,,ii  #aagth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,h4 ,r4 #hhgc  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of 
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,september #bb1
 #bjbb,received  ,,an ,,act  ,to amend  
title #c1 ,united ,states ,code1 to     
reform the process for the counting of  
electoral votes1 and for other purposes4
  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be    
cited as the ,presidential ,election    
,reform ,act4  #b4 ,findings ,congress  
finds the following3 7#a7 ,article ,,ii 
and the ,twelfth ,amendment to the      
,constitution govern how our ,republic  
selects the ,president and ,vice        
,president of the ,united ,states4      
,article ,,ii provides that each state  
shall appoint1 in such manner as the    
legislature may direct1 a number of     
electors1 equal to the whole number of  
,senators and ,representatives to which 
the ,state may be entitled in the       
,congress4 7,constitution1 article ,,ii1
 section #a1 clause #b74 ,article ,,ii  
provides that ,congress has the         
authority to regulate the timing of such

 elections by setting the time of the   
,presidential election and the day on   
which presidential electors cast their  
votes 7,constitution1 article ,,ii1     
section #a1 clause #d74 ,the ,twelfth   
,amendment identifies ,congress'        
responsibility for counting electoral   
votes3 ,the ,president of the ,senate   
shall1 in the presence of the ,senate   
and ,house of ,representatives1 open all
 the certificates and the votes shall   
then be counted4 ,the person having the 
greatest number of votes for ,president1
 shall be the ,president1 if such number
 be a majority of the whole number of   
,electors appointed44 ,congress'        
authorities in these respects are       
further bolstered by the ,necessary and 
,proper ,clause of the ,constitution    
7article ,i1 section #h1 clause #ah74   
7#b7 ,on ,january #f1 #bjba1 a mob      
professing support for then-,president  
,trump violently attacked the ,united   
,states ,capitol in an effort to prevent
 a ,joint ,session of ,congress from    

certifying the electoral college votes  
designating ,joseph ,r4 ,biden the #dfth
 ,president of the ,united ,states4     
,trump v4 ,thompson1 #bj ,f4#dth #aj1   
#ae 7,d4,c4 ,cir4 #bjba71 cert4 denied1 
#adb ,s4 ,ct4 #acej 7#bjbb74 ,this      
constituted the single most deadly      
attack on the ,capitol by domestic      
forces in the history of the ,united    
,states4 ,trump1 #bj ,f4#dth at #ce4    
,then-,vice ,president ,pence1 ,senators
 and ,representatives were all forced to
 halt their constitutional duties and   
flee 4 4 4 for safety4 ,id4 at #af4 ,the
 events of ,january #f1 #bjba marked the
 most significant assault on the        
,capitol since the ,war of #ahab4 ,id4  
at #ah-ai4  7#c7 ,the ,electoral ,count 
,act of #ahhg should be amended to      
prevent other future unlawful efforts to
 overturn ,presidential elections and to
 ensure future peaceful transfers of    
,presidential power4  7#d7 ,the reforms 
contained in this ,act are fully        
consistent with ,states' constitutional 

authority vested by ,article ,,ii to    
appoint electors2 the reforms herein do 
not restrict the mode in which ,states  
lawfully appoint their respective       
electors or resolve related contests or 
controversies1 but instead ensure that  
those appointments1 and the votes cast  
by those electors1 are duly transmitted 
to ,congress4  #c4 ,timing of appointing
 electors ,section #a of title #c1      
,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 7#a7
 by striking the period at the end and  
inserting 1 in accordance with ,state   
laws duly enacted prior to such day42   
and  7#b7 by striking in every fourth   
year succeeding every election of a     
,president and ,vice ,president and     
inserting in each year that is evenly   
divisible by four4  #d4 ,permitting     
extension of time for presidential      
election in event of catastrophic event 
potentially affecting outcome  7a7      
,extension of time for election ,section
 #b of title #c1 ,united ,states ,code1 
is amended to read as follows3  #b4     

,limited extension of time for          
appointing electors  7a7 ,criteria for  
extending time for voting in            
,presidential elections ,if a ,state    
provides for the ,state's electors to be
 appointed by popular election pursuant 
to ,state laws duly enacted prior to the
 day fixed by section #a of this title1 
the time for voting in such election    
shall1 in accordance with the procedures
 described in subsection 7b71 be        
extended beyond the day fixed by section
 #a of this title if a candidate for    
,president who appears on the ballot in 
the ,state demonstrates by clear and    
convincing evidence in an action filed  
under subsection 7b7 that-- 7#a7 a      
catastrophic event has occurred in the  
,state2  7#b7 the catastrophic event has
 prevented a substantial portion of the 
,state's electorate from casting a      
ballot on such day1 or caused a         
substantial portion of ballots already  
cast to be destroyed or rendered        
unreadable by such event without        

