Sponsors (15)
The bill directs modest federal funding and standards to modernize polling-place technology and reduce voter wait times—improving access for many—while imposing a fiscal cost, added administrative requirements, and uneven benefits or privacy risks for some jurisdictions and voters.
Voters and state/local election offices will see shorter check-in times and fewer polling-place lines because federal grants fund e-pollbooks and near-real-time wait-time reporting systems that supplement local resources.
Voters with disabilities and voters with limited English proficiency will have better access because the law requires training and accessibility-focused implementation of e-pollbooks and wait-time reporting.
State and local election officials will benefit from standardized voluntary certification for electronic poll books that promotes interoperability and better security practices across jurisdictions.
Taxpayers will fund the program at an estimated federal cost of $120 million, increasing federal outlays.
Smaller, rural, or under-resourced jurisdictions may continue to struggle to implement and maintain e-pollbooks and reporting systems, producing uneven improvements in wait times and access.
Voters and election offices face privacy and operational risks if near-real-time wait-time data or e-pollbook systems are not securely implemented and maintained.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Provides $120M for EAC grants to help jurisdictions buy/maintain e-pollbooks and publish near-real-time polling-place wait-time information for Federal elections.
Introduced August 5, 2025 by Jasmine Crockett · Last progress August 5, 2025
Provides the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) $120 million to make grants to eligible local jurisdictions so they can buy or maintain electronic pollbooks (e-pollbooks) and build systems to collect and publish near-real-time polling-place wait-time information for Federal elections. Grants must prioritize jurisdictions with demonstrated need to reduce wait times and those proposing to report wait-time data; recipients must meet application, reporting, certification, and training requirements. Funds are available until expended and the EAC must award grants within one year of enactment.