Sec. 1004. Payments and grants

473 words·~2 min read·/bill/117/hr/5746/eah/section-1004

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

The Election Assistance Commission shall make grants to each eligible State to assist the State in implementing the requirements of this part and the amendments made by this part (or, in the case of an exempt State, in implementing its existing automatic voter registration program or expanding its automatic voter registration program in a manner consistent with the requirements of this part) with respect to the offices of the State motor vehicle authority and any other offices of the State at which the State offers voter registration services as described in this part and the amendments made by this part.

A State is eligible to receive a grant under this section if the State submits to the Commission, at such time and in such form as the Commission may require, an application containing— a description of the activities the State will carry out with the grant; an assurance that the State shall carry out such activities without partisan bias and without promoting any particular point of view regarding any issue; and such other information and assurances as the Commission may require.

The Commission shall determine the amount of a grant made to an eligible State under this section. In determining the amounts of the grants, the Commission shall give priority to providing funds for those activities which are most likely to accelerate compliance with the requirements of this part (or, in the case of an exempt State, which are most likely to enhance the ability of the State to automatically register individuals to vote through its existing automatic voter registration program), including— investments supporting electronic information transfer, including electronic collection and transfer of signatures, between applicable agencies (as defined in section 5A of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993) and the appropriate State election officials; updates to online or electronic voter registration systems already operating as of the date of the enactment of this Act; introduction of online voter registration systems in jurisdictions in which those systems did not previously exist; and public education on the availability of new methods of registering to vote, updating registration, and correcting registration.

For purposes of this section, the term exempt State has the meaning given such term under section 5A of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, and also includes a State in which, under law which is in effect continuously on and after the date of the enactment of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, there is no voter registration requirement for any voter in the State with respect to an election for Federal office. There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section— $3,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2022; and such sums as may be necessary for each succeeding fiscal year.

Any amounts appropriated pursuant to the authority of this subsection shall remain available without fiscal year limitation until expended.