sufficient notice to affected voters by 
such day2 and  7#c7 the number of voters
 prevented from casting a ballot by such
 event1 the number of ballots destroyed 
or rendered unreadable by such event1 or
 the total of both such numbers1 is     
sufficient in number to potentially     
affect the ability of that candidate to 
win the election with respect to one or 
more presidential electors4  7b7        
,procedures  7#a7 ,authorizing filing of
 action by candidate ,a candidate for   
,president who appears on the ballot of 
the ,state1 and no other person1 may    
file an action against the chief ,state 
election official of the ,state in the  
district court of the ,united ,states   
for the judicial district in which the  
capital of the ,state is located to seek
 an extension of the time for voting in 
the election under this section4 ,such  
district court shall have original and  
exclusive jurisdiction of any such      
action4  7#b7 ,determination by         
three-judge court  7,a7 ,in general ,any

 action under this subsection shall be  
heard and determined by a court of #c   
judges convened pursuant to section     
#bbhd of title #bh1 ,united ,states     
,code1 except that subsection 7b77#b7 of
 such section shall not apply to any    
such action1 and any determination with 
respect to such an action shall be      
reviewable only by appeal directly to   
the ,supreme ,court of the ,united      
,states4  7,b7 ,expedited consideration 
,it shall be the duty of the district   
court described in paragraph 7#a7 and   
the ,supreme ,court of the ,united      
,states to advance on the docket and to 
expedite to the greatest extent possible
 the disposition of any action or appeal
 under this subsection4  7#c7 ,criteria 
for decision ,the court shall require   
the time for voting in the election to  
be extended under this section only if  
the court finds by clear and convincing 
evidence that the criteria of subsection
 7a7 are met4  7#d7 ,scope of extended  
voting period  7,a7 ,period of extension

 ,if the court finds that the criteria  
of subsection 7a7 are met1 the court    
shall1 except as provided in            
subparagraph 7,c71 order an extended    
voting period that shall be for the     
shortest duration necessary in light of 
the catastrophic event justifying the   
extension1 so long as such extended     
voting period concludes not later than  
#e days after the day fixed by section  
#a of this title4  7,b7 ,implementation 
of extension ,the time for voting in an 
election which is extended under this   
section shall only be extended in the   
area in the ,state specifically and     
directly affected by the catastrophic   
event1 and1 to the extent practicable1  
all ballots cast on or prior to the day 
fixed by section #a of this title that  
are otherwise valid under ,state law    
duly enacted prior to such day shall be 
counted1 and voters who cast such       
ballots shall not be required to take   
further action to take into account the 
extension of time for the election under

 this section4  7,c7 ,impossibility of  
implementation ,if the court finds that 
the criteria of subsection 7a7 are met1 
but that it is impossible for the ,state
 to administer an extended voting period
 as a result of the catastrophic event1 
the court shall issue a declaratory     
judgment to that effect and1 to the     
extent practicable1 all ballots cast on 
or prior to the day fixed by section #a 
of this title that are otherwise valid  
under ,state law duly enacted prior to  
such day shall be counted4  7#e7 ,right 
to intervene ,only a candidate for      
,president who appears on the ballot of 
the ,state may intervene in an action   
filed with respect to the ,state under  
this subsection4  7#f7 ,sanctions ,if1  
on the court's own initiative or the    
motion of a party1 the court finds that 
the candidate filing an action under    
this subsection did not have a          
good-faith basis for the factual or     
legal contentions asserted in the       
action1 the candidate's attorneys of    

record and their law firms shall be     
jointly and severally liable for an     
amount equal to #c times the full       
attorney's fees and other expenses      
incurred by each other party to the     
action4  7#g7 ,deadline  7,a7 ,in       
general ,an action under this subsection
 must be filed not later than the day   
after the day fixed for the election by 
section #a of this title4  7,b7         
,exception ,if the catastrophic event   
prevents the appropriate court from     
accepting the filing of an action under 
this subsection1 the action must be     
filed in another district court of the  
,united ,states capable of accepting the
 filing most proximate to the judicial  
district in which the capital of the    
,state is located4  7#h7 ,chief ,state  
election official defined ,in this      
subsection1 the term chief ,state       
election official has the meaning given 
such term in section #bec7;e7 of the    
,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb 
,u4,s4,c4 #bajjc7;e774  7c7             

