Voter ID Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9368 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9368

To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require the provision of
 identification as a condition of casting a ballot in an election for
                Federal office, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 18, 2026

   Mr. Steil (for himself, Mrs. Miller of Illinois, Mr. Murphy, Mrs.
  Hinson, and Mr. Griffith) introduced the following bill; which was
           referred to the Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require the provision of
 identification as a condition of casting a ballot in an election for
                Federal office, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Voter ID Act''.

SEC. 2. REQUIRING VOTERS TO PROVIDE PHOTO IDENTIFICATION.

    (a) Requirement to Provide Photo Identification as Condition of
Casting Ballot.--
            (1) In general.--Title III of the Help America Vote Act of
        2002 (52 U.S.C. 21081 et seq.) is amended by inserting after
        section 303 the following new section:

``SEC. 303A. PHOTO IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.

    ``(a) Provision of Identification Required as Condition of Casting
Ballot.--
            ``(1) Individuals voting in person.--
                    ``(A) Requirement to provide identification.--
                Notwithstanding any other provision of law and except
                as provided in subparagraph (B), the appropriate State
                or local election official may not provide a ballot for
                an election for Federal office to an individual who
                desires to vote in person unless the individual
                presents to the official a valid physical photo
                identification.
                    ``(B) Availability of provisional ballot.--
                            ``(i) In general.--If an individual does
                        not present the identification required under
                        subparagraph (A), the individual shall be
                        permitted to cast a provisional ballot with
                        respect to the election under section 302(a),
                        except that the appropriate State or local
                        election official may not make a determination
                        under section 302(a)(4) that the individual is
                        eligible under State law to vote in the
                        election unless, not later than 3 days after
                        casting the provisional ballot, the individual
                        presents to the official--
                                    ``(I) the identification required
                                under subparagraph (A); or
                                    ``(II) an affidavit developed and
                                made available to the individual by the
                                State attesting that the individual
                                does not possess the identification
                                required under subparagraph (A) because
                                the individual has a religious
                                objection to being photographed.
                            ``(ii) No effect on other provisional
                        balloting rules.--Nothing in clause (i) may be
                        construed to apply to the casting of a
                        provisional ballot pursuant to section 302(a)
                        or any State law for reasons other than the
                        failure to present the identification required
                        under subparagraph (A).
            ``(2) Individuals voting other than in person.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Notwithstanding any other
                provision of law and except as provided in subparagraph
                (B), the appropriate State or local election official
                may not accept any ballot for an election for Federal
                office provided by an individual who votes other than
                in person unless the individual submits with the
                ballot--
                            ``(i) a copy of a valid photo
                        identification; or
                            ``(ii) the last four digits of the
                        individual's Social Security number and an
                        affidavit developed and made available to the
                        individual by the State attesting that the
                        individual is unable to obtain a copy of a
                        valid photo identification after making
                        reasonable efforts to obtain such a copy.
                    ``(B) Exceptions.--Subparagraph (A) does not apply
                with respect to a ballot provided by--
                            ``(i) an absent uniformed services voter,
                        as defined in section 107(1) of the Uniformed
                        and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (52
                        U.S.C. 20310(1)); or
                            ``(ii) an individual provided the right to
                        vote otherwise than in person under section
                        3(b)(2)(B)(ii) of the Voting Accessibility for
                        the Elderly and Handicapped Act (52 U.S.C.
                        20102(b)(2)(B)(ii)).
    ``(b) Providing Public Access to Digital Imaging Devices.--With
respect to each State, the appropriate State or local government
official of the State shall ensure, to the extent practicable, public
access to a digital imaging device, which shall include a printer,
copier, image scanner, or multifunction machine, at State and local
government buildings in the State, including courts, libraries, and
police stations, for the purpose of allowing individuals to use such a
device at no cost to the individual to make a copy of a valid photo
identification.
    ``(c) Notification of Identification Requirement to Applicants for
Voter Registration.--
            ``(1) In general.--Each State shall ensure that, at the
        time an individual applies to register to vote in elections for
        Federal office in the State, the appropriate State or local
        election official notifies the individual of the photo
        identification requirements of this section.
            ``(2) Special rule for individuals applying to register to
        vote online.--Each State shall ensure that, in the case of an
        individual who applies to register to vote in elections for
        Federal office in the State online, the online voter
        registration system notifies the individual of the photo
        identification requirements of this section before the
        individual completes the online registration process.
    ``(d) Valid Photo Identification Defined.--For purposes of this
section, a `valid photo identification' means, with respect to an
individual who seeks to vote in an election for Federal office, any of
the following:
            ``(1) A valid State-issued motor vehicle driver's license
        that includes a photo of the individual and an expiration date.
            ``(2) A valid State-issued identification card that
        includes a photo of the individual and an expiration date
        issued by a State motor vehicle authority.
            ``(3) A valid United States passport for the individual.
            ``(4) A valid military identification for the individual.
            ``(5) A valid identification document issued by a Tribal
        government that includes a photo of the individual and an
        expiration date.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of contents of such Act
        is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 303
        the following new item:

``Sec. 303A. Photo identification requirements.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment Relating to Voluntary Guidance by Election
Assistance Commission.--Section 311(b) of such Act (52 U.S.C. 21101(b))
is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (2);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (3) and
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(4) in the case of the recommendations with respect to
        section 303A, the date that is 90 days after the date of the
        enactment of the Voter ID Act.''.
    (c) Conforming Amendment Relating to Enforcement.--Section 401 of
such Act (52 U.S.C. 21111) is amended by striking ``sections 301, 302,
303, and 304'' and inserting ``subtitle A of title III''.
    (d) Effective Date.--This section and the amendments made by this
section shall take effect on the date that is 90 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM FOR PROVISION OF STATE AND TRIBAL IDENTIFICATION.

    (a) In General.--Subtitle D of title II of the Help America Vote
Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-252; 52 U.S.C. 21001 et seq.) is amended by
adding at the end the following new part:

        ``PART 7--GRANT PROGRAM FOR PROVISION OF IDENTIFICATION

``SEC. 298. GRANT PROGRAM FOR PROVISION OF IDENTIFICATION.

    ``(a) Grants to States.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Commission shall make grants to each
        State that provides identification described in paragraph (2)
        without charge to any individual who--
                    ``(A) is eligible for such identification; and
                    ``(B) provides an attestation under penalty of
                perjury that the individual cannot afford to pay the
                fee otherwise charged by the State for the provision of
                the identification.
            ``(2) Identification described.--An identification
        described in this subsection is--
                    ``(A) a State-issued motor vehicle driver's license
                that includes a photo of the individual and an
                expiration date; and
                    ``(B) an identification card issued by a State
                motor vehicle authority that includes a photo of the
                individual and an expiration date.
    ``(b) Grants to Tribes.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Commission shall make grants to each
        Tribal government that provides identification described in
        paragraph (2) without charge to any individual who--
                    ``(A) is eligible for such identification; and
                    ``(B) provides an attestation under penalty of
                perjury that the individual cannot afford to pay such
                fee.
            ``(2) Identification described.--An identification
        described in this subsection is an identification document
        issued by a Tribal government that includes a photo of the
        individual and an expiration date.
            ``(3) Tribal government.--In this subsection, the term
        `Tribal government' means the governing body of any Indian or
        Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or
        community that the Secretary of the Interior acknowledges to
        exist as an Indian tribe under the Federally Recognized Indian
        Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 479a et seq.).''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents of such Act is
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 296 the
following:

        ``Part 7--Grant Program for Provision of Identification

``Sec. 298. Grant program for provision of identification.''.
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