,,ii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #gci ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #ab1 #bjai ,mr4 ,udall 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,ms4 ,cortez ,masto1 ,mrs4 ,feinstein1 ,ms4 ,harris1 ,mr4 ,heinrich1 ,ms4 ,hirono1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,mr4 ,sanders1 ,mr4 ,schatz1 ,mr4 ,schumer1 ,ms4 ,smith1 ,mr4 ,tester1 and ,ms4 ,warren7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,a ,,bill ,to protect the voting rights of ,native ,american and ,alaska ,native voters4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,native ,american ,voting ,rights ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,findings and purposes 7a7 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,constitution explicitly and implicitly grants ,congress broad general powers to legislate on issues relating to ,indian ,tribes1 powers consistently described as plenary and exclusive4 ,these powers arise from the grant of authority in the ,indian ,commerce ,clause and through legislative matters arising under the ,treaty ,clause4 7#b7 ,the ,federal ,government is responsible for upholding the obligations that the ,federal ,government has agreed to through treaties1 legislation1 and executive orders1 referred to as the ,federal trust responsibility toward ,indian ,tribes and their members4 7#c7 ,the ,supreme ,court has repeatedly relied on the nature of this government to government relationship between the ,united ,states and sovereign ,indian ,tribes for congressional authority to enact legislation that singles out ,indians for particular and special treatment4 ,morton v4 ,mancari1 #dag ,u4,s4 #ece1 #eed-eee 7#aigd74 7#d7 ,legislation removing barriers to ,native ,american voting is vital for the fulfillment of ,congress's unique obligation toward ,indians1 particularly ensuring that ,native ,american voters are fully included as qualified members of the modern body politic4 ,board of ,county ,comm'rs v4 ,seber1 #cah ,u4,s4 #gje1 #gae 7#aidc74 7#e7 ,under the ,elections ,clause of article ,i1 section #d of the ,constitution1 ,congress has additional power to regulate any election conducted at least in part to select ,members of ,congress4 ,taken together1 the ,indian ,commerce ,clause and the ,election ,clause give ,congress broad authority to enact legislation to safeguard the voting rights of ,native ,american voters4 7#f7 ,despite ,congress's decision to grant ,native ,americans ,federal citizenship1 and with it the protections of the ,fifteenth ,amendment1 with passage of the ,act of ,june #b1 #aibd 7,public ,law #fh-bcc2 #dc ,stat4 #bec7 7commonly known as the ,indian ,citizenship ,act of #aibd71 ,states continued to deploy distinct methods for disenfranchising ,indians by enacting statutes to exclude from voter rolls ,indians living on reservations1 requiring that ,indians first terminate their relationship with their ,indian ,tribe1 restricting the right to vote on account of a ,tribal member's guardianship status1 and imposing literacy tests4 7#g7 ,barriers to voter access for ,native ,americans persist today1 and such barriers range from obstructing voter access1 to vote dilution and intentional malapportionment of electoral districts4 7#h7 ,the ,native ,american ,voting ,rights ,coalition's recent #i field hearings in ,indian ,country and #d-,state survey of voter discrimination revealed a number of additional obstacles that ,native ,americans must overcome in some ,states1 including-- 7,a7 a lack of accessible registration and polling sites1 either due to conditions such as geography1 lack of paved roads1 the absence of reliable and affordable broadband connectivity1 and restrictions on the time and place that people can register and vote1 and the manner in which people can register and vote1 including unequal opportunities for absentee1 early1 mail-in1 and in-person voting2 7,b7 nontraditional addresses for residents on ,indian reservations1 which make voter registration1 acquisition of mail-in ballots1 and securing required identification difficult1 if not impossible2 7,c7 inadequate language assistance for ,tribal members1 including lack of outreach and publicity1 the failure to provide complete1 accurate1 and uniform translations of all voting materials in the relevant ,native language1 and an insufficient number of trained bilingual poll workers2 and 7,d7 voter identification laws that discriminate against ,native ,americans4 7#i7 ,the ,department of ,justice and courts have also recognized that some jurisdictions have been unresponsive to reasonable requests from federally recognized ,indian ,tribes for more accessible voter registration sites and in-person voting locations4 7#aj7 ,according to the ,national ,congress of ,american ,indians1 there is a wide gap between the voter registration and turnout rates of eligible ,american ,indians and ,alaska ,natives1 and