1 | 1 | | I |
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2 | 2 | | 119THCONGRESS |
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3 | 3 | | 1 |
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4 | 4 | | STSESSION H. R. 155 |
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5 | 5 | | To require States to permit unaffiliated voters to vote in primary elections |
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6 | 6 | | for Federal office, and for other purposes. |
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7 | 7 | | IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
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8 | 8 | | JANUARY3, 2025 |
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9 | 9 | | Mr. F |
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10 | 10 | | ITZPATRICK(for himself, Ms. PEREZ, Mr. GOLDENof Maine, and Mr. |
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11 | 11 | | G |
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12 | 12 | | ARBARINO) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com- |
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13 | 13 | | mittee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on the |
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14 | 14 | | Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in |
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15 | 15 | | each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic- |
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16 | 16 | | tion of the committee concerned |
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17 | 17 | | A BILL |
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18 | 18 | | To require States to permit unaffiliated voters to vote in |
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19 | 19 | | primary elections for Federal office, and for other purposes. |
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20 | 20 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1 |
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21 | 21 | | tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 |
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22 | 22 | | SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 |
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23 | 23 | | This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Let America Vote 4 |
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24 | 24 | | Act’’. 5 |
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25 | 25 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:56 Jan 29, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H155.IH H155 |
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26 | 26 | | kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 2 |
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27 | 27 | | •HR 155 IH |
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28 | 28 | | SEC. 2. REQUIRING STATES TO PERMIT UNAFFILIATED 1 |
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29 | 29 | | VOTERS TO VOTE IN PRIMARY ELECTIONS. 2 |
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30 | 30 | | (a) S |
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31 | 31 | | ENSE OFCONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-3 |
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32 | 32 | | gress that the right of a citizen of the United States to 4 |
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33 | 33 | | vote in any taxpayer-funded election for public office shall 5 |
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34 | 34 | | not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any 6 |
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35 | 35 | | State on the grounds of political party affiliation or lack 7 |
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36 | 36 | | thereof. 8 |
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37 | 37 | | (b) R |
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38 | 38 | | EQUIREMENTS FOR ELECTIONS FORFEDERAL 9 |
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39 | 39 | | O |
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40 | 40 | | FFICE.— 10 |
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41 | 41 | | (1) A |
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42 | 42 | | CCESS OF UNAFFILIATED VOTERS TO PRI -11 |
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43 | 43 | | MARIES.—Each State shall permit an unaffiliated 12 |
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44 | 44 | | voter who is registered to vote in an election for 13 |
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45 | 45 | | Federal office held in the State to vote in any pri-14 |
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46 | 46 | | mary election for such office held in the State, ex-15 |
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47 | 47 | | cept that the State shall not permit an unaffiliated 16 |
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48 | 48 | | voter to vote in primary elections for such office of 17 |
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49 | 49 | | more than one political party. 18 |
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50 | 50 | | (2) R |
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51 | 51 | | ESTRICTIONS RELATING TO UNAFFILI -19 |
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52 | 52 | | ATED VOTERS.— 20 |
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53 | 53 | | (A) R |
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54 | 54 | | ESTRICTIONS ON SHARING OF INFOR -21 |
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55 | 55 | | MATION.—A State shall not share information 22 |
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56 | 56 | | relating to an unaffiliated voter in a primary 23 |
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57 | 57 | | election for Federal office, including the voter’s 24 |
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58 | 58 | | name and contact information, with a political 25 |
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59 | 59 | | party or with any other person who may rea-26 |
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60 | 60 | | VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:56 Jan 29, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H155.IH H155 |
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61 | 61 | | kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 3 |
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62 | 62 | | •HR 155 IH |
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63 | 63 | | sonably be expected to use the information for 1 |
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64 | 64 | | a political or politically-connected commercial 2 |