,catastrophic event defined  7#a7       
,definition ,in this section1 the term  
catastrophic event means a major natural
 disaster1 an act of terrorism1 or a    
widespread power outage1 so long as such
 event is on a scale sufficient to      
prevent a substantial portion of a      
,state's electorate from casting a      
ballot on the day fixed by section #a of
 this title1 or such event causes a     
substantial number of ballots already   
cast in a ,state to be destroyed or     
rendered unreadable4  7#b7 ,other       
definitions ,in paragraph 7#a7-- 7,a7   
the term act of terrorism means an      
activity that involves acts dangerous to
 human life that are a violation of the 
criminal laws of the ,united ,states or 
of any ,state1 and that appear to be    
intended-- 7i7 to intimidate or coerce a
 civilian population2  7ii7 to influence
 the policy of a government by          
intimidation or coercion2 or  7iii7 to  
affect the conduct of a government by   
mass destruction1 assassination1 or     

kidnapping2 and  7,b7 the term major    
natural disaster means any natural      
catastrophe 7including any hurricane1   
tornado1 historically significant       
widespread snowstorm1 historically      
significant widespread flooding1        
historically significant destructive    
fire1 tidal wave1 tsunami1 earthquake1  
or volcanic eruption that causes great  
damage or loss of life74  7d7 ,rules of 
construction ,nothing in this section   
may be construed-- 7#a7 to limit the    
application of any ,state or ,federal   
protection of the right to vote in an   
election during the period during which 
the time for voting is extended under   
this section2  7#b7 to preclude a court 
in an action filed under subsection 7b7 
from ordering sanctions otherwise       
authorized by law2 or  7#c7 to affect   
the manner in which1 or circumstances   
under which1 other elections under other
 provisions of law may be postponed or  
extended4  4  7b7 ,conforming amendment 
relating to the ,mayor of the ,district 

of ,columbia ,section #ba of such title 
is amended by adding at the end the     
following3  7c7 ,governor includes the  
,mayor of the ,district of ,columbia4  4
  7c7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of 
sections of chapter #a of such title is 
amended by amending the item relating to
 section #b to read as follows3  #b4    
,limited extension of time for          
appointing electors4  4  #e4 ,timing of 
enactment of laws providing for         
vacancies in ,electoral ,college        
,section #d of title #c1 ,united ,states
 ,code1 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking by
 law and inserting by laws duly enacted 
prior to the day fixed by section #a of 
this title for the appointment of       
electors2 and  7#b7 by adding at the end
 the following new sentence3 ,vacancies 
occurring after the day fixed by section
 #a of this title for the appointment of
 electors shall be filled only by       
alternative electors appointed under    
,state law pursuant to this section44   
#f4 ,repeal of safe harbor rules for    

determination of controversy regarding  
appointment of electors  7a7 ,repeal    
,title #c1 ,united ,states ,code1 is    
amended by striking section #e4  7b7    
,clerical amendment ,the table of       
sections of such title is amended by    
striking the item relating to section   
#e4  #g4 ,certificates of appointment of
 electors  7a7 ,in general ,section #f  
of title #c1 ,united ,states ,code1 is  
amended to read as follows3  #f4        
,credentials of electors2 transmission  
to ,archivist of the ,united ,states and
 to ,congress2 enforcement2 public      
inspection  7a7 ,duties of ,governor    
with respect to certification of        
electors  7#a7 ,obligation to certify   
,not later than ,december #ad1 the      
,governor of each ,state shall certify  
the appointment of the electors for the 
,state in compliance with section #a or1
 if applicable1 section #b of this      
title4  7#b7 ,transmission to ,archivist
 of the ,united ,states ,the ,governor  
of a ,state shall1 immediately after    

certifying the appointment of electors  
for the ,state under paragraph 7#a7--   
7,a7 transmit under the seal of such    
,state the certificate of the           
appointment of electors under paragraph 
7#a7 to the ,archivist of the ,united   
,states by the most expeditious method  
available and by secure electronic      
transmission2 and  7,b7 make such       
certificate publicly available on the   
date of such transmission to the        
,archivist4  7#c7 ,transmission of      
duplicate-originals to electors ,the    
,governor of a ,state shall deliver to  
the electors of such ,state #f          
duplicate-originals of the certificate  
described in paragraph 7#b7 under the   
seal of the ,state not later than the   
date specified in section #g of this    
title4  7b7 ,preservation and           
transmission of certificate ,the        
,archivist of the ,united ,states       
shall-- 7#a7 preserve any certificate   
received under subsection 7a7 for #a    
year as part of the public records of   

the office of the ,archivist open to    
public inspection2 and  7#b7 immediately
 transmit to the two ,houses of         
,congress copies in full of each such   
certificate received by the most        
expeditious method available and by     
secure electronic transmission4  7c7    
,enforcement  7#a7 ,actions against     
,governor  7,a7 ,actions authorized ,any
 candidate for ,president or ,vice      
,president who appears on the ballot in 
a ,state who is aggrieved by a violation
 of subsection 7a7 with respect to such 
,state1 including by failing to certify 
the appointment of electors or because  
the certification does not accurately   
reflect the final election results of   
the ,state as modified by any recount or
 judicial or administrative proceeding  
conducted pursuant to ,state or ,federal
 laws duly enacted prior to the day     
fixed by section #a of this title1 may  
file an action against the ,governor for
 such declaratory1 injunctive1 or other 
appropriate relief in the district court

