04[The following is an annotated version of the current attempt by congressional Democrats to reform and strengthen American voting laws. I've maintained all headings in their original forms (divisions, titles, and subtitles) as well as the statement of intent listed below. The descriptive text is all my annotation from the original bill. To the best of my ability I've attempted to include all changes to current law that this bill would enact. The only information left out are some of the contextual and background information included in the bill by the writers to justify certain provisions.]

Statement of intent: 

To expand Americans’ access to the ballot box, reduce the influence of big money in politics, strengthen ethics rules for public servants, and implement other anti-corruption measures for the purpose of fortifying our democracy, and for other purposes. 

DIVISION A - VOTING

Title 1 - Election Access 

Subtitle A - Voter Registration Modernization

• Mandate of online voter registration in all states in the same form as absentee voter registration. 
• Automatic voter registration using information from other agencies to fill out registration. Voters would have to ‘opt-out’ as opposed to the current ‘opt-in.’
• Written notice to citizens that they have been registered to vote but have the option to de-register should they so desire, includes the option to register for a party if that is required by state law. 
• Enable country wide same-day-registration for individuals who have somehow not been registered automatically (e.g. recently moved or lacking internal agency information).
• Strengthens barrier on states to remove voters from the rolls via an ‘interstate cross-check,’ wherein a state determines an individual is registered in another state and removes them from the voter roll. 
• Annual reports on voter registration must be sent to Congress from each state every year.
• Postal service change of address forms will include a reminder to change voter registration.
• Grants to states to promote youth engagement in voting for individuals under 18 who will soon participate in elections. 
• Privacy provision to shield victims of abuse from having their voter registration information exposed. 
• Leases and vouchers for federally assisted rental housing shall include voter registration information. 
• Make the hindering or interfering with vote registration a crime. 
• Require driver’s license applicants to declare which state they intend to make their residence for the purpose of registering to vote. 
• 1 year pilot program for local education agencies to provide information on registering to vote for 12th grade students. 
• Those 16 and up can register to vote before they turn 18 (so they are legally ready to vote upon turning 18).

Subtitle B Voting for individuals with disabilities

• Protections for disabled voters in regards to ease of registration.

Subtitle C - Prohibiting Voter Caging

• Prohibition of voter caging.
• This means voters cannot be removed from registration due to undeliverable mail from their listed address or from using an unverified match list where officials remove voters from the roll by looking at a list of felons or dead people. 
• An error or omission on a voter registration is not enough to purge a registration.
• Challenges to voter registration will be prohibited within ten days to a federal election. 
• Voter caging techniques punishable by fine or prison sentence. 

Subtitle D - Prohibiting Deceptive Practices and Preventing Voter Intimidation 

• Make misinformation on voting locations, time, manner of voting, registration requirements a punishable offense if it occurs within 60 days of an election. 
• State attorneys general shall ‘correct the record’ via any means possible when significant misinformation or disinformation around an election occurs. 
• State attorneys general shall submit reports of allegations of deceptive practices to Congress following each federal election. 

Subtitle E - Democracy Restoration

• Restoration of voting rights to felons who have completed their sentences. 
• Felons shall be notified of the restoration of their voting rights upon the enactment of the bill or upon completion of their prison sentences.
• Withholding of federal prison funds for institutions who do not follow notification requirements.  

Subtitle F - Promoting Accuracy, Integrity, and Security through Voter-Verified Permanent Paper Ballot

• Requirement of physical paper ballots either filled out directly by a voter or through a tabulation machine where the voter can validate the accuracy of the paper ballot before submission. 
• Final audits and official tallies shall be done through use of the official paper ballots.
• Provide funding to study accessible voting options for people with disabilities. 
• Ballot design shall be durable and easily legible for both voters and officials. 
• Funding for the study of ballot design with a report by Jan. 1, 2022.
• Ballots must be printed in the US on paper from the US. 

Subtitle G - Provisional Ballots 

• Uniform and nondiscriminatory standards set for the counting of provisional ballots. 

Subtitle H - Early Voting

• Every state shall allow early voting in federal elections. 
• A minimum period of 15 days of early voting with each voting place allowing at least 10 hours a day with uniform hours each day and with some period of time being before 9:00 am and after 5:00 pm.
• Early voting locations shall be as close to possible to public transportation, available in rural areas, and on college campuses. 
• Early votes shall begin being counted at least 14 days prior to election day. 

Subtitle I - Voting by Mail

• Voters who are eligible for voting shall be eligible for voting by mail should they so desire.
• States shall not require voters provide Identification beyond a signature in voting by mail. 
• States shall not require notarization of signature of witness in order to cast a mail ballot. 
• Discrepancies between signatures on a mail in ballot and some other registry will offer the voter a 10 day period in which to cure the discrepancy before the vote is thrown out.
• States shall report to Congress on the number of invalidated ballots due to discrepancy with a description of the attempts to cure discrepancies. 
• States must send out absentee ballot applications via mail to all registered voters at least 60 days prior to a federal election. 
• Mail in ballots must be counted if postmarked on or prior to election day and received within ten days of election day. 
• Mail in ballots shall also have the option of being dropped off at designated locations or polling places. 
• Voters may allow their mail in ballots to be dropped off by a third party as long as the third party receives no compensation. 
• States shall provide a tracker for mail in ballots which also track when the vote is accepted or not. This tracker shall be both online and a toll-free phone service.
• States shall receive compensation for establishing tracking systems. 
• Funding for study and report on vote-by-mail.

