The unprecedented trend tracked for youth 
        voters as well. 2020 was the first election in which the 
        majority of voters under the age of 30 voted. States with the 
        highest youth voter rates were those with more robust 
        registration and vote by mail laws, such as those with pre-
        registration, same day registration, election day registration, 
        early voting, and accessible no-excuse vote by mail 
        opportunities.
            (24) The response to increased voter turnout has been an 
        unprecedented number of State legislative proposals to make it 
        harder to cast a valid ballot, such as the imposition of 
        limitations on the availability of drop-boxes, limitations on 
        the counting of out-of-precinct ballots, and the removal of 
        student identification as valid voter identification where 
        required. Pressures have also mounted on the local level, with 
        continued efforts to prevent or remove on-campus polling 
        locations, which are key to youth engagement since they allow 
        students to vote where they study, work, eat, and sleep.
            (25) State and local election administration impacts youth 
        at large, including high school youth in their ability to pre-
        register in advance of turning 18, college students 
        matriculating in traditional public and private 2- or 4-year 
        institutions of higher education or vocational and technical 
        programs, and the most vulnerable or overlooked youth 
        populations, such as those in less stable housing and those who 
        do not pursue college education.
            (26) The 14th and 26th Amendments, and the Elections Clause 
        of section 4 of article I and Guarantee Clause of section 4 of 
        article IV, of the Constitution empower Congress to protect the 
        right to vote in Federal elections.
            (27) The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was always understood to 
        be privately enforceable, and to contain a private right of 
        action by which all voters of the United States could guarantee 
        the rights guaranteed therein. Recently, in light of the 
        continued development of the law concerning privately 
        enforceable statutes, academic discussion and jurisprudential 
        dicta have incorrectly questioned the Voting Rights Act of 
        1965's private right of action. This Act and the amendments 
        made by this Act recognize the hundreds of cases brought by 
        private plaintiffs to enforce the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and 
        re-affirms that such a private right of action has always 
        existed for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

SEC. 4. ENFORCEMENT OF THE 26TH AMENDMENT.

    Title III of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10701 et 
seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 303. PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION; STANDARD OF REVIEW; FEES.

    ``(a) Private Right of Action.--Any person eighteen years of age 
and older who is aggrieved by a denial or abridgment of the right of a 
citizen of the United States to vote on account of age may commence a 
civil action in any appropriate district court of the United States for 
relief.
    ``(b) Standard of Review.--A denial or abridgment of the right of a 
citizen of the United States to vote on account of age shall be 
established in a private right of action under subsection (a) if a 
qualification or prerequisite to voting or standard, practice, or 
procedure--
            ``(1) has the effect of denying or abridging to citizens 
        eighteen years of age and older the due process or equal 
        protection of the laws that are guaranteed to them under the 
        14th and 26th Amendments of the Constitution of the United 
        States; and
            ``(2) is not necessary to advance any compelling interest 
        of a State or political subdivision.
    ``(c) Fees and Costs.--The court, in an action under this section, 
shall allow the plaintiff, if the prevailing party, to recover from the 
defendant reasonable attorneys' and expert witness fees, and other 
costs of the action.''.

SEC. 5. TREATMENT OF PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION AS VOTER 
              REGISTRATION AGENCIES UNDER NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION 
              ACT OF 1993.

    (a) In General.--Section 7(a)(2) of the National Voter Registration 
Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20506(a)(2)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of subparagraph (A);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (B) 
        and inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(C) all offices within public institutions of 
                higher education, as defined in section 101 and section 
                102(c) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
                1001; 20 U.S.C. 1002(c)), that provide assistance to 
                students.''.
    (b) Application.--Section 4(b) of the National Voter Registration 
Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20503(b)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as 
        subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, and indenting 
        appropriately;
            (2) by striking ``States.--This Act'' and inserting 
        ``States.--''
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), 
        this Act''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(2) Application of certain requirements.--Notwithstanding 
        paragraph (1), in the case of a State described in paragraph 
        (1)(B), subsection (a)(3)(B), section 7, and paragraphs (1)(C), 
        (5) and (6) of section 8(a) shall apply, but only with respect 
        to institutions described in section 7(a)(2)(C).''.

SEC. 6. PRE-REGISTRATION OF MINORS FOR VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS.

    (a) Pre-Registration of Minors for Voting in Federal Elections.--
The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20501 et seq.) 
is amended by inserting after section 8 the following new section:

``SEC. 8A. PRE-REGISTRATION PROCESS FOR MINORS.

