,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #cifa  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,june #ae1     
#bjbj,mr4 ,merkley introduced the       
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,rules   
and ,administration  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
require ,states and local jurisdictions 
to allow absentee voting in the         
,november #bjbj general election for    
,federal office for individuals impacted
 by coronavirus disease #bjai1 and for  
other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this 
,act may be cited as the ,pandemic      
,democracy for ,all ,act4  #b4          
,requirement to provide absentee ballots
 for #bjbj elections to individuals     
impacted by ,,covid-#ai  7a7 ,in general
 ,in the case of the regularly scheduled
 general election for ,federal office   
occurring in ,november #bjbj1 each      
,state and local jurisdiction shall     
permit eligible voters to use absentee  
registration procedures and to vote by  
absentee ballot individuals if such     

eligible voter has a reasonable concern 
that voting in person on the day of the 
election may expose the voter to        
contracting coronavirus disease #bjai   
7,,covid-#ai7 or is otherwise impacted  
by ,,covid-#ai4  7b7 ,enforcement ,the  
,attorney ,general may bring a civil    
action against any ,state or local      
jurisdiction in an appropriate ,united  
,states ,district ,court for such       
declaratory and injunctive relief       
7including a temporary restraining      
order1 a permanent or temporary         
injunction1 or other order7 as may be   
necessary to carry out the purposes of  
subsection 7a74  #c4 ,grants for online 
registration systems  7a7 ,purpose ,the 
purpose of this section is to encourage 
,state and local jurisdictions with     
paper-based absentee ballot request     
systems to provide for online absentee  
ballot request systems4  7b7 ,grants    
,the ,election ,assistance ,commission  
may award grants to ,states and local   
jurisdictions to enable ,states and     

local jurisdictions to implement online 
absentee registration systems for the   
regularly scheduled election for        
,federal office in ,november #bjbj4  7c7
 ,authorization of appropriations ,there
 are authorized to be appropriated for  
payments under this section #af1gjj1jjj 
for fiscal year #bjbj4  #d4 ,grants for 
increased absentee voting  7a7 ,in      
general ,the ,election ,assistance      
,commission may award grants to ,states 
and local jurisdictions to facilitate an
 increase in absentee voting during the 
regularly scheduled election for        
,federal office in ,november #bjbj4  7b7
 ,use of grants ,grants provided under  
this section may be used for-- 7#a7 the 
purchase of materials 7including the    
costs of postage1 envelopes1 ballot     
printing1 drop boxes1 and processing    
equipment7 to facilitate absentee       
voting2  7#b7 educational outreach to   
the public with respect to casting      
absentee ballots and the amount of time 
it will take to process such ballots and

 certify election results2 and  7#c7    
such other purposes as the ,commission  
may determine appropriate4  7c7         
,authorization of appropriations ,there 
are authorized to be appropriated for   
payments under this section #gjj1jjj1jjj
 for fiscal year #bjbj1 of which not    
less than #bjj1jjj1jjj shall be         
authorized for grants used for purposes 
described in subsection 7b77#b74  #e4   
,state defined ,in this ,act1 the term  
,state means the #ej ,states and the    
,district of ,columbia4