S.4203

Voter Empowerment Act of 2026 Voter Registration Efficiency Act Automatic Voter Registration Act of 2026 Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2026 Democracy Restoration Act of 2026 Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2026 Voter Registration Modernization Act of 2026

Voter Empowerment Act of 2026

Introduced·3/25/26
Introduced

S. 4203

Introduced in Senate · April 21, 2026

March 25, 2026

Mrs. Gillibrand introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration

A BILL

To modernize voter registration, promote access to voting for individuals with disabilities, protect the ability of individuals to exercise the right to vote in elections for Federal office, and for other purposes.

1. Short title; statement of policy; 2. Table of contents; TITLE I—VOTER REGISTRATION MODERNIZATION; 100. Short title; 101. Requiring availability of internet for voter registration; 102. Use of internet to update registration information; 103. Provision of election information by electronic mail to individuals registered to vote; 104. Clarification of requirement regarding necessary information to show eligibility to vote; 105. Prohibiting State from requiring applicants to provide more than last 4 digits of Social Security number; 106. Application of rules to certain exempt States; 107. Effective date; 111. Short title; findings and purpose; 112. Automatic registration of eligible individuals; 113. Contributing agency assistance in registration; 114. One-time contributing agency assistance in registration of eligible voters in existing records; 115. Voter protection and security in automatic registration; 116. Registration portability and correction; 117. Payments and grants; 118. Treatment of exempt States; 119. Miscellaneous provisions; 120. Definitions; 121. Effective date; 131. Same day registration; 141. Conditions on removal of registrants from official list of eligible voters on basis of interstate cross-checks; 151. Biennial reports on voter registration statistics; 152. Ensuring pre-election registration deadlines are consistent with timing of legal public holidays; 153. Use of Postal Service hard copy change of address form to remind individuals to update voter registration; 154. Grants to States for activities to encourage involvement of minors in election activities; 161. Availability of requirements payments under HAVA to cover costs of compliance with new requirements; 171. Prohibiting hindering, interfering with, or preventing voter registration; 172. Establishment of best practices; 181. Short title; 182. Requiring applicants for motor vehicle driver’s licenses in new State to indicate whether State serves as residence for voter registration purposes; 191. Pilot program for providing voter registration information to secondary school students prior to graduation; 192. Reports; 193. Authorization of appropriations; 194. Acceptance of voter registration applications from individuals under 18 years of age; TITLE II—ACCESS TO VOTING FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES; 201. Requirements for States to promote access to voter registration and voting for individuals with disabilities; 202. Establishment and maintenance of State accessible election websites; 203. Protections for in-person voting for individuals with disabilities and older individuals; 204. Protections for individuals subject to guardianship; 205. Expansion and reauthorization of grant program to assure voting access for individuals with disabilities; 206. Appointments to EAC Board of Advisors; 207. Pilot programs for enabling individuals with disabilities to register to vote privately and independently at residences; 208. GAO analysis and report on voting access for individuals with disabilities; TITLE III—PROHIBITING VOTER CAGING; 301. Voter caging and other questionable challenges prohibited; 302. Development and adoption of best practices for preventing voter caging; TITLE IV—PROHIBITING DECEPTIVE PRACTICES AND PREVENTING VOTER INTIMIDATION; 401. Short title; 402. Prohibition on deceptive practices in Federal elections; 403. Corrective action; 404. Reports to Congress; TITLE V—DEMOCRACY RESTORATION; 501. Short title; 502. Findings; 503. Rights of citizens; 504. Enforcement; 505. Notification of restoration of voting rights; 506. Definitions; 507. Relation to other laws; 508. Federal prison funds; 509. Effective date; TITLE VI—PROMOTING ACCURACY, INTEGRITY, AND SECURITY THROUGH VOTER-VERIFIED PERMANENT PAPER BALLOT; 601. Short title; 602. Paper ballot and manual counting requirements; 603. Accessibility and ballot verification for individuals with disabilities; 604. Durability and readability requirements for ballots; 605. Study and report on optimal ballot design; 606. Paper ballot printing requirements; 607. Effective date for new requirements; TITLE VII—PROVISIONAL BALLOTS; 701. Requirements for counting provisional ballots; establishment of uniform and nondiscriminatory standards; TITLE VIII—EARLY VOTING; 801. Early voting; TITLE IX—VOTING BY MAIL; 901. Voting by mail; 902. Absentee ballot tracking program; 903. Election mail and delivery improvements; 904. Voting materials postage; TITLE X—ABSENT UNIFORMED SERVICES VOTERS AND OVERSEAS VOTERS; 1001. Pre-election reports on availability and transmission of absentee ballots; 1002. Enforcement; 1003. Revisions to 45-day absentee ballot transmission rule; 1004. Use of single absentee ballot application for subsequent elections; 1005. Extending guarantee of residency for voting purposes to family members of absent military personnel; 1006. Requiring transmission of blank absentee ballots under UOCAVA to certain voters; 1007. Effective date; TITLE XI—POLL WORKER RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING; 1101. Grants to States for poll worker recruitment and training; 1102. State defined; TITLE XII—ENHANCEMENT OF ENFORCEMENT; 1201. Enhancement of enforcement of Help America Vote Act of 2002; TITLE XIII—FEDERAL ELECTION INTEGRITY; 1301. Prohibition on campaign activities by chief State election administration officials; TITLE XIV—PROMOTING VOTER ACCESS THROUGH ELECTION ADMINISTRATION IMPROVEMENTS; 1401. Treatment of institutions of higher education; 1402. Minimum notification requirements for voters affected by polling place changes; 1403. Permitting use of sworn written statement to meet identification requirements for voting; 1404. Accommodations for voters residing in Indian lands; 1405. Ensuring equitable and efficient operation of polling places; 1406. Requiring States to provide secured drop boxes for voted absentee ballots in elections for Federal office; 1407. Prohibiting States from restricting curbside voting; 1411. Requirements for Federal election contingency plans in response to natural disasters and emergencies; 1421. Reauthorization of Election Assistance Commission; 1422. Requiring States to participate in post-general election surveys; 1423. Reports by National Institute of Standards and Technology on use of funds transferred from Election Assistance Commission; 1424. Recommendations to improve operations of Election Assistance Commission; 1425. Repeal of exemption of Election Assistance Commission from certain government contracting requirements; 1431. Application of laws to Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands; 1432. Definition of election for Federal office; 1433. No effect on other laws; 1434. Clarification of exemption for States without voter registration; TITLE XV—SEVERABILITY; 1501. Severability

Same day registration

Establishment and maintenance of accessible election websites

Access to voting for individuals with disabilities and older individuals

Payments To Reimburse States for Costs Incurred in Establishing Program To Track and Confirm Receipt of Absentee Ballots

Ballot visibility

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,