 of the ,united ,states for the judicial
 district in which the capital of the   
,state is located to ensure the issuance
 and transmission of the certificate of 
appointment in compliance with the      
requirements of subsection 7a71 the     
,constitution of the ,united ,states1   
and any other ,federal law4  7,b7       
,relief ,such district court shall have 
original and exclusive jurisdiction of  
any such action and shall issue any     
appropriate relief1 including1 in       
appropriate cases1 injunctive relief    
ordering the ,governor of the ,state to 
issue1 transmit1 or revise the          
certificate of appointment of electors  
under subsection 7a77#a71 or other      
appropriate relief sufficient to ensure 
the transmission of the lawful          
certificate of appointment4 ,if the     
,governor refuses to issue1 transmit1 or
 revise such certificate in compliance  
with the district court's order1 the    
court shall direct another official of  
the ,state to issue1 transmit1 or revise

 the certificate of appointment of      
electors under such subsection4  7#b7   
,actions against ,archivist ,any        
candidate for ,president or ,vice       
,president who appears on the ballot in 
a ,state who is aggrieved by a violation
 of subsection 7b7 with respect to the  
failure of the ,archivist to transmit a 
certificate of appointment may file an  
action for such declaratory1 injunctive1
 or other appropriate relief in the     
,united ,states ,district ,court for the
 ,district of ,columbia1 and such       
district court shall have original and  
exclusive jurisdiction of any such      
action1 and shall issue any relief      
necessary to ensure the transmission of 
the certificate of appointment in       
compliance with the requirements of     
subsection 7b74  7#c7 ,determination by 
three-judge court  7,a7 ,in general ,any
 action described in this subsection    
shall be heard and determined by a court
 of #c judges convened pursuant to      
section #bbhd of title #bh1 ,united     

,states ,code1 except that subsection   
7b77#b7 of such section shall not apply 
to any such action1 and any             
determination with respect to such an   
action shall be reviewable only by      
appeal directly to the ,supreme ,court  
of the ,united ,states4  7,b7 ,expedited
 consideration ,the court described in  
subparagraph 7,a7 shall issue any relief
 under this subsection as promptly as   
possible but in no case later than      
,december #ai such that a final order of
 the court on remand of the ,supreme    
,court of the ,united ,states may occur 
not later than ,december #bb4  7d7      
,conclusive effect of certificates  7#a7
 ,in general ,in the joint session of   
,congress to count electoral votes      
pursuant to section #ae of this title1  
the certificate of appointment          
transmitted by the ,governor of a ,state
 under subsection 7a77#b71 subject to   
any modification pursuant to a court    
order under subsection 7c77#a71 shall be
 accepted as conclusive with respect to 

the appointment of electors for such    
,state1 except that1 in the case no such
 certificate is transmitted by the      
,governor of a ,state1 or the           
certificate transmitted by the ,governor
 does not comply with revisions ordered 
by the court pursuant to subsection     
7c77#a71 the certificate of appointment 
for the ,state transmitted by another   
official of the ,state pursuant to a    
court order under subsection 7c77#a7    
shall be accepted as conclusive with    
respect to the appointment of electors  
for such ,state4  7#b7 ,special rule    
with respect to final determination of  
judicial proceeding ,in the case that a 
certificate of appointment is subject to
 a final determination by a ,federal and
 a ,state judicial proceeding1 the      
certificate as modified by the final    
determination of the ,federal judicial  
proceeding shall be accepted as         
conclusive with respect to the          
appointment of electors for such ,state 
to the extent that there is any         

inconsistency between such              
determinations4  7e7 ,rule of           
construction ,nothing in this section   
may be construed to preempt any action  
conducted pursuant to ,state law duly   
enacted prior to the day fixed by       
section #a of this title or affect the  
right of any person to bring an action  
under any other ,federal law4  4  7b7   
,clerical amendment ,the table of       
sections of chapter #a of such title is 
amended by amending the item relating to
 section #f to read as follows3  #f4    
,credentials of electors2 transmission  
to ,archivist of the ,united ,states and
 to ,congress2 enforcement2 public      
inspection4  4  #h4 ,date of meeting and
 vote of electors ,section #g of title  
#c1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 
7#a7 by striking the first ,monday after
 the second ,wednesday in ,december and 
inserting the twenty third of ,december2
 and  7#b7 by inserting 1 except that if
 the twenty third of ,december falls on 
a ,saturday or ,sunday1 the electors    

