To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to prohibit the use of Federal funds for election administration in States that permit ballot harvesting.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would change federal election law to cut off federal funding for election administration in any state that allows "ballot harvesting." Ballot harvesting — also called third-party ballot collection — is the practice of allowing someone other than the voter (like a campaign volunteer, community organizer, or paid worker) to collect and submit completed mail-in or absentee ballots on behalf of other voters. Currently, some states permit this practice, while others restrict or ban it entirely.

Under this bill, any state that continues to allow ballot harvesting would no longer be eligible to receive federal money that normally helps pay for running elections. That federal funding, provided through the Help America Vote Act of 2002, is used by states for things like updating voting equipment, training poll workers, improving accessibility for voters with disabilities, and maintaining voter registration systems. States that want to keep receiving that funding would need to change their laws to prohibit third-party ballot collection.

This bill would primarily affect states that currently permit ballot harvesting, such as California, where the practice is legal and widely used. Voters in those states — particularly elderly, disabled, or rural voters who sometimes rely on third-party collectors to submit their ballots — could be impacted if states change their laws in response. Election administrators in those states could also face budget pressures if federal funding were withheld. The bill has been referred to the House Committee on House Administration, where it would need to advance before any further legislative action.