Sec. 7. Development of a secure Federal portal to allow election officials to provide voters with updates on their ballots
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Not later than January 1, 2024, the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, in consultation with the Chair of the Election Assistance Commission, the Postmaster General, the Director of the General Services Administration, the Presidential designee, and State election officials, shall establish a balloting materials status update service to be used by States and local jurisdictions to inform voters on the status of voter registration applications, absentee ballot applications, and absentee ballots. The balloting materials status update service established under paragraph
(1)shall provide to a voter the following information with respect to that voter: In the case of balloting materials sent by mail, tracking information from the United States Post Office and the Presidential designee on balloting materials sent to the voter and, to the extent feasible, returned by the voter. The date on which any request by the voter for an application for voter registration or an absentee ballot was received. The date on which any such requested application was sent to the voter. The date on which any such completed application was received from the voter and the status of such application. The date on which any absentee ballot was sent to the voter. The date on which any absentee ballot was received by the voter. The date on which the post office processes the absentee ballot. The date on which post office delivered the absentee ballot to the election office. Whether such ballot was accepted and counted, and in the case of any ballot not counted, the reason why the ballot was not counted. The balloting materials status update service established under paragraph
(1)shall allow voters the option to receive the information described in paragraph
(2)through email (or other electronic means) or through the mail. The Director may not charge any fee to a State or jurisdiction for use of the balloting materials status update service in connection with any Federal, State, or local election. There are authorized to be appropriated to the Director such sums as are necessary for purposes of carrying out this subsection. Section 102(a) of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act ( 52 U.S.C. 20302(a) ), as amended by section 4(b), is amended by striking and at the end of paragraph (11), by striking the period at the end of paragraph
(12)and inserting ; and , and by adding at the end the following new paragraph: use the balloting materials status update service developed under section 7(a) of the Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act of 2020 to inform absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters on the status of voter registration applications, absentee ballot applications, and absentee ballots used in elections for Federal office. . Section 102 of such Act ( 52 U.S.C. 20302 ) is amended by striking subsection (h). The amendments made by this subsection shall apply to elections for Federal office occurring after the date that is 1 year after the date on which the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency certifies that the service described in subsection
(a)is operational. Section 321(a) of the Help American Vote Act of 2002, as added by section 3, is amended by striking and at the end of paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end of paragraph
(4)and inserting ; and , and by adding at the end the following new paragraph: use the balloting materials status update service developed under section 7(a) of the Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act of 2020 to provide eligible voters and qualified individuals (as defined in section 322(b) of this Act) information regarding the status of voter registration applications, absentee ballot applications, and absentee ballots used in elections for Federal office, except that any State or jurisdiction which has developed a balloting materials status update system which meets the requirements of paragraph
(2)of such section 7(a) (relating to information tracked) may continue to use such system. . The amendments made by this subsection shall apply to elections for Federal office occurring after the date that is 1 year after the date on which the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency certifies that the service described in subsection
(a)is operational. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency may make the balloting materials status update service available to the Department of Defense to administer and implement to absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters pursuant to the Uniformed Overseas and Citizens Absentee Voting Act ( 52 U.S.C. 20301 et seq.). The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act ( 52 U.S.C. 20301 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 103C, as added by section 4(a), the following new section: The Presidential designee shall make payments to each State and local jurisdiction equal to the costs to the State or local jurisdiction of using the balloting materials status update service under section 7(a) of the Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act of 2020 with respect to balloting materials of absent uniformed services and overseas voters. There are authorized to be appropriated to the Presidential designee such sums as are necessary for carrying out this section, to remain available without fiscal year limitation. . Section 101(b) of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act ( 52 U.S.C. 20301(b) ) is amended by striking and at the end of paragraph (10), by striking the period at the end of paragraph
(11)and inserting ; and , and by adding at the end the following new paragraph: make payments to States in accordance with section 103D. . The table of contents of such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 103, as added by section 4(c), the following new item: Sec. 103D. Reimbursements for use of balloting materials status update service. . Subtitle D of title II of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 ( 52 U.S.C. 21001 et seq.), as amended by section 5(b), is amended by adding at the end the following: The Commission shall make payments to each State and local jurisdiction equal to the costs to the State or local jurisdiction of using the ballot material update service under section 7(a) of the Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act of 2020 with respect to balloting materials of voters (other than balloting materials of absent uniformed services and overseas voters for which the State is eligible for payment under section 103D of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act) for which States or jurisdictions elect to use such tracking service. There are authorized to be appropriated to the Commission such sums as are necessary for carrying out this section, to remain available without fiscal year limitation. . Section 202 of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 ( 52 U.S.C. 20922 ), as amended by section 5(b), is amended by redesignating paragraphs
(6)and
(7)as paragraphs
(7)and (8), respectively, and by inserting after paragraph
(5)the following new paragraph: carrying out the duties described in part 8 (relating to balloting materials status update reimbursements); . The table of contents for such Act is amended by inserting after the item related to section 297 the following: Part 8—Reimbursements for Use of Balloting Materials Status Update Service Sec. 298. Reimbursements for use of balloting materials status update service. .
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Sec. 7
Development of a secure Federal portal to allow election officials to provide voters with updates on their ballots
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