shall meet and give their votes1 in the 
case of a ,saturday1 on the preceding   
day1 and1 in the case of a ,sunday1 on  
the following day after ,state shall    
direct4  #i4 ,disposition of            
certificates and lists  7a7 ,electronic 
transmission of certificates of electors
 ,section #aa of title #c1 ,united      
,states ,code1 is amended-- 7#a7 in the 
undesignated paragraph beginning with   
,first41 by striking registered mail and
 all that follows and inserting the most
 expeditious method available to the    
,president of the ,senate at the seat of
 government and shall1 on the same day1 
transmit a facsimile of the same in a   
secure1 electronic manner42 and  7#b7 in
 the undesignated paragraph beginning   
with ,third4-- 7,a7 by striking         
registered mail and inserting the most  
expeditious method available2 and  7,b7 
by adding at the end the following3     
,they shall1 on the same day1 transmit  
facsimiles of the same to the ,archivist
 of the ,united ,states in a secure1    

electronic manner44  7b7 ,failure of    
certificates ,to be delivered  7#a7     
,demand on ,state ,section #ab of such  
title is amended-- 7,a7 by striking the 
fourth ,wednesday in ,december and      
inserting ,december #cj2 and  7,b7 by   
striking registered mail and all that   
follows and inserting the following3 the
 most expeditious method available to   
the ,president of the ,senate at the    
seat of government and to immediately   
transmit a facsimile of the same in a   
secure1 electronic manner44  7#b7       
,demand on judge ,section #ac of such   
title is amended-- 7,a7 by striking     
votes each place it appears and         
inserting votes and list2  7,b7 by      
striking the fourth ,wednesday in       
,december and inserting ,december #cj2  
and  7,c7 by striking list by the hand  
and all that follows and inserting the  
following3 certificate and list by the  
hand of such messenger to the seat of   
government and shall immediately        
transmit a facsimile of the same in a   

secure1 electronic manner44  7c7        
,increase in penalty for neglect of duty
 ,section #ad of such title is amended--
 7#a7 by striking electors and inserting
 electors and list2 and  7#b7 by        
striking #a1jjj and inserting #be1jjj4  
#aj4 ,counting electoral votes in       
,congress  7a7 ,procedures at joint     
session ,section #ae of title #c1       
,united ,states ,code1 is amended to    
read as follows3  #ae4 ,counting        
electoral votes in ,congress  7a7       
,procedures at joint session  7#a7 ,in  
general ,congress shall be in session on
 the sixth day of ,january succeeding   
every meeting of the electors4 ,the     
,senate and ,house of ,representatives  
shall meet in the ,hall of the ,house of
 ,representatives at the hour of #a     
o'clock in the afternoon on that day1   
and the ,president of the ,senate 7or1  
in the absence of the ,president1 the   
,president pro tempore7 shall be their  
presiding officer4 ,such joint session  
of the ,senate and ,house of            

,representatives shall not be dissolved 
until the count of electoral votes shall
 be completed and the result of such    
count declared4  7#b7 ,authority of     
presiding officer at joint session  7,a7
 ,power to preserve order ,the presiding
 officer shall have power to preserve   
order1 and no debate shall be allowed   
and no question shall be put by the     
presiding officer except as provided by 
this section4  7,b7 ,no discretionary   
power ,the role of the presiding officer
 is ministerial4 ,except with respect to
 the procedures described in this       
section1 the presiding officer shall not
 have any power to determine or         
otherwise resolve disputes concerning   
the proper list of electors for a       
,state1 the validity of electors for a  
,state1 or the votes of electors of a   
,state4 ,except as provided for in this 
section1 the presiding officer shall not
 order any delay in counting or preside 
over any period of delay in counting    
electoral votes4  7#c7 ,reading of      

certificates  7,a7 ,in general ,the     
presiding officer shall1 in the         
alphabetical order of the ,states1      
beginning with the letter ,a1 open the  
sealed certificate in which is contained
 the signed certificates of votes and   
the annexed list of electors appointed  
for each ,state1 and shall read aloud   
the names of the list of electors       
appointed for each ,state according to  
the certificate received4 ,the presiding
 officer shall present the certificate  
of electoral votes cast by the ,state's 
appointed electors to the tellers for   
the purpose of reading such certificates
 pursuant to subparagraph 7,b74  7,b7   
,reading of certificates by tellers ,two
 tellers shall be previously appointed  
on the part of the ,senate and two on   
the part of the ,house of               
,representatives4 ,upon the reading by  
the tellers of any such certificate of  
electoral votes1 the presiding officer  
shall call for objections to such       
certificate pursuant to the rules       

described in subsection 7c71 if any4    
7,c7 ,result of electoral vote count    
,after having read the certificates of  
each ,state in the presence and hearing 
of the two ,houses1 the tellers shall   
make a list of the votes as they shall  
appear from the certificates1 and the   
votes having been ascertained and       
counted according to the requirements of
 this section1 the result shall be      
delivered to the presiding officer1 who 
shall thereupon announce the state of   
the vote4 ,such announcement shall be   
deemed a sufficient declaration of the  
persons1 if any1 elected ,president and 
,vice ,president of the ,united ,states1
 and shall1 together with a list of the 
votes1 be entered on the ,journals of   
the two ,houses4  7#d7 ,motions in order
 at joint session ,no motion shall be   
received in the joint session except--  
7,a7 a motion pursuant to subsection 7b7
 of this section in relation to the     
appointment of electors from a ,state2  
or  7,b7 a motion to recess4  7#e7      