the voter registration and turnout rates of non-,hispanic white and other racial and ethnic groups4 7#aa7 ,despite these obstacles1 the ,native ,american vote continues to play a significant role in national1 ,state1 and local elections4 7#ab7 ,in ,alaska1 ,new ,mexico1 ,oklahoma1 and ,south ,dakota1 ,native ,americans comprise approximately #aj percent or more of the voting population4 7#ac7 ,the ,native ,american vote also holds great potential1 with over #a1jjj1jjj voters who are eligible to vote1 but are not registered to vote4 7b7 ,purposes ,the purposes of this ,act are-- 7#a7 to fulfill the ,federal ,government's trust responsibility to protect and promote ,native ,americans' exercise of their constitutionally guaranteed right to vote1 including the right to register to vote and the ability to access all mechanisms for voting2 7#b7 to establish preclearance procedures for a specific subset of ,state actions that have been used to restrict access to the polls on ,indian lands2 7#c7 to expand voter registration under the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjejf et seq47 to cover all ,federal facilities1 at the request of the ,indian ,tribe2 7#d7 to afford equal treatment to forms of identification unique to ,indian ,tribes and their members2 7#e7 to clarify the obligations of ,states and political subdivisions regarding the provision of translated voting materials for ,american ,indians and ,alaska ,natives under section #bjc of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #ajejc72 7#f7 to provide ,tribal leaders with a direct pathway to request ,federal election observers1 and to allow public access to the reports of those election observers2 and 7#g7 to direct the ,department of ,justice to consult on an annual basis with ,indian ,tribes on issues related to voting4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,indian ,the term ,indian has the meaning given the term in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #ecjd74 7#b7 ,indian lands ,the term ,indian lands includes-- 7,a7 any ,indian country of an ,indian ,tribe1 as defined under section #aaea of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code2 7,b7 any land in ,alaska owned1 pursuant to the ,alaska ,native ,claims ,settlement ,act 7#dc ,u4,s4,c4 #afja et seq471 by an ,indian ,tribe that is a ,native village 7as defined in section #c of that ,act 7#dc ,u4,s4,c4 #afjb77 or by a ,village ,corporation that is associated with an ,indian ,tribe 7as defined in section #c of that ,act 7#dc ,u4,s4,c4 #afjb772 7,c7 any land on which the seat of the ,tribal ,government is located2 and 7,d7 any land that is part or all of a ,tribal designated statistical area associated with an ,indian ,tribe1 or is part or all of an ,alaska ,native village statistical area associated with an ,indian ,tribe1 as defined by the ,census ,bureau for the purposes of the most recent decennial census4 7#c7 ,indian ,tribe ,the term ,indian ,tribe has the meaning given the term ,indian tribe in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #ecjd74 7#d7 ,tribal ,government ,the term ,tribal ,government means the recognized governing body of an ,indian ,tribe4 #d4 ,establishment of a ,native ,american voting task force grant program 7a7 ,in general ,the ,office for ,civil ,rights at the ,office of ,justice ,programs of the ,department of ,justice 7referred to in this section as the ,office7 shall establish and administer1 in coordination with the ,department of the ,interior1 a ,native ,american voting task force grant program1 through which the ,office shall provide financial assistance to eligible applicants to enable those eligible applicants to establish and operate a ,native ,american ,voting ,task ,force in each ,state with a federally recognized ,indian ,tribe4 7b7 ,purpose ,the purpose of the ,native ,american voting task force grant program is to-- 7#a7 increase voter outreach1 education1 registration1 and turnout in ,native ,american communities2 7#b7 increase access to the ballot for ,native ,american communities1 including additional satellite1 early voting1 and absentee voting locations2 7#c7 streamline and reduce inconsistencies in the voting process for ,native ,americans2 7#d7 provide1 in the community's dominant language1 educational materials and classes on ,indian lands about candidacy filing2 7#e7 train and educate ,state and local employees1 including poll workers1 about-- 7,a7 the language assistance and voter assistance requirements under sections #bjc and #bjh of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #ajejc2 #ajejh72 and 7,b7 voter identification laws under section #h of this ,act2 7#f7 identify model programs and best practices for providing language assistance to ,native ,american communities2 7#g7 provide non-partisan poll watchers on election day in ,native ,american communities2 7#h7 participate in and evaluate future redistricting