What This Bill Does
This bill repeals most of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which is a federal law about voter registration. The bill keeps only two parts of the old law: requirements for states to remove ineligible voters from registration lists and criminal penalties for fraudulent voting activities.
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Who It Affects
States and their election officials who manage voter registration lists.
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Key Provisions
* States must conduct a general program that makes a reasonable effort to remove names of ineligible voters from official lists of eligible voters, including removal due to death or change of residence (Sec. 2(b))
* Names of voters cannot be removed from official lists except at the voter's request, by reason of criminal conviction or mental incapacity as provided by state law, or through the removal program described above (Sec. 2(b))
* Criminal penalties remain in place for fraudulent voter registration or voting activities (Sec. 2(d))
* The purposes of the remaining law are to protect the integrity of the electoral process and ensure accurate and current voter registration rolls are maintained (Sec. 2(a))
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What Changes
The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 is repealed except for its short title, definitions section, and provisions about removing ineligible voters and criminal penalties. Any laws that the original 1993 Act changed are restored to how they were before that Act passed.
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Important Definitions
The bill relies on definitions from the existing National Voter Registration Act of 1993 but does not provide new definitions in this bill text.
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I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 959
To repeal the provisions of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993
other than the provisions requiring States to conduct a general program
that makes a reasonable effort to remove the names of ineligible voters
from the official lists of eligible voters in the State and the provisions
imposing criminal penalties for fraudulent voter registration or voting
activities.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 9, 2023
Mr. STEUBE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on House Administration
A BILL
To repeal the provisions of the National Voter Registration
Act of 1993 other than the provisions requiring States
to conduct a general program that makes a reasonable
effort to remove the names of ineligible voters from the
official lists of eligible voters in the State and the provi-
sions imposing criminal penalties for fraudulent voter
registration or voting activities.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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•HR 959 IH
SECTION 1. REPEAL OF NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION
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ACT OF 1993.
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(a) REPEAL.—Except as provided in subsection (b),
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the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C.
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20501 et seq.) is repealed, and any provision of law
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amended or repealed by such Act is restored or revived
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as if such Act had not been enacted into law.
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(b) EXCEPTION.—Subsection (a) does not apply with
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respect to the following provisions of such Act:
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(1) Section 1 (relating to the short title) (52
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U.S.C. 10101 note).
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(2) Section 3 (relating to definitions) (52
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U.S.C. 20502).
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(3) Any section amended or redesignated under
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section 2 of this Act.
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SEC. 2. RETENTION OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS.
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(a) REVISED STATEMENT OF PURPOSES OF ACT.—
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Section 2 of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993
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(52 U.S.C. 20501) is amended to read as follows:
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‘‘SEC. 2. PURPOSES.
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‘‘The purposes of this Act are to—
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‘‘(1) protect the integrity of the electoral proc-
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ess; and
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‘‘(2) to ensure that accurate and current voter
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registration rolls are maintained.’’.
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•HR 959 IH
(b) REMOVAL OF NAMES OF INELIGIBLE VOTERS
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FROM VOTER REGISTRATION LISTS.—Section 8 of the
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National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C.
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20507) is amended—
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(1) by redesignating such section as section 4;
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(2) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol-
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lows:
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‘‘(a) REMOVAL OF NAMES OF INELIGIBLE VOTERS.—
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In the administration of voter registration for elections for
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Federal office, each State shall—
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‘‘(1) provide that the name of a registrant may
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not be removed from the official list of eligible voters
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except—
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‘‘(A) at the request of the registrant;
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‘‘(B) as provided by State law, by reason
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of criminal conviction or mental incapacity; or
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‘‘(C) as provided under paragraph (2); and
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‘‘(2) conduct a general program that makes a
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reasonable effort to remove the names of ineligible
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voters from the official lists of eligible voters by rea-
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son of—
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‘‘(A) the death of the registrant; or
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‘‘(B) a change in the residence of the reg-
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istrant, in accordance with subsections (b), (c),
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and (d).’’;
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•HR 959 IH
(3) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ‘‘subsection
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(a)(4)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (a)(2)’’; and
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(4) in subsection (c)(2)(B)(i), by striking
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‘‘paragraph (3) (A) or (B) or (4)(A) of subsection
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(a)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph (1)(A) or (B) or
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(2)(A) of subsection (a)’’.
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(c) DESIGNATION OF CHIEF STATE ELECTION OFFI-
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CIAL.—Section 10 of such Act (52 U.S.C. 20509) is redes-
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ignated as section 5.
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(d) CRIMINAL PENALTIES FOR FRAUDULENT ACTIVI-
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TIES.—Section 12 of such Act (52 U.S.C. 20511) is redes-
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ignated as section 6.
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Æ
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