,requirements for actions in order at   
joint session  7,a7 ,in general ,an     
objection1 appeal1 or motion shall not  
be received by the presiding officer    
unless such action-- 7i7 is submitted in
 writing and states clearly and         
concisely1 and without argument1 the    
ground for such action2  7ii7 is signed 
by at least one third of each ,house of 
,congress2 and  7iii7 in the case of a  
motion to recess1 states a time certain1
 in accordance with paragraph 7#f71 at  
which the joint session will resume     
proceedings4  7,b7 ,restriction on      
motion to recess ,a ,senator or         
,representative may sign only one motion
 to recess received by the presiding    
officer during joint session proceedings
 with respect to a single ,state4  7,c7 
,appeals  7i7 ,in general ,if an appeal 
is submitted in accordance with         
subparagraph 7,a77i71 the ,clerk of the 
,house of ,representatives shall        
maintain the written appeal at the desk 
and the presiding officer shall provide 

,senators and ,representatives with a   
sufficient opportunity to sign it before
 proceeding which shall not exceed #ae  
minutes4  7ii7 ,prohibition against     
withdrawal of appeal ,an appeal         
submitted in accordance with            
subparagraph 7,a77i7 may not be         
withdrawn following submission1 and only
 one such appeal may be submitted with  
respect to a ruling of the presiding    
officer4  7iii7 ,form ,the presiding    
officer shall put the question on any   
appeal as follows3 ,shall the decision  
of the presiding officer be overturned84
  7,d7 ,threshold to adopt ,a majority  
vote of both ,houses shall be required  
for the adoption of any question        
received during the joint session1      
except that a majority vote of either   
,house shall be required for the        
adoption of a motion to recess4  7#f7   
,recess ,a motion to recess must state  
the time certain for the resumption of  
proceedings in the joint session1 the   
,senate1 or the ,house1 and may not     

state a time beyond the next calendar   
day at the hour of #aj o'clock in the   
forenoon4 ,if the proceedings of the    
joint session have not been completed in
 three calendar days1 no further recess 
may be taken4  7#g7 ,debate  7,a7       
,debate of certain actions  7i7 ,in     
general ,except as provided in clause   
7ii71 any question received by the      
presiding officer pursuant to paragraph 
7#e7 shall be reported in the joint     
session1 and such question shall be     
submitted to each ,house1 which shall   
each withdraw for a period of debate    
described in subparagraph 7,b74  7ii7   
,exception for motion to recess ,a      
motion to recess shall not be subject to
 debate4  7,b7 ,length of debate ,the   
time for debate of any question shall be
 limited to-- 7i7 in the case of any    
motion that is made under subsection    
7b71 two hours equally divided and      
controlled by the majority leader and   
minority leader of each ,house or their 
respective designees2  7ii7 in the case 

of any objection that is made under     
subsection 7c71 two hours equally       
divided and controlled by the majority  
leader and minority leader of each      
,house or their respective designees2   
and  7iii7 in the case of any appeal of 
a decision of the presiding officer1 #cj
 minutes equally divided and controlled 
by the majority leader and minority     
leader of each ,house or their          
respective designees4  7,c7 ,single     
debate for multiple motions in relation 
to appointment of electors ,if more than
 one motion in relation to the          
appointment of electors from a ,state is
 made under subsection 7b7 that         
satisfies the requirements of paragraph 
7#e71 such motions shall be debatable   
for a single period of two hours as     
provided in subparagraph 7,b77i74  7,d7 
,single debate for multiple objections  
,if more than one objection with respect
 to any vote from a ,state is made under
 subsection 7c7 that satisfies the      
requirements of paragraph 7#e71 such    

objections shall be debatable for a     
single period of two hours as provided  
in subparagraph 7,b77ii74  7,e7 ,special
 rule regarding length of debate ,if the
 proceedings of the joint session have  
not been completed in five calendar     
days1 the presiding officer may reduce  
the length of debate for any question to
 not less than #cj minutes equally      
divided and controlled by the majority  
leader and minority leader of each      
,house or their respective designees4   
7b7 ,rules for identifying the duly     
appointed electors of a ,state  7#a7 ,in
 general ,the presiding officer shall   
announce the electors whose appointments
 are reflected in a certificate that is 
received under section #f of this title4
 ,pursuant to section #f of this title1 
such electors shall be the conclusive   
appointed electors for the ,state1 and  
in no case shall the presiding officer  
or the joint session consider any other 
person to be an appointed elector for a 
,state4  7#b7 ,motions in relation to   