    ``(a) Requiring Implementation of Pre-Registration Process.--Each 
State shall implement a process under which--
            ``(1) an individual who is a resident of the State may 
        apply to register to vote in elections for Federal office in 
        the State at any time on or after the date on which the 
        individual turns 16 years of age;
            ``(2) if the individual is not 18 years of age or older at 
        the time the individual applies under paragraph (1) but would 
        be eligible to vote in such primary or general elections if the 
        individual were 18 years of age, the State shall ensure that 
        the individual is registered to vote in elections for Federal 
        office in the State that are held on or after the date on which 
        the individual turns 18 years of age; and
            ``(3) the activities the State implements in order to 
        comply with sections 5 and 7 shall include pre-registration 
        services (to the same extent as registration services) for 
        qualifying individuals, as described in this subsection.
    ``(b) Permitting Availability of Process for Younger Individuals.--
A State may, at its option, make the process implemented under 
subsection (a) available to individuals who are younger than 16 years 
of age.''.
    (b) Application.--Section 4(b)(2) of the National Voter 
Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20503(b)(2)), as added by section 
5(b), is amended--
            (1) by striking ``paragraph (1)(B), subsection (a)(3)(B)'' 
        and inserting ``paragraph (1)(B)--
                    ``(A) subsection (a)(3)(B)'';
            (2) in subparagraph (A), as added by paragraph (1), by 
        striking the period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(B) section 8A shall apply.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect upon the expiration of the 90-day period that begins on the date 
of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 7. ON-CAMPUS POLLING LOCATIONS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Campus.--The term ``campus''--
                    (A) means a geographic site of an institution of 
                higher education that is permanent in nature and offers 
                courses in educational or training programs which are 
                available for students to attend in person; and
                    (B) includes main campuses, branch campuses, and 
                additional locations in the United States.
            (2) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given that 
        term in subsections (a) and (b) of section 101 and subsections 
        (b) and (c) of section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
        (20 U.S.C. 1001(a), 1001(b), 1002(b), 1002(c)).
            (3) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several 
        States and the District of Columbia.
    (b) In General.--Each State shall ensure that polling places for 
each election for Federal office (referred to in this section as a 
``Federal election'') are made available, on the date of a Federal 
election, on--
            (1) each campus of any State public institution of higher 
        education in the State, except any such campus for which the 
        State has received a waiver under subsection (e); and
            (2) each campus of any other institution of higher 
        education in the State for which the State has received the 
        institution's written permission to have a polling place on 
        campus.
    (c) Non-State Institutions.--Not less than 90 days before the 
State's deadline for certifying polling place locations in advance of 
each Federal election, the State shall request in writing permission to 
place a polling place for a Federal election, to be available on the 
date of that election, on the campus of each institution of higher 
education that is not a State public institution of higher education--
            (1) for the next Federal election; or
            (2) for a longer period of time, as agreed to by the State 
        and the institution of higher education.
    (d) Alternative Polling Places.--For each institution of higher 
education that is not a State public institution of higher education 
and that does not give written permission as described in subsection 
(c) for placement of a polling place on the institution's campus, the 
State shall implement alternative procedures to ensure voting is 
accessible to youth on that campus who are age 18 and over. Such 
procedures may include--
            (1) offering free shuttles for such youth to other nearby 
        polling locations;
            (2) making available on the campus absentee voting drop 
        boxes for such youth; or
            (3) offering an on-campus early voting option or a mobile 
        unit on the campus for early voting or election day voting for 
        such youth.
    (e) Waivers.--
            (1) In general.--The Attorney General may, upon the request 
        of a State, waive the requirement under subsection (b)(1) with 
        respect to a Federal election for a campus described in such 
        paragraph for which the State, in accordance with the guidance 
        under paragraph (3)--
                    (A) determines is an unsuitable polling location in 
                the State for that Federal election; and
                    (B) agrees to require alternative procedures at 
                such campus to ensure voting in Federal elections is 
                accessible to youth who are age 18 and over for that 
                Federal election.
            (2) Applications to include alternative procedures.--To 
        request a waiver under paragraph (1) with respect to a Federal 
        election and for a campus described in subsection (b)(1), a 
        State shall submit an application to the Attorney General that 
        includes information on the alternative procedures the State 
        will require the State public institution of higher education 
        to implement with respect to that Federal election for that 
        campus to ensure voting is accessible to youth who are age 18 
        and over. Such procedures may include--
                    (A) offering free shuttles for such youth to other 
                polling locations;
                    (B) making available on the campus absentee voting 
                drop boxes for such youth; or
                    (C) offering an on-campus early voting option or a 
                mobile unit on the campus for early voting or election 
                day voting for such youth.
            (3) Guidance.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall issue 
        guidance on the administration of this section, including 
        guidance on the coverage under this section of campuses and 
        institutions of higher education, as defined in subsection (a), 
        acceptable reasons for allowing a waiver under this subsection, 
        and alternative procedures described in paragraph (2), with 
        respect to a campus described in subsection (b)(1). Such 
        guidance shall include considerations of issues relating to the 
        accessibility of the campus, including--
                    (A) the inability to modify the physical attributes 
                of the campus to make the campus accessible for voting;
                    (B) the proximity of the campus to local population 
                centers;
                    (C) the ability of youth age 18 and over who are 
                from historically disadvantaged communities to access 
                the campus;
                    (D) the ability of the institution of higher 
                education to comply with other Federal or State laws 
                relating to Federal elections at that campus location; 
                and
                    (E) the number of students enrolled at the 
                institution of higher education in the year of the 
                relevant Federal election.
    (f) Enforcement.--
            (1) Attorney general.--The Attorney General may bring a 
        civil action in an appropriate district court for such 
        declaratory or injunctive relief as is necessary to carry out 
        this section.
            (2) Private right of action.--
                    (A) A person who is aggrieved by a violation of 
                this section may provide written notice of the 
                violation to the chief election official of the State 
                involved.
                    (B) If the violation is not corrected within 90 
                days after receipt of a notice under subparagraph (A), 
                or within 20 days after receipt of the notice if the 
                violation occurred within 120 days before the date of a 
                Federal election, the aggrieved person may bring a 
                civil action in an appropriate district court for 
                declaratory or injunctive relief with respect to the 
                violation.
                    (C) If the violation occurred within 30 days before 
                the date of a Federal election, the aggrieved person 
                need not provide notice to the chief election official 
                of the State under subparagraph (A) before bringing a 
                civil action under subparagraph (B).
                    (D) The court, in an action under this section, 
                shall allow the plaintiff, if the prevailing party, to 
                recover from the defendant reasonable attorneys' and 
                expert witness fees and other costs of the action.

