To require the Election Assistance Commission to establish and maintain a publicly accessible database of private vendors that provide, support, or maintain any component of the election systems used in the administration of elections for Federal office, and for other purposes.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would require the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) — the federal agency responsible for helping states run elections — to create and maintain a public database listing all private companies that are involved in building, supporting, or maintaining the technology and systems used in federal elections. This would include vendors that provide things like voting machines, election software, voter registration systems, and other technical components that help run elections for offices like President, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives.

The goal of the bill appears to be increasing transparency around who the private companies are that play a role in the election process. Currently, it can be difficult for the general public to know which outside vendors are involved in running election technology across the country. By requiring this information to be publicly accessible, the bill would make it easier for voters, researchers, journalists, and government officials to see which companies are working behind the scenes in the election system.

This bill would primarily affect private technology and services companies that contract with state and local governments to support elections, as well as the EAC, which would take on the responsibility of building and keeping the database up to date. State and local election offices could also be affected, as they may need to report their vendor relationships to the EAC. Ordinary voters would not face any direct requirements under this bill but could benefit from having easier access to this kind of information.

The bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives and referred to the House Committee on House Administration for review. No official description has been provided by Congress.