the appointment of electors ,after the  
declaration of the presiding officer    
under paragraph 7#a7 with respect to a  
,state1 the following motions may be    
submitted3 7,a7 ,a motion to reject the 
declaration of the appointment of       
electors for the ,state by the presiding
 officer under paragraph 7#a7 on the    
grounds that the certificate of         
appointment presented by the presiding  
officer is not conclusive under section 
#f of this title and to receive a       
certificate of appointment from the     
,state that is conclusive under section 
#f of this title4  7,b7 ,in the absence 
of any presentation of a certificate    
from a ,state by the presiding officer1 
a motion to receive a certificate of    
appointment from the ,state that is     
conclusive under section #f of this     
title4  7#c7 ,voting by the ,houses     
7,a7 ,in general ,when all motions      
offered pursuant to paragraph 7#b7 with 
respect to a ,state have been received  
and read in the joint session1 the      

,senate shall thereupon withdraw1 and   
such motions shall be submitted to the  
,senate for its decision1 and the       
,speaker of the ,house of               
,representatives shall submit such      
motions to the ,house of                
,representatives for its decision4  7,b7
 ,announcement of decision ,when the two
 ,houses have voted1 they shall         
immediately resume proceedings in the   
joint session1 and the presiding officer
 shall announce the decision on any such
 motions4  7#d7 ,announcement of        
appointment of electors ,if a motion    
under paragraph 7#b7 is adopted1 the    
presiding officer shall declare the list
 of electors that was received under    
such motion to be the appointed electors
 for the ,state4  7c7 ,objections to    
certificate of electoral votes  7#a7 ,in
 general ,once the joint session has    
identified the duly appointed electors  
of a ,state pursuant to the procedures  
described in subsection 7a7 and the     
rules described in subsection 7b71 the  

presiding officer shall call for        
objections1 if any1 to one or more      
electoral votes cast by the electors of 
the ,state on the grounds specified in  
paragraph 7#b74 ,no votes from a ,state 
shall be acted upon until any objections
 made to the votes from a ,state under  
this subsection have been decided4  7#b7
 ,grounds for objections ,to raise an   
objection under this subsection1 a      
,member must submit such objection      
pursuant to the requirements of         
subsection 7a77#e7 and specify in       
writing the number of electoral votes   
objected to and one of the following    
grounds for the objection3 7,a7 ,the    
,state in question was not validly a    
,state at the time its electors cast    
their electoral votes and is thus not   
entitled to such votes1 except that such
 objection may not be raised with       
respect to the ,district of ,columbia4  
7,b7 ,the ,state in question submitted  
more votes than it is constitutionally  
entitled to1 and thus a corresponding   

number of its purported votes should be 
rejected4  7,c7 ,one or more of the     
,state's electors are constitutionally  
ineligible for the office of elector    
under article ,,ii1 section ,i1 clause  
#b or section #c of the ,fourteenth     
,amendment of the ,constitution of the  
,united ,states1 except if a ,state has 
replaced the ineligible elector with an 
eligible elector pursuant to the        
authority described in section #d of    
this title prior to the casting of      
electoral votes by its electors1 then it
 shall not be in order to cite the      
initial appointment of the ineligible   
elector as grounds for raising an       
objection under this subparagraph4  7,d7
 ,one or more of the ,state's electoral 
votes were cast for a candidate who is  
ineligible for the office of ,president 
or ,vice ,president pursuant to-- 7i7   
article ,i1 section #c1 clause #g of the
 ,constitution of the ,united ,states2  
7ii7 article ,,ii1 section #a1 clause #e
 of the ,constitution of the ,united    

,states2  7iii7 section #c of the       
,fourteenth ,amendment to the           
,constitution of the ,united ,states2 or
  7iv7 section #a of the ,twenty-second 
,amendment to the ,constitution of the  
,united ,states4  7,e7 ,one or more of  
the ,state's electoral votes were cast  
in violation of the requirements        
enumerated by article ,,ii1 section #a1 
clause #d of the ,constitution of the   
,united ,states by failing to vote on   
the date specified in section #g of this
 title1 or one or more of the ,state's  
electoral votes were cast in violation  
of the ,twelfth ,amendment to the       
,constitution of the ,united ,states by 
failing to be cast-- 7i7 by ballot2 or  
7ii7 distinctly for the offices of      
,president and ,vice ,president1 one of 
whom is not an inhabitant of the        
elector's ,state4  7#c7 ,voting by the  
,houses  7,a7 ,in general ,when all     
objections offered pursuant to paragraph
 7#a7 with respect to a ,state have been
 received and read in the joint session1

