Sec. 2. Requirements for Federal election contingency plans in response to natural disasters and emergencies
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Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, each State and jurisdiction shall establish and make publicly available a contingency plan to enable qualified individuals (as defined in section 322(b) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002, as added by section 5(a)), to vote in elections for Federal office during a state of emergency, public health emergency, or national emergency which has been declared for reasons including, but not limited to— a natural disaster; or an infectious disease. Each State and jurisdiction shall update the contingency plan established under this subsection not less frequently than every 5 years. The contingency plan established under subsection
(a)shall include initiatives to provide equipment and resources needed to protect the health and safety of poll workers and voters when voting in person. The contingency plan established under subsection
(a)shall include initiatives by the chief State election official and local election officials to recruit poll workers for the November, 2020, general election and subsequent elections from resilient or unaffected populations, which may include— other State and local government offices; and high schools and colleges in the State for the November, 2020, general election and in subsequent elections for Federal office in the case where an infectious disease poses significant increased health risks to elderly individuals and affects an election for Federal office. The contingency plan established under subsection
(a)shall permit all individuals who are registered to vote to— submit an online request for an absentee ballot, which requirement is satisfied if the local, county, or State election official’s website allows an absentee ballot request application to be completed and submitted online and— an absentee ballot request application to be printed for the voter to complete and mail; or a voter to submit an online request for a hard copy absentee ballot request application to be mailed or emailed to the voter to complete and mail; return completed absentee ballot requests to designated drop off boxes; cast a vote in elections for Federal office by mail; and return completed absentee ballots by dropping them off at designated locations before the close of polls on the date of the election. For purposes of this section, the term State includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Attorney General may bring a civil action against any State or jurisdiction in an appropriate United States District Court for such declaratory and injunctive relief (including a temporary restraining order, a permanent or temporary injunction, or other order) as may be necessary to carry out the requirements of this section. In the case of a violation of this section, any person who is aggrieved by such violation may provide written notice of the violation to the chief election official of the State involved. If the violation is not corrected within 20 days after receipt of a notice under subparagraph (A), or within 5 days after receipt of the notice if the violation occurred within 120 days before the date of an election for Federal office, the aggrieved person may, in a civil action, obtain declaratory or injunctive relief with respect to the violation. If the violation occurred within 5 days before the date of an election for Federal office, the aggrieved person need not provide notice to the chief election official of the State involved under subparagraph
(A)before bringing a civil action under subparagraph (B).