[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 147 (Wednesday, September 5, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H7848-H7850]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     GLOBAL ELECTORAL EXCHANGE ACT

  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 5274) to promote international exchanges on best 
election practices, cultivate more secure democratic institutions 
around the world, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5274

       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 ``Global Electoral Exchange 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) recent elections globally have illustrated the urgent 
     need for the promotion and exchange of international best 
     election practices, particularly in the areas of 
     cybersecurity, results transmission, transparency of 
     electoral data, election dispute resolution, and the 
     elimination of discriminatory registration practices and 
     other electoral irregularities;
       (2) the advancement of democracy worldwide promotes 
     American interests, as stable democracies provide new market 
     opportunities, improve global health outcomes, and promote 
     economic freedom and regional security;
       (3) credible elections are the cornerstone of a healthy 
     democracy and enable all persons to exercise their basic 
     human right to have a say in how they are governed;
       (4) inclusive elections strengthen the credibility and 
     stability of democracies more broadly, as democratic 
     institutions flourish when representative of all groups of 
     society;
       (5) at the heart of a strong election cycle is the 
     professionalism of the election management body and an 
     empowered civil society; and
       (6) the development of local expertise via peer-to-peer 
     learning and exchanges promotes the independence of such 
     bodies from internal and external influence.

     SEC. 3. GLOBAL ELECTORAL EXCHANGE.

       (a) Global Electoral Exchange.--The Secretary of State is 
     authorized to establish and administer a Global Electoral 
     Exchange Program to promote the utilization of sound election 
     administration practices around the world.
       (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Global Electoral Exchange 
     Program described in subsection (a) shall include the 
     promotion and exchange of international best election 
     practices, including in the areas of--
       (1) cybersecurity;
       (2) results transmission;
       (3) transparency of electoral data;
       (4) election dispute resolution;
       (5) the elimination of discriminatory registration 
     practices and electoral irregularities;
       (6) equitable access to polling places, voter education 
     information, and voting mechanisms (including by persons with 
     disabilities); and
       (7) other sound election administration practices.
       (c) Exchange of Electoral Authorities.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of State may, in 
     consultation, as appropriate, with the United States Agency 
     for International Development, make grants to any United 
     States-based organization described in section 501(c)(3) of 
     the Internal Revenue Code of

[[Page H7849]]

     1986 and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such Code 
     with experience in comparative election systems or subject 
     matter expertise in the areas of election administration or 
     electoral integrity that submits an application in such form, 
     and satisfying such requirements, as the Secretary may 
     require.
       (2) Types of grants.--An organization described in 
     paragraph (1) may receive a grant for one or more of the 
     following purposes:
       (A) To design and implement programs bringing election 
     administrators and officials, including government officials, 
     poll workers, civil society representatives, members of the 
     judiciary, and others who participate in the organization and 
     administration of public elections in a foreign country to 
     the United States to study election procedures in the United 
     States for educational purposes.
       (B) To design and implement programs taking United States 
     or another country's election administrators and officials, 
     including government officials, poll workers, civil society 
     representatives, members of the judiciary, and others who 
     participate in the organization and administration of public 
     elections to study election procedures for educational 
     purposes.
       (3) Limits on activities.--Activities administered under 
     the Global Electoral Exchange Program may not--
       (A) include observation of an election for the purposes of 
     assessing the validity or legitimacy of that election; or
       (B) facilitate any advocacy for a certain electoral result 
     by a grantee when participating in the Program.
       (4) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     the Secretary of State should establish and maintain a 
     network of Global Electoral Exchange Program alumni, to 
     promote communication and further exchange of information 
     regarding sound election administration practices among 
     current and former program participants.
       (5) Further limits.--A recipient of a grant under the 
     Global Electoral Exchange Program may use such grant for only 
     the purpose for which such grant was awarded, unless 
     otherwise authorized by the Secretary of State.
       (6) Not duplicative.--Grants made under this subsection may 
     not be duplicative of any other grants made under any other 
     provision of law for similar or related purposes.

     SEC. 4. CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT.

       Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act and in each of the following two years thereafter, 
     the Secretary of State shall provide to the Committee on 
     Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the 
     Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a briefing on 
     the status of any activities carried out pursuant to this Act 
     during the preceding year, which shall include, among other 
     information, the following:
       (1) A summary of all exchanges conducted under the Global 
     Electoral Exchange Program, including information regarding 
     grantees, participants, and the locations where program 
     activities were held.
       (2) A description of the criteria used to select grantees 
     under the Global Electoral Exchange Program.
       (3) Any recommendations for the improvement of the Global 
     Electoral Exchange Program, based on the purpose specified in 
     section 3(b).

     SEC. 5. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.