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65 | 65 | | purpose, including soliciting funds. 3 |
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66 | 66 | | (B) R |
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67 | 67 | | ESTRICTIONS ON STATUS OF VOTER 4 |
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68 | 68 | | ON OFFICIAL REGISTRATION LIST .—For pur-5 |
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69 | 69 | | poses of a State’s official voter registration list, 6 |
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70 | 70 | | a State shall not treat an individual who is an 7 |
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71 | 71 | | unaffiliated voter as a member of, or as an indi-8 |
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72 | 72 | | vidual who is otherwise affiliated with, the polit-9 |
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73 | 73 | | ical party who held the primary election in 10 |
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74 | 74 | | which the individual voted solely on the grounds 11 |
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75 | 75 | | that the individual voted in that primary elec-12 |
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76 | 76 | | tion. 13 |
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77 | 77 | | (c) E |
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78 | 78 | | LECTIONS FORSTATE ANDLOCALOFFICE.— 14 |
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79 | 79 | | Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a State may 15 |
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80 | 80 | | not use any funds provided by the Federal Government 16 |
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81 | 81 | | directly for election administration purposes unless the 17 |
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82 | 82 | | State certifies to the Election Assistance Commission 18 |
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83 | 83 | | that— 19 |
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84 | 84 | | (1) the State permits an unaffiliated voter who 20 |
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85 | 85 | | is registered to vote in an election for State or local 21 |
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86 | 86 | | office held in the State to vote in any primary elec-22 |
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87 | 87 | | tion for such office held in the State, except that the 23 |
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88 | 88 | | State shall not permit an unaffiliated voter to vote 24 |
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90 | 90 | | kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 4 |
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91 | 91 | | •HR 155 IH |
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92 | 92 | | in primary elections for such office of more than one 1 |
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93 | 93 | | political party; 2 |
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94 | 94 | | (2) the State applies the restrictions on sharing 3 |
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95 | 95 | | information relating to unaffiliated voters in primary 4 |
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96 | 96 | | elections for Federal office, as described in sub-5 |
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97 | 97 | | section (a)(2)(A), to information relating to unaffili-6 |
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98 | 98 | | ated voters in primary elections for State and local 7 |
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99 | 99 | | office; and 8 |
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100 | 100 | | (3) the State applies the restrictions on treating 9 |
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101 | 101 | | unaffiliated voters in primary elections for Federal 10 |
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102 | 102 | | office as members of, or as individuals who are oth-11 |
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103 | 103 | | erwise affiliated with, a political party, as described 12 |
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104 | 104 | | in subsection (a)(2)(B), to unaffiliated voters in pri-13 |
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105 | 105 | | mary elections for State and local office. 14 |
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106 | 106 | | (d) T |
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107 | 107 | | RANSITIONASSISTANCEGRANTS.— 15 |
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108 | 108 | | (1) P |
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109 | 109 | | AYMENT OF GRANTS .—If a State certifies 16 |
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110 | 110 | | to the Election Assistance Commission that the 17 |
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111 | 111 | | State is in compliance with the requirements of this 18 |
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112 | 112 | | section with respect to a fiscal year, the Commission 19 |
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113 | 113 | | shall make a payment to the State during that fiscal 20 |
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114 | 114 | | year and each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years in an 21 |
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115 | 115 | | amount equal to 2 percent of the total amount of re-22 |
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116 | 116 | | quirements payments made to the State under sec-23 |
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117 | 117 | | tion 251 of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 24 |
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118 | 118 | | U.S.C. 21001). 25 |
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120 | 120 | | kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 5 |
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121 | 121 | | •HR 155 IH |
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122 | 122 | | (2) USE OF FUNDS.—A State shall use the pay-1 |
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123 | 123 | | ment received under this subsection to cover the 2 |
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124 | 124 | | costs of permitting unaffiliated voters who are reg-3 |
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125 | 125 | | istered to vote in elections for Federal, State, or 4 |
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126 | 126 | | local office held in the State to vote in any primary 5 |