SEC. 8. PROHIBITION OF RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Applicability to All Elections for Federal Office.--Section 202 
of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10502) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by striking ``the offices of President 
                        and Vice President'' and inserting ``Federal 
                        office''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``presidential elections'' 
                        and inserting ``elections for Federal office'';
                    (B) in paragraph (1), by striking ``their President 
                and Vice President'' and inserting ``Federal office'';
                    (C) in paragraph (5), by striking ``; and'' and 
                inserting ``, and in some cases, the twenty-sixth 
                amendment, including the right to vote from a college 
                domicile; and''; and
                    (D) in paragraph (6), by striking ``presidential 
                elections'' and inserting ``elections for Federal 
                office'';
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) by striking ``voting for President and Vice 
                President'' and inserting ``voting in elections for 
                Federal office''; and
                    (B) by striking ``presidential elections'' and 
                inserting ``elections for Federal office'';
            (3) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) by striking ``election for President and Vice 
                President'' and inserting ``election for Federal 
                office''; and
                    (B) by striking ``electors for President and Vice 
                President, or for President and Vice President,'' and 
                inserting ``Federal office,'' each place the term 
                appears;
            (4) in subsection (d), by striking ``the choice of electors 
        for President and Vice President or for President and Vice 
        President'' and inserting ``Federal office'';
            (5) in subsection (e)--
                    (A) by striking ``election for President and Vice 
                President'' and inserting ``election for Federal 
                office''; and
                    (B) by striking ``the choice of electors for 
                President and Vice President, or for President and Vice 
                President,'' and inserting ``Federal office''; and
            (6) in subsection (f)--
                    (A) by striking ``election for President and Vice 
                President'' and inserting ``election for Federal 
                office''; and
                    (B) by striking ``for the choice of electors for 
                President and Vice President, or for President and Vice 
                President,'' and inserting ``for Federal office''.
    (b) Private Right of Action Relating to Residence Requirements for 
Voting.--Section 202 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10502) 
is further amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(j) Private Right of Action.--Any person who is aggrieved by a 
violation of this section may commence a civil action in any 
appropriate district court of the United States for relief. The court, 
in an action under this section, shall allow the plaintiff, if the 
prevailing party, to recover from the defendant reasonable attorneys' 
and expert witness fees and other costs of the action.''.

SEC. 9. REQUIREMENTS FOR VOTER IDENTIFICATION.