       No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to 
     carry out the requirements of this Act. Such requirements 
     shall be carried out using amounts otherwise authorized to be 
     appropriated.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Castro) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask that all Members may have 
5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include 
any extraneous material in the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, America is more secure when fewer nations are 
authoritarian, and that is the unfortunate alternative to democracy, 
are authoritarian strongmen. These strongmen regimes justify their 
repression at home by creating enemies abroad.
  Since the freedom we enjoy is a threat to authoritarian regimes, the 
U.S. and our allies are natural targets for their aggression. We have 
seen this, unfortunately, with Moscow, with Beijing, and with the 
regime in North Korea. This is why there is longstanding, bipartisan 
support in this Congress for our democracy promotion programs overseas.
  In recent years, however, we have seen democracy decline worldwide. 
This is fueled, in many cases, by a decreasing level of public 
confidence in democracy and in elections. Unfortunately, many people 
around the world just cannot trust that their elections are free and 
fair, and we have seen this happen in Honduras, in Cambodia, and in the 
DRC.
  The bill before us addresses these issues by crafting an 
international exchange program with an objective, and that is, of 
promoting capabilities and instilling best election practices around 
this planet. This two-way exchange program will support countries in 
between their election cycles when they have the time to assess 
shortcomings. And then it will help them during elections to integrate 
lessons learned, to build coalitions, and to implement reforms.
  Healthy societies depend on elections that accurately reflect the 
decision of voters. The world has a shared stake in the integrity of 
the election mechanisms--these are the nuts and bolts of how people 
cast their votes and how these votes are counted, and how they have 
done this free from manipulation.
  I want to close by noting that this is a very real-time concern, and 
particularly important in the Western Hemisphere, as there are national 
elections coming up this fall in Brazil, and next year in Bolivia and 
El Salvador. So I urge my colleagues to support this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise in support of the bipartisan Global Electoral Exchange Act, 
H.R. 5274, which I introduced with my colleague, my Republican 
colleague, Mark Meadows, and also others, including my colleague from 
Texas, Ted Poe.
  I would like to first thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel 
for their support on this legislation and helping bring it to the 
floor.
  It is important to note the bipartisanship of this legislation 
because strengthening democracies abroad is a critical national 
interest and one that can be supported by both sides of the aisle.
  In recent years, democracies have been reeling across the world, even 
in our own neighborhood. This is a reversal of a longstanding trend 
toward democratization that continued through the end of the Cold War 
in the 1990s.
  In countries around the world, there are partners willing to work 
with us to strengthen their country's democracy. This is naturally in 
our bipartisan interests.
  Our strongest relationships are those with other democracies. Some 
examples include Canada, Mexico, Japan, India, Australia, and the 
member nations of the European Union. When two countries speak the 
language of democracy, when they each commit to the rule of law and the 
will of the people, the potential for a genuine partnership is formed.
  An election is a complex endeavor. It is an exercise a society 
undertakes together. To run effectively and efficiently, an election 
requires an engaged public, robust institutions, and a transparent, 
technically sound electoral mechanism.
  There are certain practices we ascribe to effective election systems, 
including a secret ballot, inclusive voting systems, chain of custody, 
neutral instructions to voters, and so much more of what may be 
considered good electoral practices.
  When elections are technically unsound, their results can be suspect. 
We saw this firsthand in Kenya and Honduras over the last year, where 
electoral failure led to election violence and a questionable outcome 
for many.
  It is in the interests of both the incumbent looking to be re-elected 
with the legitimacy that an election brings, and the challenger seeking 
to rise to office, to support transparent election practices.
  The State Department and USAID already engage in excellent work, in 
partnership with groups like the National Endowment for Democracy, 
National Democratic Institute, International Republican Institute, and 
International Foundation for Electoral Systems, supporting democracy 
worldwide.
  This bipartisan bill augments those efforts, allowing the Secretary 
of State

[[Page H7850]]

to support exchange programs with other countries to promote best 
practices in election administration.
  When we bring folks over here to show them how we do things and send 
Americans to other nations to see how elections are conducted overseas, 
we can have candid conversations on how all of us can improve.
  I would like to thank, again, Congressman Meadows for working with me 
on this bipartisan bill, and for all of his insight in making this bill 
and this legislation more effective.

  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  I would like to thank the authors of the bill. I would like to thank 
Representative Castro and Representative Meadows. I would like to thank 
also our ranking member, Mr. Engel. They put a lot of work in on this 
important legislation.
  There has long been a strong bipartisan consensus in Congress on the 
importance of promoting democracy overseas, and this is because America 
is undeniably more secure when fewer nations are authoritarian.
  But democracy promotion is not just about that. It is not just about 
our security. It is also morally just. Human rights are far better 
protected in democratic countries, ones without dank prison cells full 
of political prisoners.
  Elections are an important part of democracy, but all too often, 
elections overseas are plagued, often by corruption or technical 
challenges, sometimes by lack of transparency. And this bill will 
address these impediments by creating an electoral exchange program so 
that we can take our best practices and lessons learned overseas to 
help local governments improve their own election capacity.
  So I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Rogers of Kentucky). The question is on 
the motion offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that 
the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5274, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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