Sponsors (4)
The bill materially strengthens election continuity, voter access, and interjurisdictional planning for disasters at the cost of additional federal spending, new administrative and implementation burdens on states and localities, and modest risks of federal overreach and information-security exposure.
State and local election officials (and therefore voters) will have stronger, formalized continuity plans and clearer rules for treating federally declared disasters during voting, making it much more likely elections continue with fewer disruptions during hurricanes, wildfires, and other emergencies.
Voters in disaster-affected areas (including rural and low-income communities) will face fewer administrative barriers and get better information during emergencies thanks to coordinated federal support, a toll-free hotline, and voter education funded by the bill.
Public submission and sharing of contingency plans plus encouragement of intergovernmental coordination will let jurisdictions learn best practices and improve election resilience across states and tribal areas.
Taxpayers will face increased federal spending (grant funding, potential emergency deployments, and program costs) to support election resiliency, which raises budgetary pressures.
States and especially smaller, under-resourced local jurisdictions will incur ongoing administrative, planning, update, and implementation costs (including possible matching or upgrade expenses for voting systems) that could strain local budgets and staffing.
Expanding federal roles and encouraging use of federal resources could be viewed as federal overreach or pressure on local election operations, potentially creating political friction and reducing local flexibility.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Requires states receiving HAVA funds to submit and update election disaster continuity plans, directs a GAO study, and authorizes EAC resiliency grants ($20M/year FY2026–FY2030).
Requires states that receive Help America Vote Act (HAVA) grants or payments to prepare, submit, update, and retain continuity-of-operations plans to keep elections running during major disasters, and directs public sharing of those plans except for sensitive details. Directs the Government Accountability Office to study how disasters affect voter registration and how federal resources can support election administration after major disaster declarations. Creates an EAC grant program ($20 million/year authorized for FY2026–FY2030) to help states strengthen voting-system resiliency and disaster preparedness, and defines "covered major disaster" as a Presidential major disaster declaration occurring during a federal voting period.
Introduced September 16, 2025 by Joseph Morelle · Last progress September 16, 2025