efforts2 7#i7 address issues of internet connectivity as it relates to voter registration and ballot access in ,native ,american communities2 and 7#aj7 facilitate collaboration between local election officials1 ,native ,american communities1 and ,tribal elections offices4 7c7 ,eligible applicant ,the term eligible applicant means-- 7#a7 an ,indian ,tribe2 7#b7 a ,secretary of ,state of a ,state1 or another official of a ,state entity responsible for overseeing elections2 7#c7 a nonprofit organization that works1 in whole or in part1 on voting issues2 or 7#d7 a consortium of one or more of the entities described in paragraphs 7#a7 through 7#c74 7d7 ,application and selection process 7#a7 ,in ,general ,the ,office1 in coordination with the ,department of the ,interior and following consultation with ,indian ,tribes about the implementation of the ,native ,american voting task force grant program1 shall establish guidelines for the process by which eligible applicants will submit applications4 7#b7 ,applications ,each eligible applicant desiring a grant under this section shall submit an application1 according to the process established under paragraph 7#a71 and at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,attorney ,general may require4 ,such application shall include-- 7,a7 a certification that the applicant is an eligible applicant2 7,b7 a proposed work plan addressing how the eligible applicant will establish and administer a ,native ,american ,voting ,task ,force that achieves the purposes described in subsection 7b72 7,c7 if the eligible applicant is a consortium as described in subsection 7c77#d71 a description of the proposed division of responsibilities between the participating entities2 and 7,d7 an explanation of the time period that the proposed ,native ,american ,voting ,task ,force will cover1 which shall be a time period that is not more than #c years4 7e7 ,uses of funds ,a grantee receiving funds under this section shall use such funds to carry out one or more of the activities described in subsection 7b71 through the grantee's ,native ,american ,voting ,task ,force4 7f7 ,relationship with other laws ,nothing in this section reduces ,state or local obligations provided for by the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #ajcja et seq471 the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjeja et seq471 the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjija et seq471 or any other ,federal law or regulation related to voting or the electoral process4 7g7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section #aj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbj through #bjcd4 #e4 ,tribal designated voter registration sites ,section #g7;a7 of the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjejf7;a77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#b7-- 7,a7 in subparagraph 7,a71 by striking and after the semicolon2 7,b7 in subparagraph 7,b71 by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon2 and 7,c7 by adding at the end the following3 7,c7 at the request of an ,indian ,tribe1 any ,federal facility or federally funded facility that is primarily engaged in providing services to ,indian ,tribes and that provides such services to the requesting ,indian ,tribe2 and 7,d7 at the request of an ,indian ,tribe1 not less than one ,federal facility or federally funded facility that is located on the ,indian lands of the requesting ,indian ,tribe 7which may be the ,federal facility or federally funded facility described in subparagraph 7,c774 2 and 7#b7 by adding at the end the following3 7#h7 ,where practicable1 each ,federal agency that operates a ,federal facility or a federally funded facility that is subject to the provisions of paragraph 7#b77;,c7 or 7,d71 shall designate one or more special days at a centralized location within the boundaries of the ,indian lands of each applicable ,indian ,tribe for the purpose of informing members of the ,indian ,tribe of the timing1 registration requirements1 and voting procedures in elections for ,federal office1 at no cost to the ,indian ,tribe4 4 #f4 ,accessible ,tribal designated polling sites 7a7 ,in ,general 7#a7 ,designation of state officer ,each of the several ,states whose territory contains all or part of an ,indian ,tribe's ,indian lands shall designate for each ,indian ,tribe an officer within that ,state who will be responsible for compliance with the provisions of this section4 ,the ,state shall provide written notice to each such ,indian ,tribe of the officer so designated4 7#b7 ,provision of polling places ,for each ,indian ,tribe that satisfies the obligations of subsection 7c71 and for each election for a ,federal official that is held #ahj days or later after the date on which the ,indian ,tribe initially satisfies such obligations1 any ,state or political subdivision whose territory contains all or part of an ,indian ,tribe's ,indian lands-- 7,a7 shall provide a minimum of one polling place for each precinct in which there are eligible voters who reside on ,indian lands1 in a location selected by the ,indian ,tribe and at no cost to the ,indian ,tribe2 7,b7 shall provide1 at no cost to the ,indian ,tribe1 additional polling places in locations selected by an ,indian ,tribe if1 based on the totality of circumstances described in subsection 7b71 it is shown that not providing those additional polling places would result in members of the ,indian ,tribe and individuals residing on the ,indian ,tribe's ,indian lands having less opportunity to vote than eligible voters in that ,state or political subdivision who are not members of an ,indian ,tribe and do not reside on ,indian lands2 7,c7 shall1 at each polling place located on ,indian lands and at no cost to the ,indian ,tribe1 make voting machines1 tabulation machines1 ballots1 provisional ballots1 and other voting materials available to the same extent that such equipment and materials are made available at other polling places in the ,state or political subdivision that are not located on ,indian lands2 7,d7 shall1 at each polling place located on ,indian lands1 conduct the election using the same voting procedures that are used at other polling places in the ,state or political subdivision that are not located on ,indian lands2 7,e7 shall1 at each polling place located on ,indian lands1 provide training1 compensation1 and other benefits to election officials and poll workers at no cost to the ,indian ,tribe and to the same extent that such training1 compensation1 and benefits are provided to election officials and poll workers at other polling places in the ,state or political subdivision that are not located on ,indian lands2 7,f7 shall cooperate in good faith with the efforts of the ,indian ,tribe to satisfy the requirements of subsection 7c72 and 7,g7 may fulfill the ,state's obligations under subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b7 by relocating existing polling places1 by creating new polling places1 or both4 7b7 ,equitable opportunities ,to vote ,when assessing the opportunities to vote provided to members of an ,indian ,tribe and to other eligible voters in the ,state residing on ,indian lands in order to determine the number of additional polling places 7if any7 that a ,state or political subdivision must provide in accordance with subsection 7a77#b77;,b71 the ,state1 political subdivision1 and any court applying this section1 shall consider the totality of circumstances of-- 7#a7 the number of voting-age citizens assigned to each polling place2 7#b7 the distances that voters must travel to reach the polling places2 7#c7 the time that voters must spend traveling to reach the polling places1 including under inclement weather conditions2 7#d7 the modes of transportation1 if any1 that are available to voters to use to reach the polling places2 7#e7 the existence of and access to public transportation to the polling places2 and 7#f7 any other factor relevant to effectuating the purposes of this ,act4 7c7 ,obligations of the ,indian ,tribe 7#a7 ,in ,general ,the ,state and political subdivision obligations under subsection 7a77#b7 shall apply with respect to an ,indian ,tribe only if that ,indian ,tribe files a standing request with the officer designated under subsection 7a77#a7 for a polling place or polling places for future elections1 pursuant to subsection 7a77#b77;,a71 or subsection 7a77#b77;,b7 7if applicable71 which-- 7,a7 specifies the number and locations of such polling places that the ,indian ,tribe is requesting2 7,b7 certifies that the ,indian ,tribe has arranged access to the facilities in which such polling places will be located1 and that such access is in accordance with ,federal and ,state law2 7,c7 certifies that the ,indian ,tribe will ensure that each such polling place will be open and available to all eligible voters who reside in the precinct or other geographic area assigned to such polling place1 regardless of whether such eligible voters are members of the ,indian ,tribe or of any other ,indian ,tribe2 and 7,d7 requests that the ,state shall designate election officials and poll workers to staff such polling places1 or certifies that the ,indian ,tribe will designate election officials and poll workers to staff such polling places on every day that the polling places will be open4 7#b7 ,opt out ,at any time that is #fj days or more before the date of an election1 an ,indian ,tribe that previously has satisfied the obligations of paragraph 7#a7 may notify the ,state that the ,indian ,tribe intends to opt out of the standing request for one or more polling places that were requested in accordance with subsection 7a77#b77;,a7 or subsection 7a77#b77;,b7 for a particular election or for all future elections4 7d7 ,federal polling sites ,at an ,indian ,tribe's request1 