[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9890 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9890
To direct State and local election officials to provide a minimum
number of polling places within a State for voters to cast a ballot in
an election for Federal office and to ensure that such polling places
are not concentrated in a specific area, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 22, 2026
Ms. Williams of Georgia (for herself, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms.
Norton, Ms. Sewell, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Figures, Mr. Veasey,
and Ms. Strickland) introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on House Administration
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct State and local election officials to provide a minimum
number of polling places within a State for voters to cast a ballot in
an election for Federal office and to ensure that such polling places
are not concentrated in a specific area, 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 ``Polling Place Standards Act''.
SEC. 2. MINIMUM REQUIRED POLLING STATIONS.
(a) In General.--Title III of the Help America Vote Act of 2002
(Public Law 107-252; 52 U.S.C. 21081 et seq.) is amended by adding at
the end the following new subtitle:
``Subtitle C--Additional Polling Place Standards
``SEC. 321. POLLING PLACE REQUIREMENTS.
``(a) Minimum Number of Polling Places in a State.--Not later than
30 days prior to the day the voting period begins for any election for
Federal office, the appropriate State or local election official shall
begin preparations to ensure that during such voting period within each
State there is not less than 1 covered polling place or vote center for
every 2,000 voters registered to vote in such State.
``(b) Location Requirements.--The appropriate State or local
election official shall ensure that, within a State, the covered
polling places and vote centers available for a voter to cast a ballot
in an election for Federal office are--
``(1) not concentrated in a specific area of such State;
and
``(2) located in geographically diverse areas.
``(c) Exception.--The requirements in subsection (a) and subsection
(b) shall not apply with respect to a State if such State allows each
voter in such State to, or permits a jurisdiction of such State to
allow each voter in such jurisdiction to, cast a ballot in an election
for Federal office by--
``(1) depositing such ballot in a drop box; or
``(2) mailing such ballot to the appropriate State or local
election official.
``(d) Staffing.--
``(1) Requirement.--The appropriate State or local election
official shall ensure that each covered polling place and vote
center required by this section is adequately staffed to
ensure--
``(A) that ballots cast in an election for Federal
office are processed in a timely manner as required by
any applicable Federal or State law;
``(B) all equipment and ballots are handled in a
method that ensures the general safety and secure
storage of such equipment and ballots; and
``(C) compliance with any relevant accessability
related Federal, State, or local law.
``(2) Factors.--In determining whether a covered polling
place or vote center is adequately staffed pursuant to
paragraph (1), the appropriate State or local election official
shall consider--
``(A) the number of--
``(i) registered voters in the relevant
precinct;
``(ii) check-in stations, including
stations for the purposes of collecting ballots
and verifying the identity of a voter, at such
covered polling place or vote center;
``(iii) machines where a voter can fill out
or submit a ballot electronically, if
available, at such covered polling place or
vote center; and
``(iv) ballot scanning machines at such
covered polling place or vote center;
``(B) the accessability needs of the voters in such
precinct; and
``(C) whether the wait time for a voter to cast a
ballot in an election for Federal office at such
covered polling place or vote center is 30 minutes or
less.
``SEC. 322. DEFINITIONS.
``In this subtitle:
``(1) The term `covered polling place' means a polling
place that accepts ballots cast for a Federal election only
from voters in a particular precinct.
``(2) The term `vote center' means a polling place that
accepts a ballot cast for a Federal Election from any voter
regardless of the precinct of such voter.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents of such Act is
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 312 the
following:
``Subtitle C--Additional Polling Place Standards
``Sec. 321. Polling place requirements.
``Sec. 322. Definitions.''.
SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM FOR POLLING PLACE STANDARDS.
(a) In General.--Subtitle D of title II of the Help America Vote
Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-252; 52 U.S.C. 21001 et seq.) is amended by
adding at the end the following new part:
``PART 7--GRANT PROGRAM FOR POLLING PLACE STANDARDS
``SEC. 298. GRANT PROGRAM FOR POLLING PLACE STANDARDS.
``(a) In General.--The Commission shall award grants to States to
carry out the requirements of section 321.
``(b) Staffing.--The Commission may hire employees as necessary to
facilitate the grant program required in subsection (a).''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents of such Act is
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 296 the
following:
``Part 7--Grant Program for Polling Place Standards
``Sec. 298. Grant program for polling place standards.''.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be
necessary to carry out this Act.
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