,i #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ihgc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #bb1 #bjbf,ms4 ,pressley 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,cleaver1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,georgia1 ,ms4 ,lee of ,pennsylvania1 ,mr4 ,mfume1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,ms4 ,omar1 ,mrs4 ,ramirez1 ,ms4 ,sewell1 ,ms4 ,simon1 ,mr4 ,tonko1 ,mr4 ,thanedar1 ,mr4 ,casar1 and ,ms4 ,tlaib7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,house ,administration1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to guarantee the right to vote for all citizens regardless of conviction of a criminal offense1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,inclusive ,democracy ,act of #bjbf4 #b4 ,protecting the fundamental right to vote 7a7 ,protection of right ,the right of citizens of the ,united ,states to vote in a election for ,federal office shall not be denied or abridged by the ,united ,states or by any ,state on account of conviction of a criminal offense4 7b7 ,application ,subsection 7a7 applies with respect to convictions occurring before1 on1 or after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 #c4 ,access to the ballot 7a7 ,notification of voting rights 7#a7 ,state notification ,at the time an individual is convicted of a criminal offense under the law of a ,state1 the ,state shall notify the individual in writing that the individual's conviction of the offense does not affect the individual's right to vote in an election for ,federal office and that the individual may register or remain registered to vote in an election for ,federal office if the individual is otherwise eligible to vote in the election1 notwithstanding the individual's conviction4 7#b7 ,federal notification ,at the time an individual is convicted of a criminal offense under ,federal law1 the court in which the individual is convicted shall notify the individual in writing that the individual's conviction of the offense does not affect the individual's right to vote in an election for ,federal office and that the individual may register or remain registered to vote in an election for ,federal office if the individual is otherwise eligible to vote in the election1 notwithstanding the individual's conviction4 7#c7 ,persons on probation and parole ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the head of each ,federal1 ,state1 and local probation or parole office shall provide each individual on probation or parole under the jurisdiction of that office with written notification about any changes made by this ,act to voter eligibility requirements in the applicable ,state4 7#d7 ,persons in carceral settings ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the head of each ,federal1 ,state1 and local carceral setting shall provide each individual incarcerated in their carceral setting with written notification that the individual's criminal conviction does not affect the individual's right to vote in an election for ,federal office and that the individual may register or remain registered to vote in an election for ,federal office if the individual is otherwise eligible to vote in the election1 notwithstanding the individual's conviction4 7#e7 ,public notice 7,a7 ,role of the ,election ,assistance ,commission ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,election ,assistance ,commission shall conduct a national public service announcement campaign1 using newspapers1 radio stations1 social media platforms1 and network television1 to inform the public about the changes in voter eligibility pursuant to this ,act4 7,b7 ,role of the ,department of ,justice ,not later than #fj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,attorney ,general shall publish updated information on voting rights for individuals with criminal records and guidance on developing voting practices for such individuals4 ,such information shall be-- 7i7 made publicly available on the ,department of ,justice's website2 7ii7 made publicly available on the ,election ,assistance ,commission's website2 and 7iii7 provided to the ,federal ,bureau of ,prisons1 the ,office of ,u4,s4 ,probation and ,pretrial ,services1 and the chief ,state election official and the head of the department of corrections in each ,state4 7b7 ,registration 7#a7 ,access to registration ,the head of each carceral setting shall offer an individual who is incarcerated at the carceral setting the opportunity to register to vote in an election for ,federal office by providing the individual with the mail voter registration application form described in section #i7;a77#b7 of the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjejh7;a77#b77 at the time of the individual's incarceration at the carceral setting and upon the individual's request4 7#b7 ,transmission of voter registration applications by carceral setting 7,a7 ,in general ,not later than #aj days after an individual who is incarcerated in a carceral setting provides an employee of the carceral setting with the individual's completed voter registration application form1 the head of the carceral setting shall mail or otherwise transmit the form to the chief ,state election official of the ,state in which the individual has applied to register to vote4 7,b7 ,expedited transmission within #e days of election ,if an individual provides an employee of the carceral setting with a completed voter registration application form within #e days before the deadline for registering to vote in an election for ,federal office for which the individual seeks to register1 the head of the carceral setting shall-- 7i7 transmit to the chief ,state election official of the ,state in which the individual seeks to register to vote the individual's application form electronically on the day on which the head of