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127 | 127 | | election for such office held in the State. 6 |
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128 | 128 | | (3) A |
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129 | 129 | | UTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS .— 7 |
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130 | 130 | | There are authorized to be appropriated for fiscal 8 |
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131 | 131 | | year 2026 and each succeeding fiscal year such sums 9 |
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132 | 132 | | as may be necessary for grants under this sub-10 |
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133 | 133 | | section. 11 |
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134 | 134 | | (e) D |
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135 | 135 | | EFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section— 12 |
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136 | 136 | | (1) the terms ‘‘election’’ and ‘‘Federal office’’ 13 |
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137 | 137 | | have the meanings give such terms in section 301 of 14 |
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138 | 138 | | the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 15 |
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139 | 139 | | U.S.C. 30101); 16 |
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140 | 140 | | (2) the term ‘‘primary election’’ means an elec-17 |
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141 | 141 | | tion (including a primary election held for the ex-18 |
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142 | 142 | | pression of a preference for the nomination of indi-19 |
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143 | 143 | | viduals for election to the office of President) held 20 |
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144 | 144 | | by any political party to nominate individuals who 21 |
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145 | 145 | | would appear on a general election ballot as a can-22 |
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146 | 146 | | didate for election for Federal office, including a 23 |
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147 | 147 | | convention or caucus of a political party which has 24 |
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148 | 148 | | authority to nominate such a candidate; 25 |
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150 | 150 | | kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 6 |
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151 | 151 | | •HR 155 IH |
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152 | 152 | | (3) the term ‘‘State’’ has the meaning given 1 |
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153 | 153 | | such term in section 901 of the Help America Vote 2 |
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154 | 154 | | Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21141); and 3 |
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155 | 155 | | (4) the term ‘‘unaffiliated voter’’ means an in-4 |
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156 | 156 | | dividual who is not registered to vote as a member 5 |
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157 | 157 | | of a political party or otherwise affiliated with a po-6 |
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158 | 158 | | litical party. 7 |
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159 | 159 | | (f) E |
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160 | 160 | | FFECTIVEDATE.—This Act shall apply with re-8 |
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161 | 161 | | spect to elections held after the date of the enactment of 9 |
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162 | 162 | | this Act. 10 |
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163 | 163 | | SEC. 3. PROHIBITING NONCITIZENS FROM VOTING. 11 |
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164 | 164 | | (a) S |
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165 | 165 | | TATEMENT OFPOLICY.—It is the policy of the 12 |
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166 | 166 | | United States that no person who is not a citizen shall 13 |
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167 | 167 | | be permitted or granted the right to vote in any taxpayer- 14 |
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168 | 168 | | funded election for public office held by or in the United 15 |
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169 | 169 | | States or any State. 16 |
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170 | 170 | | (b) E |
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171 | 171 | | LECTIONS FORFEDERALOFFICE.—No State 17 |
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172 | 172 | | shall permit any person who is not a citizen of the United 18 |
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173 | 173 | | States to vote in any election for Federal office held in 19 |
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174 | 174 | | the State. 20 |
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175 | 175 | | (c) E |
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176 | 176 | | LECTIONS FORSTATE ANDLOCALOFFICE.— 21 |
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177 | 177 | | Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a State may 22 |
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178 | 178 | | not use any funds provided by the Federal Government 23 |
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179 | 179 | | directly for election administration purposes unless the 24 |
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180 | 180 | | State certifies to the Election Assistance Commission that 25 |
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182 | 182 | | kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 7 |
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183 | 183 | | •HR 155 IH |
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184 | 184 | | the State does not permit any person who is not a citizen 1 |
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185 | 185 | | of the United States to vote in any election for State or 2 |
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186 | 186 | | local office or any ballot initiative or referendum held in 3 |
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187 | 187 | | the State. 4 |
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188 | 188 | | Æ |
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190 | 190 | | kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB |
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