each ,state shall designate as voter polling facilities any of the facilities identified in accordance with section #g7;a77#b77;,c7 or 7,d7 of the of the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjejf7;a77#b771 at no cost to the ,indian ,tribe1 provided that the facility meets the requirements of ,federal and ,state law as applied to other polling places within the ,state or political subdivision4 ,the applicable agency of the ,federal ,government shall ensure that such designated facilities are made available as polling places4 7e7 ,mail-,in balloting ,in ,states or political subdivisions that permit absentee or mail-in balloting1 the following shall apply with respect to an election for ,federal office3 7#a7 ,all postage shall be prepaid by the ,federal ,government and each ballot postmarked the day the ballot is received at a postal facility located on ,indian lands4 7#b7 ,an ,indian ,tribe may designate a ,tribal ,government building as a ballot pickup and collection location at no cost to the ,indian ,tribe4 ,the applicable ,state or political subdivision shall collect ballots from that location4 7#c7 ,the ,state or political subdivision shall provide mail-in and absentee ballots to each registered voter residing on ,indian lands in the ,state or political subdivision without requiring a residential address1 a mail-in or absentee ballot request1 or an excuse for a mail-in or absentee ballot4 7#d7 ,the address of a designated ,tribal ,government building that is a ballot pickup and collection location under paragraph 7#b7 may serve as the address and mailing address for voters living on ,indian lands if the designated ,tribal ,government building is in the same precinct as that voter4 ,if such designated ,tribal ,government building is not in the same precinct as the voter1 the voter may use the designated ,tribal ,government building as a mailing address and may separately designate the voter's appropriate precinct through a description of the voter's address1 as specified in section #idbh4d7;a77#b7 of title #aa1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations4 7#e7 ,in the case of a ,state or political subdivision that is a covered ,state or political subdivision under section #bjc of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #ajejc71 that ,state or political subdivision shall provide absentee or mail-in voting materials in the language of the applicable minority group as well as in the ,english language1 bilingual election voting assistance1 and written translations of all voting materials in the language of the applicable minority group1 as required by section #bjc of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #ajejc71 as amended by this ,act4 7f7 ,early voting ,in a ,state or political subdivision that provides for early voting1 that ,state or political subdivision shall provide not less than one early voting location on ,indian lands1 upon the request of the applicable ,indian ,tribe and at a site selected by the applicable ,indian ,tribe4 7g7 ,enforcement 7#a7 ,attorney general ,the ,attorney ,general may bring a civil action in an appropriate district court for such declaratory or injunctive relief as is necessary to carry out this section4 7#b7 ,private right of action 7,a7 ,a person or ,tribal ,government who is aggrieved by a violation of this section may provide written notice of the violation to the chief election official of the ,state involved4 7,b7 ,an aggrieved person or ,tribal ,government may bring a civil action in an appropriate district court for declaratory or injunctive relief with respect to a violation of this section1 if-- 7i7 that person or ,tribal ,government provides the notice described in subparagraph 7,a72 and 7ii7 7,i7 in the case of a violation that occurs more than #abj days before the date of an election for ,federal office1 the violation remains and #ij days or more have passed since the date on which the chief election official of the ,state receives the notice under subparagraph 7,a72 or 7,,ii7 in the case of a violation that occurs #abj days or less before the date of an election for ,federal office1 the violation remains and #bj days or more have passed since the date on which the chief election official of the ,state receives the notice under subparagraph 7,a74 7,c7 ,in the case of a violation of this section that occurs #cj days or less before the date of an election for ,federal office1 an aggrieved person or ,tribal ,government may bring a civil action in an appropriate district court for declaratory or injunctive relief with respect to the violation without providing notice to the chief election official of the ,state under subparagraph 7,a74 7#c7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a ,state or political subdivision from providing additional polling places on ,indian lands if no request was made by an ,indian ,tribe under this section4 #g4 ,tribal preclearance 7a7 ,actions requiring preclearance ,no ,state or political subdivision may carry out any of the following activities unless the requirements of subsection 7b7 have been met3 7#a7 ,eliminating the only polling place or voter registration site on the ,indian lands of an ,indian ,tribe4 7#b7 ,moving or consolidating a polling place or voter registration site on the ,indian lands of an ,indian ,tribe to a location #a mile or further from the existing location of the polling place or voter registration site4 7#c7 ,moving or consolidating a polling place on the ,indian lands of an ,indian ,tribe to a location across a river1 lake1 mountain1 or other natural boundary such that it makes travel difficult for a voter1 regardless of distance4 7#d7 ,eliminating in-person voting on the ,indian lands of an ,indian ,tribe by designating an ,indian reservation as a permanent absentee voting location1 unless-- 7,a7 the entire ,state is or becomes a permanent absentee voting ,state2 or 7,b7 the ,indian ,tribe requests such a designation4 7#e7 ,removing an early voting location or otherwise diminishing early voting opportunities on ,indian lands4 7#f7 ,decreasing the number of days or hours that an in-person or early voting location is open on the ,indian lands of an ,indian ,tribe or changing the dates of in-person or early voting on the ,indian lands of an ,indian ,tribe4 7b7 ,preclearance 7#a7 ,in general ,the requirements of this subsection have been met if-- 7,a7 the impacted ,tribal ,government submits to the ,attorney ,general the ,tribal ,government's written consent to the proposed activity described in subsection 7a72 7,b7 the ,state or political subdivision institutes an action in the ,united ,states ,district ,court for the ,district of ,columbia for a declaratory judgment1 and a declaratory judgment is issued1 establishing that the specified activity described in subsection 7a7 that the ,state or political subdivision desires to carry out neither has the purpose nor will have the effect of denying or abridging the right to vote on account of race or color1 or membership in a language minority group2 or 7,c7 the chief legal officer or other appropriate official of such ,state or political subdivision submits a request to carry out the specified activity described in subsection 7a7 to the ,attorney ,general and the ,attorney ,general has not interposed an objection within #fj days after such submission1 or upon good cause shown1 to facilitate an expedited approval within #fj days after such submission1 the ,attorney ,general has affirmatively indicated that such objection will not be made4 7#b7 ,no limitation on future actions ,neither an affirmative indication by the ,attorney ,general that no objection will be made1 nor the ,attorney ,general's failure to object1 nor a declaratory judgment entered under this section1 nor a written consent issued under paragraph 7#a77;,a7 shall bar a subsequent action to enjoin enforcement of an activity described in subsection 7a74 ,in the event the ,attorney ,general affirmatively indicates that no objection will be made within the #fj-;day period following receipt of a submission1 the ,attorney ,general may reserve the right to reexamine the submission if additional information comes to the ,attorney ,general's attention during the remainder of the #fj-;day period which would otherwise require objection in accordance with this section4 ,any action under this section shall be heard and determined by a court of #c judges in accordance with the provisions of section #bbhd of title #bh of the ,united ,states ,code and any appeal shall lie to the ,supreme ,court4 #h4 ,tribal voter identification 7a7 ,tribal government identification ,if a ,state or political subdivision requires an individual to present identification for the purposes of voting or registering to vote in an election for ,federal office1 an identification card issued by a federally recognized ,tribal ,government1 the ,bureau of ,indian ,affairs1 the ,indian ,health ,service1 or any other ,tribal or ,federal agency issuing identification cards to ,indian voters shall be treated as a valid form of identification for such purposes4 7b7 ,validity of tribal identification card ,an individual shall not be required to show that a ,tribal identification card includes a residential address or an expiration date in order for such ,tribal identification card to be considered valid for purposes of voting or registering to vote4 ,the voter may instead separately designate the voter's appropriate voting precinct through a description of the voter's address that conforms with the regulations for national mail voter registration forms1 as established under section #idbh4d7;a77#b7 of title #aa1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations4 7c7 ,online registration ,if a ,state or political subdivision requires an identification card