United States 115th Congress Status: In Committee 187 D cosponsors

HR 12 — Voter Empowerment Act of 2017

Last action — Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 115th Congress. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there are no live odds of enactment. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

In plain language

The bill enhances voter registration access and promotes voting for individuals with disabilities.

This bill requires online voter registration, protects voting rights, and mandates support for individuals with disabilities. It also revises auditing requirements for voting systems and regulates election administration participation.

What this means for you
  • Workers: Workers may benefit from improved voter registration processes and protections, enhancing their ability to participate in elections.
  • Environment: No direct impact is noted for the environment.

Summary

Voter Empowerment Act of 2017 Voter Registration Modernization Act of 2017 This bill amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require states to make available online voter registration. The federal criminal code is amended to prohibit hindering, interfering with, or preventing voter registration. The Help America Vote Act of 2002 is amended to require states to promote access to voter registration and voting for individuals with disabilities. The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) must support pilot programs enabling individuals with disabilities to register and vote at their residences. The bill reauthorizes support for state and local governments to ensure voting access for individuals with disabilities. States must notify individuals convicted of a criminal offense under state law, upon release or upon sentence to probation, of their right to vote in federal elections. Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2017 This bill revises auditing requirements for voting systems. Voting systems must use individual, durable, voter-verified paper ballots. The National Science Foundation must support the study and development of accessible ballot voting and best practices to enhance the accessibility of voting for certain individuals. With exceptions, states must audit federal election results. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act is amended to extend the guarantee of voting residency to family members of absent military personnel. The EAC must support poll-worker recruitment and training and develop materials for a model program. The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 is amended to prohibit a chief state election administration official, unless the official or a family member is a candidate, from taking part in political management or in a political campaign for federal office over which the official has supervisory authority. The EAC is reauthorized and its exemption from certain contracting requirements is repealed.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

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Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill updates the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to include provisions for online voter registration and related services.

  • 52 U.S.C. 20501

    SEC. 6A. INTERNET REGISTRATION. (a) Requiring Availability of Internet for Online Registration.-- (1) Availability of online registration.--Each State, acting through the chief State election official, shall ensure that the following services are available to the public at any time on the official public websites of the appropriate State and local election officials in the State, in the same manner and subject to the same terms and conditions as the services provided by voter registration agencies under section 7(a): (A) Online application for voter registration. (B) Online assistance to applicants in applying to register to vote. (C) Online completion and submission by applicants of the mail voter registration application form prescribed by the Election Assistance Commission pursuant to section 9(a)(2), including assistance with providing a signature in electronic form as required under subsection (c).

    This new section mandates states to provide online registration options and assistance to voters.

Action History

  1. Introduced in House

  2. Introduced in House

  3. Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Science, Space, and Technology, Veterans' Affairs, Oversight and Government Reform, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

  4. Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Science, Space, and Technology, Veterans' Affairs, Oversight and Government Reform, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

  5. Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Science, Space, and Technology, Veterans' Affairs, Oversight and Government Reform, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

  6. Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Science, Space, and Technology, Veterans' Affairs, Oversight and Government Reform, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

  7. Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Science, Space, and Technology, Veterans' Affairs, Oversight and Government Reform, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

  8. Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Science, Space, and Technology, Veterans' Affairs, Oversight and Government Reform, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

  9. Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.

  10. Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 186 co-sponsors · 360 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (186)

Not signed on (360)

360 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

civil-rights elections
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Frequently asked questions

