[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 119 (Wednesday, July 12, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2394-S2395]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 217. Ms. KLOBUCHAR submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by her to the bill S. 2226, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2024 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place in title XII, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. 12___. GLOBAL ELECTORAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM.

       (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``Global 
     Electoral Exchange Act''.

[[Page S2395]]

       (b) 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 United 
     States 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;
       (5) at the heart of a strong election cycle is the 
     professionalism of the election management body and an 
     empowered civil society;
       (6) the development of local expertise via peer-to-peer 
     learning and exchanges promotes the independence of such 
     bodies from internal and external influence; and
       (7) supporting the efforts of peoples in democratizing 
     societies to build more representative governments in their 
     respective countries is in the national interest of the 
     United States.
       (c) Establishment.--The Secretary of State is authorized to 
     establish and administer a Global Electoral Exchange Program 
     (referred to in this section as the ``Program'') to promote 
     the utilization of sound election administration practices 
     around the world.
       (d) Purpose.--The purpose of the Program shall include the 
     promotion and exchange of international best election 
     practices, including in the areas of--
       (1) cybersecurity;
       (2) the protection of election systems against influence 
     campaigns;
       (3) results transmission;
       (4) transparency of electoral data;
       (5) election dispute resolution;
       (6) the elimination of discriminatory registration 
     practices and electoral irregularities;
       (7) inclusive and equitable promotion of candidate 
     participation;
       (8) equitable access to polling places, voter education 
     information, and voting mechanisms (including by persons with 
     disabilities); and
       (9) other sound election administration practices.
       (e) Exchange of Electoral Authorities.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of State, in consultation, 
     as appropriate, with the Administrator of the United States 
     Agency for International Development, may award grants to any 
     United States-based organization that--
       (A) is described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal 
     Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under section 501(a) 
     of such Code;
       (B) has experience in, and a primary focus on, foreign 
     comparative election systems or subject matter expertise in 
     the administration or integrity of such systems; and
       (C) 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 under this subsection to 
     design and implement programs that--
       (A) bring to the United States 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 that faces 
     challenges to its electoral process to study election 
     procedures in the United States for educational purposes; or
       (B) take election administrators and officials of the 
     United States or of another country, 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 
     another country to study and discuss election procedures in 
     such country for educational purposes.
       (3) Limits on activities.--Activities administered under 
     the Program may not--
       (A) include observation of an election for the purposes of 
     assessing the validity or legitimacy of that election;
       (B) facilitate any advocacy for a certain electoral result 
     by a grantee when participating in the Program; or
       (C) be carried out without proper consultation with State 
     and local authorities in the United States that administer 
     elections.
       (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) Limitation.--A recipient of a grant under the Program 
     may only use such grant for the purpose for which such grant 
     was awarded, unless otherwise authorized by the Secretary of 
     State.
       (6) Nonduplicative.--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.
       (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
     2024 through 2028 to carry out this section.
       (g) Congressional Oversight.--Not later than 1 year after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter 
     for the following 2 years, the Secretary of State shall 
     provide a briefing to the Committee on Foreign Relations of 
     the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
     of Representatives regarding the status of any activities 
     carried out under this section during the preceding year, 
     including--
       (1) a summary of all exchanges conducted under the 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 Program; and
       (3) recommendations for the improvement of the Program in 
     furtherance of the purpose specified in subsection (d).
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