Sponsors (16)
Creates an EAC grant program ($120M) for jurisdictions to buy/maintain e-pollbooks and publish near-real-time polling-place wait times for federal elections.
The bill funds e-pollbooks and near-real-time wait-time reporting to shorten lines and improve accessibility and interoperability, but it creates modest federal costs and risks—privacy/security issues, uneven rollout for under-resourced jurisdictions, and additional administrative burdens for election officials.
Voters experience shorter check-in times and reduced polling-place lines because federal grants fund e-pollbooks and related equipment for state and local election officials.
Voters with disabilities and people with limited English proficiency gain better access because the program requires training and accessibility-focused implementation of e-pollbooks and wait-time reporting.
Voters who prefer to avoid crowds can make better choices about when and where to vote because jurisdictions that publish near-real-time wait times let them see and shift to less-crowded times or locations.
Voters and election officials face privacy and operational security risks if near-real-time wait-time data and e-pollbook systems are not securely implemented or maintained.
Smaller, rural, or under-resourced jurisdictions may still struggle to implement and maintain e-pollbooks and reporting systems despite grants, producing uneven improvements in wait times and potentially widening disparities.
Taxpayers bear a federal cost of about $120 million to fund e-pollbooks and wait-time systems.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Official title: To direct the Election Assistance Commission to make grants to States for procuring and maintaining electronic pollbooks with the capability of collecting and disseminating wait time information, and for other purposes.
Introduced August 5, 2025 by Jasmine Crockett · Last progress August 5, 2025
Provides federal grants to states and eligible local jurisdictions to buy, maintain, or certify electronic pollbooks (e-pollbooks) and to develop systems that collect and publish near-real-time polling-place wait-time information for federal elections. The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) must distribute grants within one year and award priority to jurisdictions showing need to reduce wait times and those proposing wait-time reporting capability. Requires applicants to describe need, agree to publish frequent wait-time updates during voting hours and post-election reports, certify compliance with EAC e-pollbook standards, provide training plans addressing accessibility, and submit procurement and maintenance reports to the EAC. Authorizes $120 million, available until expended, to carry out the program.