What does HR 12 do?
Voter Empowerment Act of 2017 Voter Registration Modernization Act of 2017 This bill amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require states to make available online voter registration. The federal criminal code is amended to prohibit hindering, interfering with, or preventing voter registration. The Help America Vote Act of 2002 is amended to require states to promote access to voter registration and voting for individuals with disabilities. The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) must support pilot programs enabling individuals with disabilities to register and vote at their residences. The bill reauthorizes support for state and local governments to ensure voting access for individuals with disabilities. States must notify individuals convicted of a criminal offense under state law, upon release or upon sentence to probation, of their right to vote in federal elections. Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2017 This bill revises auditing requirements for voting systems. Voting systems must use individual, durable, voter-verified paper ballots. The National Science Foundation must support the study and development of accessible ballot voting and best practices to enhance the accessibility of voting for certain individuals. With exceptions, states must audit federal election results. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act is amended to extend the guarantee of voting residency to family members of absent military personnel. The EAC must support poll-worker recruitment and training and develop materials for a model program. The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 is amended to prohibit a chief state election administration official, unless the official or a family member is a candidate, from taking part in political management or in a political campaign for federal office over which the official has supervisory authority. The EAC is reauthorized and its exemption from certain contracting requirements is repealed.
Who sponsors HR 12?
HR 12 is sponsored by Clyburn, James E. (Democratic), Hoyer, Steny H. (Democratic), Brady, Robert A. (Democratic), Conyers, John, Jr. (Democratic), Pelosi, Nancy (Democratic), Adams, Alma S. (Democratic), Aguilar, Pete (Democratic), Barragán, Nanette Diaz (Democratic), Bass, Karen (Democratic), Beatty, Joyce (Democratic), Bera, Ami (Democratic), Beyer, Donald S. (Democratic), Bishop, Sanford D. (Democratic), Blumenauer, Earl (Democratic), Blunt Rochester, Lisa (Democratic), Bonamici, Suzanne (Democratic), Bordallo, Madeleine Z. (Democratic), Boyle, Brendan F. (Democratic), Brown, Anthony G. (Democratic), Brownley, Julia (Democratic), Bustos, Cheri (Democratic), Butterfield, G. K. (Democratic), Capuano, Michael E. (Democratic), Carbajal, Salud O. (Democratic), Cárdenas, Tony (Democratic), Carson, André (Democratic), Cartwright, Matt (Democratic), Castor, Kathy (Democratic), Castro, Joaquin (Democratic), Chu, Judy (Democratic), Cicilline, David N. (Democratic), Clark, Katherine M. (Democratic), Clarke, Yvette D. (Democratic), Clay, Wm. Lacy (Democratic), Cleaver, Emanuel (Democratic), Cohen, Steve (Democratic), Connolly, Gerald E. (Democratic), Correa, J. Luis (Democratic), Costa, Jim (Democratic), Courtney, Joe (Democratic), Crist, Charlie (Democratic), Crowley, Joseph (Democratic), Cummings, Elijah E. (Democratic), Davis, Danny K. (Democratic), Davis, Susan A. (Democratic), DeFazio, Peter A. (Democratic), DeGette, Diana (Democratic), Delaney, John K. (Democratic), DeLauro, Rosa L. (Democratic), Demings, Val Butler (Democratic), DeSaulnier, Mark (Democratic), Deutch, Theodore E. (Democratic), Dingell, Debbie (Democratic), Doyle, Michael F. (Democratic), Ellison, Keith (Democratic), Engel, Eliot L. (Democratic), Eshoo, Anna G. (Democratic), Espaillat, Adriano (Democratic), Esty, Elizabeth H. (Democratic), Evans, Dwight (Democratic), Foster, Bill (Democratic), Frankel, Lois (Democratic), Fudge, Marcia L. (Democratic), Gallego, Ruben (Democratic), Garamendi, John (Democratic), Gonzalez, Vicente (Democratic), Green, Al (Democratic), Green, Gene (Democratic), Grijalva, Raúl M. (Democratic), Gutierrez, Luis V. (Democratic), Hanabusa, Colleen (Democratic), Hastings, Alcee L. (Democratic), Heck, Denny (Democratic), Higgins, Brian (Democratic), Himes, James A. (Democratic), Huffman, Jared (Democratic), Jackson Lee, Sheila (Democratic), Jayapal, Pramila (Democratic), Jeffries, Hakeem S. (Democratic), Johnson, Eddie Bernice (Democratic), Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" (Democratic), Kaptur, Marcy (Democratic), Keating, William R. (Democratic), Kelly, Robin L. (Democratic), Kennedy, Joseph P., III (Democratic), Khanna, Ro (Democratic), Kihuen, Ruben J. (Democratic), Kildee, Daniel T. (Democratic), Kilmer, Derek (Democratic), Kind, Ron (Democratic), Krishnamoorthi, Raja (Democratic), Kuster, Ann M. (Democratic), Langevin, James R. (Democratic), Larsen, Rick (Democratic), Larson, John B. (Democratic), Lawrence, Brenda L. (Democratic), Lawson, Al, Jr. (Democratic), Lee, Barbara (Democratic), Levin, Sander M. (Democratic), Lieu, Ted (Democratic), Loebsack, David (Democratic), Lofgren, Zoe (Democratic), Lowenthal, Alan S. (Democratic), Lowey, Nita M. (Democratic), Luján, Ben Ray (Democratic), Lujan Grisham, Michelle (Democratic), Lynch, Stephen F. (Democratic), Maloney, Carolyn B. (Democratic), Maloney, Sean Patrick (Democratic), Matsui, Doris O. (Democratic), McCollum, Betty (Democratic), McEachin, A. Donald (Democratic), McGovern, James P. (Democratic), McNerney, Jerry (Democratic), Meeks, Gregory W. (Democratic), Meng, Grace (Democratic), Moore, Gwen (Democratic), Moulton, Seth (Democratic), Nadler, Jerrold (Democratic), Napolitano, Grace F. (Democratic), Neal, Richard E. (Democratic), Nolan, Richard M. (Democratic), Norcross, Donald (Democratic), Norton, Eleanor Holmes (Democratic), O'Halleran, Tom (Democratic), O'Rourke, Beto (Democratic), Panetta, Jimmy (Democratic), Pascrell, Bill (Democratic), Payne, Donald M. (Democratic), Peters, Scott H. (Democratic), Pingree, Chellie (Democratic), Plaskett, Stacey E. (Democratic), Pocan, Mark (Democratic), Polis, Jared (Democratic), Price, David E. (Democratic), Quigley, Mike (Democratic), Raskin, Jamie (Democratic), Rice, Kathleen M. (Democratic), Richmond, Cedric L. (Democratic), Rosen, Jacky (Democratic), Roybal-Allard, Lucille (Democratic), Rush, Bobby L. (Democratic), Ryan, Tim (Democratic), Sablan, Gregorio Kilili Camacho (Democratic), Sánchez, Linda T. (Democratic), Sarbanes, John P. (Democratic), Schakowsky, Janice D. (Democratic), Schiff, Adam B. (Democratic), Schneider, Bradley Scott (Democratic), Schrader, Kurt (Democratic), Scott, David (Democratic), Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" (Democratic), Serrano, Jose E. (Democratic), Sewell, Terri A. (Democratic), Shea-Porter, Carol (Democratic), Sherman, Brad (Democratic), Sires, Albio (Democratic), Slaughter, Louise McIntosh (Democratic), Smith, Adam (Democratic), Soto, Darren (Democratic), Speier, Jackie (Democratic), Suozzi, Thomas R. (Democratic), Swalwell, Eric (Democratic), Takano, Mark (Democratic), Thompson, Bennie G. (Democratic), Thompson, Mike (Democratic), Titus, Dina (Democratic), Tonko, Paul (Democratic), Vargas, Juan (Democratic), Veasey, Marc A. (Democratic), Vela, Filemon (Democratic), Velázquez, Nydia M. (Democratic), Wasserman Schultz, Debbie (Democratic), Watson Coleman, Bonnie (Democratic), Welch, Peter (Democratic), Wilson, Frederica S. (Democratic), Yarmuth, John A. (Democratic), Visclosky, Peter J. (Democratic), Perlmutter, Ed (Democratic), Gomez, Jimmy (Democratic), Gabbard, Tulsi (Democratic), Pallone, Frank (Democratic), Lamb, Conor (Democratic), Ruppersberger, C. A. Dutch (Democratic), Morelle, Joseph D. (Democratic), Scanlon, Mary Gay (Democratic), and Lewis, John (Democratic).
What is the current status of HR 12?
This bill died with 115th Congress. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track HR 12?
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