Sponsors (6)
Treats most paid tax preparers as state-designated voter registration agencies for distributing voter-registration forms and requires VITA/TCE sites to add a registration checkbox and display forms.
Official title: To amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to treat certain tax return preparers as voter registration agencies under such Act for purposes of distributing voter registration application forms, and for other purposes.
Introduced March 26, 2026 by Bonnie Watson Coleman · Last progress March 26, 2026
The bill expands voter-registration access through in-person, online, and volunteer tax-preparation channels—helping many low-income and otherwise hard-to-reach voters—while imposing modest compliance burdens on preparers and leaving clients of very small preparers without the new protections.
Taxpayers who use in-person preparers, online tax-preparation services, and funded volunteer tax sites (VITA/TCE) will have easier access to voter registration materials (prominent in-office forms, a clear online link, and required display/guidance at volunteer sites), increasing opportunities to register or update registration—especially for low-income taxpayers, seniors, and those with limited-
Some taxpayers served by small or very small preparers (those preparing fewer than 100 returns) will not receive the new in-office or mandated assistance, leaving gaps in access for clients of local/solo preparers who may already be harder to reach.
Tax return preparers face added regulatory complexity and uncertainty about obligations and liability (due to carve-outs and rule details), which could produce uneven implementation, reduce uptake of the programmatic changes, or discourage some preparers from participating fully.
Preparers will incur compliance costs and administrative burdens to display forms, add online links, and follow EAC/Treasury guidance, which could increase business costs for preparers and potentially be passed on to taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Treats most paid tax return preparers in a State as state-designated voter registration agencies that must distribute voter registration application forms to clients, with special rules for in‑office and online preparers and carve-outs for certain duties and small or volunteer preparers. Directs the Election Assistance Commission (with Treasury) to write regulations, requires Treasury to give guidance to funded volunteer preparers and add a voter-registration checkbox to intake forms, and applies for taxable years after December 2021.