the carceral setting receives the form from the individual2 or 7ii7 shall ensure that the form is mailed to the chief ,state election official of the ,state in which the individual seeks to register to vote and is postmarked within #b days of receiving the form from the individual4 7#c7 ,acceptance of forms by election officials 7,a7 ,deadline for acceptance ,a ,state may not refuse to accept or process a voter registration application form submitted on behalf of an individual under this subsection with respect to an election for ,federal office in the ,state on the grounds that the individual did not meet a deadline for returning the form to the appropriate ,state or local election official if the form is postmarked or otherwise indicated by the ,united ,states ,postal ,service to have been mailed within #b days of the deadline for receipt of the form under ,state law4 7,b7 ,requiring acceptance in electronic form ,a ,state may not refuse to accept or process a voter registration application form submitted on behalf of an individual under this subsection with respect to an election for ,federal office in the ,state on the grounds that the individual submitted the form electronically1 including by fax or email1 or that the individual submitted the form by mail4 7#d7 ,address for purposes of voter registration 7,a7 ,choice of address ,an incarcerated individual may register to vote in an election for ,federal office in accordance with this section by using either the individual's last known address or the address of the carceral setting4 7,b7 ,providing same ability to change address between elections as registrants not incarcerated ,to the extent that a ,state permits an individual who is not incarcerated to use a different address to register to vote in elections for the same ,federal office1 including primary1 general1 and runoff elections for that office1 the ,state shall permit an incarcerated individual to use either the individual's last known address or the address of the carceral setting to register to vote in elections for the same ,federal office4 7#e7 ,exception ,nothing in this section shall be construed as requiring an incarcerated individual to register to vote if the individual's address under paragraph 7#d77;,a7 is located in a jurisdiction that does not require voter registration as a prerequisite to voting in an election for ,federal office4 7c7 ,absentee voting 7#a7 ,in general ,an individual who is incarcerated in a carceral setting and who is registered to vote in an election for ,federal office shall have the right to vote in the election by mail by absentee ballot4 7#b7 ,absentee ballot applications 7,a7 ,provision of applications ,if an individual who is incarcerated in a carceral setting is registered to vote in an election for ,federal office1 the head of the carceral setting shall provide the individual with an application to vote by absentee ballot in the election upon request4 7,b7 ,transmission of applications ,not later than #b days after an incarcerated individual provides an employee of the carceral setting with a completed application to vote by absentee ballot1 the head of the carceral setting shall mail or otherwise transmit the application to the chief ,state election official of the ,state in which the individual is registered to vote in the election4 7,c7 ,acceptance of applications 7i7 ,deadline ,a ,state may not refuse to accept or process an application to vote by absentee ballot submitted on behalf of an individual under this subsection with respect to an election for ,federal office in the ,state on the grounds that the individual did not meet a deadline for returning the application to the appropriate ,state or local election official if the form is postmarked or otherwise indicated by the ,united ,states ,postal ,service to have been mailed within #b days of the deadline for the receipt of the application under ,state law4 7ii7 ,requiring acceptance in electronic form ,a ,state may not refuse to accept or process an application to vote by absentee ballot submitted on behalf of an individual under this subsection with respect to an election for ,federal office in the ,state on the grounds that the individual submitted the application electronically1 including by fax or email1 or that the individual submitted the application by mail4 7,d7 ,requirements for ,states transmitting applications without request from registrant ,a ,state which transmits applications to vote by absentee ballot in an election for ,federal office to each individual who is registered to vote in the election1 without regard to whether the individual requests the application1 shall ensure that applications are transmitted to individuals who are incarcerated in a carceral setting and who are registered to vote in the election in the same manner as applications are transmitted to other individuals who are registered to vote in the election4 7#c7 ,absentee ballots 7,a7 ,provision of absentee ballots 7i7 ,election mail ,an absentee ballot that is mailed to an incarcerated individual under this subsection shall be treated and marked as election mail for purposes of title #ci1 ,united ,states ,code4 7ii7 ,expedited processing ,the head of a carceral setting shall ensure that any election mail is made available to an incarcerated individual to whom it is addressed not later than #bd hours after such mail is received at the carceral setting4 7,b7 ,provisional ballots 7i7 ,right to cast provisional absentee ballot ,if an incarcerated individual declares that such individual is a registered voter in the jurisdiction in which the individual desires to vote and that the individual is eligible to vote in an election for ,federal office1 but the name of the individual does not appear on the official list of eligible voters for the election or an election official