Voter Empowerment Act of 2021
This bill expands voter registration and voting access.
Specifically, the bill expands voter registration by requiring states to (1) make available online voter registration, (2) establish automatic voter registration systems, (3) permit same-day voter registration, and (4) accept voter registration applications from individuals under age 18.
Further, the bill limits removing voters from voter rolls and prohibits interference with voter registration or voting.
Next, the bill requires states to allow individuals with disabilities to use absentee registration procedures and to vote by absentee ballot in federal elections.
The bill also prohibits voter caging (the practice of sending mail to addresses on voter rolls, compiling a list of the undeliverable mail, and using the list to remove registered voters from voter rolls).
Next, the bill expands voting access by requiring states to allow early voting and voting by mail without additional conditions. It also requires states to provide secured drop boxes at which individuals may drop off their completed absentee ballots.
In addition, the bill declares that the right of a U.S. citizen to vote in any federal election shall not be denied or abridged because that individual has been convicted of a criminal offense unless, at the time of the election, such individual is serving a felony sentence.
Finally, the bill permanently reauthorizes the Election Assistance Commission (EAC). It also directs the EAC to make grants to states for specified activities, including to implement automatic voter registration systems.
| Action Date | Type | Text | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-10-19 | Committee | Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. | House committee actions |
| 2021-04-05 | IntroReferral | Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Science, Space, and Technology, Oversight and Reform, Education and Labor, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. | House floor actions |
| 2021-04-05 | IntroReferral | Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Science, Space, and Technology, Oversight and Reform, Education and Labor, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. | House floor actions |
| 2021-04-05 | IntroReferral | Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Science, Space, and Technology, Oversight and Reform, Education and Labor, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. | House floor actions |
| 2021-04-05 | IntroReferral | Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Science, Space, and Technology, Oversight and Reform, Education and Labor, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. | House floor actions |
| 2021-04-05 | IntroReferral | Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Science, Space, and Technology, Oversight and Reform, Education and Labor, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. | House floor actions |
| 2021-04-05 | IntroReferral | Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Science, Space, and Technology, Oversight and Reform, Education and Labor, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. | House floor actions |
| 2021-04-05 | Committee | Referred to the Subcommittee on Research and Technology. | House committee actions |
| 2021-04-05 | IntroReferral | Introduced in House | Library of Congress |