    (a) In General.--Title III of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 
U.S.C. 21081 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating sections 304 and 305 as sections 305 
        and 306, respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after section 303 the following new 
        section:

``SEC. 304. TREATMENT OF STUDENT IDENTIFICATION CARDS AS VOTER 
              IDENTIFICATION.

    ``(a) In General.--To the extent that a State or local jurisdiction 
has a voter identification requirement, the State or local jurisdiction 
shall treat a student identification card issued by an institution of 
higher education as meeting such voter identification requirement.
    ``(b) Institution of Higher Education.--For purposes of this 
section, the term `institution of higher education' has the meaning 
given that term in subsections (a) and (b) of section 101 and 
subsections (b) and (c) of section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a), 1001(b), 1002(b), 1002(c)).''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment Relating to Enforcement.--Section 401 of 
such Act (52 U.S.C. 21111) is amended by striking ``and 303'' and 
inserting ``, 303, and 304''.
    (c) Clerical Amendments.--The table of contents of such Act is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating the items relating to sections 304 and 
        305 as relating to sections 305 and 306, respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after the item relating to section 303 the 
        following new item:

``Sec. 304. Treatment of student identification cards as voter 
                            identification.''.

SEC. 10. GRANTS TO STATES FOR ACTIVITIES TO ENCOURAGE INVOLVEMENT OF 
              YOUTH IN ELECTION ACTIVITIES.

    (a) In General.--Subtitle D of title II of the Help America Vote 
Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:

 ``PART 7--GRANTS TO ENCOURAGE YOUTH INVOLVEMENT IN ELECTION ACTIVITIES

``SEC. 297. GRANTS TO ENCOURAGE YOUTH INVOLVEMENT IN ELECTION 
              ACTIVITIES.

    ``(a) In General.--The Commission shall make grants to eligible 
States to increase the involvement of youth, including those under 18 
years of age, in public election activities in the State.
    ``(b) Eligibility.--
            ``(1) Application.--A State is eligible to receive a grant 
        under this section if the State submits to the Commission, at 
        such time and in such form as the Commission may require, an 
        application containing--
                    ``(A) a description of the State's plan;
                    ``(B) a description of the performance measures and 
                targets the State will use to determine its success in 
                carrying out the plan; and
                    ``(C) such other information and assurances as the 
                Commission may require.
            ``(2) Contents of plan.--A State's plan under this 
        subsection shall include--
                    ``(A) methods to promote the use of the pre-
                registration process implemented under section 8A of 
                the National Voter Registration Act of 1993;
                    ``(B) modifications to the curriculum of secondary 
                schools in the State to promote civic engagement;
                    ``(C) a description of how the State will provide 
                funding to secondary schools and institutions of higher 
                education to enable those schools and institutions to 
                support activities (including activities carried out by 
                student organizations) to increase voter registration 
                and voter turnout, including pre-registration where 
                allowable;
                    ``(D) the creation of a paid fellowship program for 
                youth to work with State and local election officials 
                to support youth civic and political engagement;
                    ``(E) a description of how the grant funding will 
                reduce disparities in access to the electoral process 
                among youth who are members of protected classes, as 
                defined by the Commission, under Federal law; and
                    ``(F) such other activities to encourage the 
                involvement of youth in the electoral process as the 
                State considers appropriate, including encouraging 
                youth to serve as poll workers, deputy voter 
                registrars, or election workers where allowable, and 
                outreach activities to engage secondary schools, 
                postsecondary educational institutions, and the most 
                vulnerable or overlooked youth populations, such as 
                those in less stable housing and those who do not 
                pursue college education.
    ``(c) Period of Grant; Report.--
            ``(1) Period of grant.--A State receiving a grant under 
        this section shall use the funds provided by the grant over a 
        2-year period agreed to between the State and the Commission.
            ``(2) Report.--Not later than 6 months after the end of the 
        2-year period agreed to under paragraph (1), the State shall 
        submit to the Commission a report on the activities the State 
        carried out with the funds provided by the grant, and shall 
        include in the report an analysis of the extent to which the 
        State met the performance measures and targets included in its 
        application under subsection (b)(2).
    ``(d) State Defined.--In this section, the term `State' means each 
of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 
Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, 
and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
    ``(e) Youth Engagement Fund.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Commission shall establish a Youth 
        Engagement Fund for the purpose of making grants under this 
        section.
            ``(2) Authorization of appropriation.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to the Youth Engagement Fund to carry out 
        this section--
                    ``(A) for fiscal year 2024, $26,000,000; and
                    ``(B) for each subsequent fiscal year, the 
                difference between $26,000,000 and the amount of 
                unobligated funds in the Youth Engagement Fund as of 
                the close of the preceding fiscal year.
            ``(3) Availability.--Funds appropriated pursuant to the 
        authorization of appropriations in paragraph (2) shall remain 
        available for a period of 10 years from the fiscal year in 
        which appropriated.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents of such Act is 
amended by adding at the end of the items relating to subtitle D of 
title II the following:

 ``PART 7--Grants to Encourage Youth Involvement in Election Activities

``Sec. 297. Grants to encourage youth involvement in election 
                            activities.''.