asserts that the individual is not eligible to vote1 such individual shall be permitted to cast a provisional absentee ballot in the election1 notwithstanding the failure of the individual to request an absentee ballot prior to the deadline for submitting a request for the ballot under the law of the ,state in which the individual seeks to vote4 7ii7 ,process ,section #cjb7;a7 of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bajhb7;a77 shall apply with respect to a provisional absentee ballot cast by an incarcerated individual under this subsection in the same manner as such section applies to a provisional ballot cast by a voter4 7,c7 ,pre-paid postage ,consistent with regulations of the ,united ,states ,postal ,service1 the ,state or the unit of local government responsible for the administration of the election for ,federal office involved shall prepay the postage on any envelope provided to an incarcerated individual under this ,act4 7,d7 ,transmission of ballots ,the head of a carceral setting shall mail or otherwise transmit a ballot on behalf of an incarcerated individual under this subsection to the appropriate election official on the same day on which an incarcerated individual submits the ballot to an employee of the carceral setting1 or1 if the individual submits the ballot to an employee of the carceral setting after business hours1 not later than #bd hours after the individual submits the ballot to the employee4 7,e7 ,acceptance of ballots ,a ,state may not refuse to accept or process an absentee ballot submitted on behalf of an individual under this subsection with respect to an election for ,federal office in the ,state-- 7i7 on the grounds that the individual did not meet a deadline for returning the ballot to the appropriate ,state or local election official if the ballot is postmarked or otherwise indicated by the ,united ,states ,postal ,service to have been mailed on or before the date of the election2 or 7ii7 on the grounds that the individual did not include with the ballot a copy of a form of identification otherwise required under ,state law4 7,f7 ,notice and opportunity to cure missing signature or other defect ,if an incarcerated individual submits a ballot under this subsection without a signature or submits a ballot with another defect 7other than a defect consisting of the failure of a ballot to meet the applicable deadline for the acceptance of the ballot7 which1 if left uncured1 would cause the ballot to not be counted1 the appropriate ,state or local election official1 prior to making a final determination as to the validity of the ballot1 shall-- 7i7 make a good faith effort to immediately notify the individual by mail1 telephone1 and 7if available7 text message and electronic mail that-- 7,i7 the ballot did not include a signature or has some other defect2 and 7,,ii7 if the individual does not provide the missing signature or cure the other defect prior to the expiration of the #aj-;day period which begins on the date the official notifies the individual that the ballot did not include a signature or has some other defect1 such ballot will not be counted2 and 7ii7 count the ballot if1 prior to the expiration of the #aj-;day period described in clause 7i77,,ii71 the individual provides the official with the missing signature on a form proscribed by the ,state or cures the other defect4 7,g7 ,requirements for ,states transmitting applications without request from registrant ,a ,state which transmits absentee ballots in an election for ,federal office to each individual who is registered to vote in the election1 without regard to whether the individual requests the absentee ballot1 shall ensure that absentee ballots are transmitted to individuals who are incarcerated in a carceral setting and who are registered to vote in the election in the same manner as absentee ballots are transmitted to other individuals who are registered to vote in the election4 7d7 ,access to services and information on elections 7#a7 ,online services ,if a carceral setting provides the individuals who are incarcerated in the carceral setting with access to computers1 tablets1 or other electronic devices with internet access1 the carceral setting shall permit an incarcerated individual who is eligible to vote in an election for ,federal office with access to the internet and such devices free of charge for the purpose of researching candidates in the election1 political campaigns1 and procedures for registration and voting4 7#b7 ,distribution of information by candidates1 campaigns1 and nonpartisan groups ,a carceral setting shall permit candidates1 political campaigns1 and non-partisan groups that register individuals to vote and distribute voter educational materials and information on an election for ,federal office and voting1 candidates1 and political campaigns involved with the election to distribute such materials inside the carceral setting-- 7,a7 in the case of a candidate1 political campaign1 or nonpartisan group that distributes such materials and information on elections for ,federal office held in the ,state in which the carceral setting is located1 for not fewer than #fj days before the date of any election for ,federal office held in the ,state2 or 7,b7 in the case of a candidate1 political campaign1 or nonpartisan group that distributes such materials and information on elections for ,federal office which are not held in that ,state1 at least once a year4 7#c7 ,posting of information in carceral setting ,the head of a carceral setting shall ensure that information on registering to vote in elections for ,federal office1 requesting an absentee ballot in such elections1 and voting in elections for ,federal office is posted prominently in an area of the carceral setting that is commonly accessible and visible to the incarcerated individuals4 7e7 ,access for third parties ,to provide voter registration services 7#a7 ,access required ,the head of a carceral setting shall permit a nonpartisan entity that provides non-partisan voter registration services to enter the carceral setting and provide such services to individuals who are incarcerated in the carceral setting4 7#b7 ,prohibiting restrictions on access of certain individuals ,the head of a carceral setting may not place restrictions on an individual's ability to enter a carceral setting as a representative of a nonpartisan entity described in paragraph 7#a7 on the grounds that the individual was formerly incarcerated or that the individual is on the visitors list of an individual who is currently incarcerated4 7f7 ,guidance on prosecution ,no incarcerated individual who is registered to vote in an election for ,federal office and who is provided a ballot that includes an election for a non-,federal office1 ballot initiative1 or referendum for which the individual is not registered to vote may be prosecuted under any law on the grounds that the individual voted in that election for a non-,federal office1 ballot initiative1 or referendum4 7g7 ,effective date ,this section shall apply with respect to the regularly scheduled general elections for ,federal office in ,november #bjbf and each succeeding election for ,federal office4 #d4 ,enforcement 7a7 ,attorney general ,the ,attorney ,general may1 in a civil action1 obtain such declaratory or injunctive relief as is necessary to remedy a violation of this ,act4 7b7 ,private right of action 7#a7 ,in general ,a person who is aggrieved by a violation of this ,act may provide written notice of the violation to the chief ,state election official of the ,state involved1 or1 if the violation is alleged to be committed by an officer or employee of the ,federal ,government1 to the ,attorney ,general4 7#b7 ,relief ,except as provided in paragraph 7#c71 if the violation is not corrected within #cj days after receipt of a notice under paragraph 7#a71 or within #aj days after receipt of the notice if the violation occurred within #abj days before the date of an election for ,federal office1 the aggrieved person may1 in a civil action1 obtain declaratory or injunctive relief with respect to the violation4 7#c7 ,exceptions ,notwithstanding paragraphs 7#a7 and 7#b71 a civil action to obtain declaratory or injunctive relief with respect to a violation of this ,act may be immediately brought by an incarcerated individual-- 7,a7 who requested the opportunity to register to vote in an election for ,federal office and did not receive a voter registration application1 or who submitted a voter registration application that was not properly transmitted or processed1 within #cj days of the ,state's voter registration deadline2 and 7,b7 who is registered to vote in an election for ,federal office and who-- 7i7 is denied access to an absentee ballot application2 7ii7 has their request for an absentee ballot improperly denied2 7iii7 is not supplied with an absentee ballot after properly requesting one2 7iv7 does not have their voted ballot properly transmitted to the appropriate election official2 or 7v7 is otherwise denied the right to receive or cast an absentee ballot4 #e4 ,definitions ,for purposes of this ,act3 7#a7 ,carceral setting ,the term carceral setting means any prison1 penitentiary1 jail1 or other institution or facility that confines individuals charged with or convicted of criminal offenses1 whether publicly or privately operated1 except that such term does not include any residential community treatment center 7or similar public or private facility74 7#b7 ,chief ,state election official ,the term chief ,state election official means the individual designated by a ,state under section #aj of the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #ajjc 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjeji7 to be responsible for the coordination of ,state responsibilities under such ,act4 7#c7 ,election ,the term election means-- 7,a7 a general1 special1 primary1 or runoff election2 7,b7 a convention or caucus of a political party held to nominate a candidate2 7,c7 a primary election held for the selection of delegates to a national nominating convention of a political party2 or 7,d7 a primary election held for the expression of a preference for the nomination of persons for election to the office of ,president4 7#d7 ,federal office ,the term ,federal office means the office of ,president or ,vice ,president of the ,united ,states1 or of ,senator or ,representative in1 or ,delegate or ,resident ,commissioner to1 the ,congress4 #f4 ,relation to other laws 7a7 ,state laws relating to voting rights ,nothing in this ,act shall be construed to prohibit a ,state from enacting any law which affords the right to vote or the right to register to vote in any election for ,federal1 ,state1 or local office on terms less restrictive than those established by this ,act4 7b7 ,certain ,federal acts ,the rights and remedies established by this ,act are in addition to all other rights and remedies provided by law1 and neither rights and remedies established by this ,act shall supersede1 restrict1 or limit the application of 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 or the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjija et seq474 #g4 ,interpretations favorable to the person seeking to register or vote ,if a provision of this ,act is susceptible to differing interpretations1 it shall be construed in favor of the person seeking to register or vote4 #h4 ,severability ,if any provision of this ,act or the application of any provision thereof to any person or circumstance is judicially determined to be invalid1 the remainder of this ,act or the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected by such determination4