 the ,senate shall thereupon withdraw1  
and such objections shall be submitted  
to the ,senate for its decision1 and the
 ,speaker of the ,house of              
,representatives shall submit such      
objections to the ,house of             
,representatives for its decision4  7,b7
 ,announcement of decision ,when the two
 ,houses have voted1 they shall         
immediately resume proceedings in the   
joint session1 and the presiding officer
 shall announce the decision on any such
 objections4  7d7 ,effect of rejection  
of electoral votes  7#a7 ,effect of     
rejection of electoral votes ,if a      
,state's electoral votes are rejected   
under subsection 7c77#b7-- 7,a7 in the  
case a ,state's electoral votes are     
rejected pursuant to an objection under 
subparagraph 7,a71 7,b71 or 7,c7 of such
 subsection1 the whole number of        
electors appointed for purposes of the  
,twelfth ,amendment of the ,constitution
 of the ,united ,states shall be reduced
 by the number of rejected electoral    

appointments2 and  7,b7 in the case a   
,state's electoral votes are rejected   
pursuant to an objection under          
subparagraph 7,d7 or 7,e7 of such       
subsection1 the whole number of electors
 appointed for purposes of the ,twelfth 
,amendment of the ,constitution of the  
,united ,states shall be unaffected4    
7#b7 ,constitutional ineligibility ,for 
the purposes of section #c of the       
,twentieth ,amendment of the            
,constitution of the ,united ,states1 in
 the case an objection is sustained     
under subsection 7c77#b77;,d7-- 7,a7 the
 electoral votes cast for such candidate
 shall be counted for the purposes of   
determining whether the candidate has   
been elected under such amendment2  7,b7
 such candidate shall be deemed to have 
failed to qualify under such amendment2 
and  7,c7 subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b7   
shall apply with respect to any         
electoral votes cast for such candidate 
from any other ,state that are otherwise
 valid under this section1 except that  

nothing in this paragraph shall be      
construed to prohibit a ,member from    
objecting to any such electoral votes on
 other grounds described in subsection  
7c77#b74  4  7b7 ,conforming amendment  
,title #c1 ,united ,states ,code1 is    
amended by striking sections #af through
 #ah4  7c7 ,clerical amendment ,the     
table of sections of such title is      
amended by striking the items relating  
to sections #af through #ah4  #aa4      
,protection of tabulation and           
certification  7a7 ,prohibition ,with   
respect to an election for the office of
 ,president1 ,vice ,president1 or       
presidential elector1 no person acting  
under color of law shall willfully fail 
or refuse to-- 7#a7 tabulate1 count1 or 
report any vote that is timely cast and 
is otherwise valid under applicable     
,state and ,federal law2 or  7#b7       
certify the aggregate tabulations of    
such votes or certify the election of   
the candidates receiving sufficient such
 votes to be elected to office4  7b7    

,enforcement  7#a7 ,authorizing filing  
of action by candidate ,any candidate   
for ,president1 ,vice ,president1 or    
presidential elector who appears on the 
ballot in a ,state who is aggrieved by a
 violation of subsection 7a7 may file an
 action for such declaratory and        
injunctive relief as may be appropriate 
in the district court of the ,united    
,states for the judicial district in    
which the capital of the ,state is      
located4  7#b7 ,determination by        
three-judge court  7,a7 ,in general ,an 
action described under this subsection  
shall be heard and determined by a court
 of #c judges convened pursuant to      
section #bbhd of title #bh1 ,united     
,states ,code1 except that subsection   
7b77#b7 of such section shall not apply 
to any such action1 and any             
determination with respect to such an   
action shall be reviewable only by      
appeal directly to the ,supreme ,court  
of the ,united ,states4  7,b7 ,expedited
 consideration ,it shall be the duty of 

the district court described in this    
subsection and the ,supreme ,court of   
the ,united ,states to advance on the   
docket and to expedite to the greatest  
extent possible the disposition of any  
action or appeal under this subsection4 
7c7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in   
this section may be construed to preempt
 any action conducted pursuant to ,state
 law duly enacted prior to the day fixed
 by section #a of title #c1 ,united     
,states ,code1 or affect the right of   
any person to bring an action under any 
other ,federal law4  #ab4 ,severability 
,if any provision of this ,act or an    
amendment made by this ,act1 or the     
application of any provision of this    
,act or an amendment made by this ,act  
to any person or circumstance1 is held  
to be unconstitutional1 the remainder of
 this ,act1 and the application of such 
provision or amendment to any other     
person or circumstance1 shall not be    
affected by the holding4  ,passed the   
,house of ,representatives ,september   

#ba1 #bjbb4;,cheryl ,l4                 
,johnson1,clerk4,kevin ,f4              
,mc,cumber1,deputy ,clerk