SEC. 11. ABSENTEE VOTING.

    (a) Enforcement of Twenty-Sixth Amendment.--Section 301(a)(1) of 
the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10701(a)(1)) is amended by 
inserting before the period at the end the following: ``, including 
denials or abridgements of the rights of citizens of the United States 
to vote on account of age as a result of age-based restrictions for 
individuals of legal voting age to voting by mail''.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that age-based 
restrictions for individuals of legal voting age to vote by mail 
constitute a violation of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the 
Constitution of the United States.

SEC. 12. STUDIES AND DATA COLLECTION.

    (a) GAO Study.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 
        States shall submit to Congress a report on voter registration 
        trends, absentee voting trends, and provisional voting trends, 
        disaggregated by age and (where information on race is 
        available) race in accordance with paragraph (2), including--
                    (A) an examination of the reliance on absentee and 
                provisional ballots by age;
                    (B) an examination of the availability of polling 
                places on the campuses of institutions of higher 
                education as defined in section 7 of this Act, 
                including consideration of the characteristics of those 
                institutions and the populations they serve;
                    (C) the rejection rates for voter registration 
                applications and absentee ballot applications;
                    (D) the rejection rates for absentee ballots and 
                provisional ballots; and
                    (E) the reasons for those rejections.
            (2) Disaggregation.--The information described in paragraph 
        (1) shall be disaggregated according to (where information on 
        race is available) race and according to the following age 
        cohorts:
                    (A) 16 to 17.
                    (B) 18 to 21.
                    (C) 22 to 24.
                    (D) 25 to 29.
                    (E) 30 to 34.
                    (F) 35 to 39.
                    (G) 40 to 44.
                    (H) 45 to 49.
                    (I) 50 to 54.
                    (J) 55 to 59.
                    (K) 60 to 64.
                    (L) 65 to 69.
                    (M) 70 to 74.
                    (N) 75 to 79.
                    (O) 80 to 84.
                    (P) 85 and over.
    (b) Election Assistance Commission Data Collection.--
            (1) In general.--The Election Assistance Commission shall 
        collect, as a part of the Election Administration and Voting 
        Survey effort, and make publicly available, data from States 
        on--
                    (A) application and rejection rates of voter 
                registration applications and absentee ballot 
                applications for elections for Federal office based on 
                age and (where information on race is available) race;
                    (B) application and rejection rates of absentee 
                ballots and the issuance and rejection rates of 
                provisional ballots cast for elections for Federal 
                office based on age and (where information on race is 
                available) race;
                    (C) the reasons provided by the State for the 
                rejection of such ballots; and
                    (D) information on the availability of polling 
                places on the campuses of institutions of higher 
                education as defined in section 7 of this Act, 
                including consideration of the characteristics of those 
                institutions and the populations they serve.
            (2) Disaggregation.--The information described in paragraph 
        (1) shall be disaggregated according to each age cohort 
        described in subparagraphs (A) through (P) of subsection 
        (a)(2).
            (3) Requiring state submission of information regarding 
        rejected ballots.--
                    (A) Requirement.--Title III of the Help America 
                Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21081 et seq.) is amended 
                by inserting after section 303 the following new 
                section:

``SEC. 303A. REQUIRED SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION REGARDING REJECTED 
              APPLICATIONS AND BALLOTS.

    ``(a) Requirement.--Each State shall furnish to the Election 
Assistance Commission such information as the Commission may request 
for purposes of carrying out section 10(b) of the Youth Voting Rights 
Act.
    ``(b) Effective Date.--This section shall apply with respect to the 
elections for Federal office held on or after the date of enactment of 
this section.''.
                    (B) Enforcement.--Section 401 of such Act (52 
                U.S.C. 21111), as amended by section 9(b), is amended 
                by inserting ``303A,'' after ``303,''.
                    (C) Clerical amendment.--The table of contents of 
                such Act is amended by inserting after the item 
                relating to section 303 the following new item:

``Sec. 303A. Required submission of information regarding rejected 
                            applications and ballots.''.
                                 <all>