for an individual to register to vote online or to vote online1 that ,state or political subdivision shall consider an identification card as described in subsection 7a7 to be a valid form of identification for the purpose of registering to vote online or voting online4 #i4 ,bilingual election requirements ,section #bjc of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #ajejc7 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7b77#c77;,c71 by striking #aiij and inserting #bjaj2 and 7#b7 by striking subsection 7c7 and inserting the following3 7c7 ,provision of voting materials in the language of a minority group 7#a7 ,in ,general ,whenever any ,state or political subdivision subject to the prohibition of subsection 7b7 of this section provides any registration or voting notices1 forms1 instructions1 assistance1 or other materials or information relating to the electoral process1 including ballots1 it shall provide them in the language of the applicable minority group as well as in the ,english language4 7#b7 ,exceptions 7,a7 ,in ,general 7i7 ,in the case of a minority group that is not ,american ,indian or ,alaska ,native and the language of that minority group is oral or unwritten1 the ,state or political subdivision shall only be required to furnish1 in the covered language1 oral instructions1 assistance1 translation of voting materials1 or other information relating to registration and voting4 7ii7 ,in the case of a minority group that is ,american ,indian or ,alaska ,native1 the ,state or political subdivision shall only be required to furnish in the covered language oral instructions1 assistance1 or other information relating to registration and voting1 including all voting materials1 if the ,tribal ,government of that minority group has certified that the language of the applicable ,american ,indian or ,alaska ,native language is presently unwritten or the ,tribal ,government does not want written translations in the minority language4 7#c7 ,written translations for election workers ,notwithstanding paragraph 7#b71 the ,state or political division may be required to provide written translations of voting materials1 with the consent of any applicable ,indian ,tribe1 to election workers to ensure that the translations from ,english to the language of a minority group are complete1 accurate1 and uniform4 4 #aj4 ,federal observers to protect ,tribal voting rights 7a7 ,amendment to the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife ,section #h7;a7 of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #ajcje7;a77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#a71 by striking or after the semicolon2 7#b7 in paragraph 7#b77;,b71 by adding or after the semicolon2 and 7#c7 by inserting after paragraph 7#b7 the following3 7#c7 the ,attorney ,general has received a written complaint from an ,indian ,tribe that efforts to deny or abridge the right to vote under the color of law on account of race or color1 or in contravention of the guarantees set forth in section #d7;f77#b71 are likely to occur2 4 7b7 ,publicly available reports ,the ,attorney ,general shall make publicly available the reports of a ,federal election observer appointed pursuant to section 7#h77;a77#c7 of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #ajcje7;a77#c771 as added by subsection 7a71 not later than #f months after the date that such reports are submitted to the ,attorney ,general1 except that any personally identifiable information relating to a voter or the substance of the voter's ballot shall not be made public4 #aa4 ,tribal voting consultation ,the ,attorney ,general shall consult annually with ,indian ,tribes regarding issues related to voting in elections for ,federal office4 #ab4 ,attorneys' fees1 expert fees1 litigation expenses ,in a civil action under this ,act1 the court shall award the prevailing party1 other than the ,united ,states1 reasonable attorney fees1 including litigation expenses1 reasonable expert fees1 and costs4 #ac4 ,severability2 relationship to other laws 7a7 ,severability ,if any provision of this ,act1 or the application of such a provision to any person1 entity1 or circumstance1 is held to be invalid1 the remaining provisions of this ,act and the application of all provisions of this ,act to any other person1 entity1 or circumstance shall not be affected by the invalidity4 7b7 ,relationship to other laws ,nothing in this ,act shall invalidate1 or limit the rights1 remedies1 or procedures available under1 or supersede1 restrict1 or limit the application of1 the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #ajcja et seq471 the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjeja et seq471 the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjija et seq471 or any other ,federal law or regulation related to voting or the electoral process4 #ad4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this ,act4