Subtitle J - Absent Uniformed Services Voters and Overseas Voters

• Similar protections as mail in ballots for absentees and military voters.

Subtitle K - Poll Worker Recruitment and Training

• Provide funding for poll worker recruitment and training. 

Subtitle L - Enhancement of Enforcement

• Stricter guidelines for state attorneys general on dealing with voter complaints. 

Subtitle M - Federal Election Integrity

• The head of a state’s elections shall be prohibited from having an active part in a political campaign.
• This does not preclude a head of state elections from campaigning for themselves or immediate family members.

Subtitle N - Promoting Voter Access through Election Administration Improvement. 

• Universities must employ a ‘campus vote coordinator’ to ensure proper messaging around elections including time, place, and manner.
• Universities must convey information about registered students in order to act as an official agency for automatic voter registration. 
• Universities will be eligible to receive grants for behavior conducive to voter participation. 
• Permitting the use of sworn written statements as a form of voter ID. 
• Increased focus on all the rules established in this bill in regards to Indian lands and the voters therein. 
• No voter will be required to wait longer than 30 minutes before casting a ballot.
• This requires an in-depth survey of voting conditions in all precincts in order to adequately staff and and fund polling centers. 
• All polling places must have 4 hours outside of 9:00am to 5:00 in order to give opportunities to working voters to vote. 
• States prohibited from prohibiting curbside voting. 
• Election day a federal holiday. 
• Study on voter turnout and ranked-choice voting.
• Disaster and emergency planning and funding in relation to voting access. 

Title II - Election Integrity

• Creation of a congressional task force to investigate the voting right in American territories with a report with recommendations filed afterwards. 

Subtitle E - Redistricting Reform

• Enforcement of independent redistricting commissions for each state in order to reapportion house seats following each census.
• Commissions will be open for all citizens to apply and each commissioner will be barred from public office for a period of time afterwards. 
• Commission will be bi-partisan.
• Commission must meet certain criteria for redistricting including minimizing division of communities of interest and a ban on partisan redistricting. 
• Must include public input.
• Use of bias modeling will be used to insure the state is not favoring one party or another in apportionment. 
• Backstop of a 3-judge panel should a state fail to properly set up a redistricting commission in time for 2022 federal election. 

Subtitle F - Saving Eligible Voters from Voter Purging

• State may only remove voters from the roll if they are ineligible to vote.
• States may not remove a voter from the rolls for failing to vote in an election or the failure to respond to a letter about registration. 
• States are required to notify those removed from the roll within 48 hours and it must include the means by which a voter can reregister.

Subtitle H - Residence of Incarcerated Individuals

• Incarcerated individuals should be counted on the census as residing in the last location before their incarceration.

Title III - Election Security

Subtitle A - Financial Support for Election Infrastructure

• Grants for making states paper ballot compliant and carrying out voting system security improvements.
• Annual reports to congress about use of appropriations.
• Money for security audits nationwide.

Subtitle B - Security Measures

• Expedition of security clearance for election officials. 
• Annual reports on election threats, including cybersecurity threats and foreign threats. 
• Assessments of election threats pre-election by the Director of National Intelligence at least 180 days prior to election. 

Subtitle C - Enhancing Protections for United States Democratic Institutions

• Creation of a national strategy to protect against cyber attacks, influence operations, and disinformation campaigns by the President, Sect. of Defense, Sect. of State, Attorney General, Sect. of Education, DNI, Chairman of Federal Election commission, among other appropriate federal agencies. 

Subtitle D - Promoting Cybersecurity through Improvement in Election Administration

• Testing of all electronic voting systems 9 months before elections. 
• Decertification of hardware or software that doesn’t meet guidelines. 
• A survey on the use of blockchain tech in potential election use. 

Subtitle E - Preventing Election Hacking

• Establishing a program to improve cybersecurity. 

Subtitle F - Election Security Grants Advisory Committee

• Creation of an advisory committee in order to hand out grants to individual states for the purpose of election security. 

Subtitle H - Use of Voting Machines Manufacture in the United States

• All voting machines used in election will be manufacture on American soil. 

Subtitle I - Study and Report on Bots

• Creation of a task force to study and report on the use of bots in social media and how that affects public discourse. 

DIVISION B - CAMPAIGN FINANCE

Title IV Campaign FInance Transparency

Subtitle A - Establishing Duty to Report Foreign Election Interference

• Requirement that campaigns disclose all foreign contacts offering contribution, donation, expenditure, disbursement, or solicitation to the FBI within three days of contact.
• Exceptions are made for foreign contact in the role of an elected official or for the observation of international election observers.
• Stiff penalties for knowingly breaking this rule. 
• FBI will create an annual report for Congress on the reports of foreign contact they have received. 

Subtitle B - DISCLOSE Act

• Prohibition on contributions or donations by foreign nationals in connection with ballot initiatives. 
• Prohibition on the use of funding from foreign sources on internet, cable, broadcast, or satellite communication political advertisements.
• This includes, electioneering and discussions of political topics working through Congress during an election year. 
• Prohibition of using a company or corporation in order to conceal the activity of a foreign national in making political contributions.
• All organizations making campaign related payments over $10,000 must report that disclosure to the Federal Election Commission within 24 hours.
• This includes naming of individual donors who have directly contributed money to that organization if the organization is clearly being used to directly transfer an individual’s contribution. 

Subtitle C - Strengthening Oversight of Online Political Advertising

• Political advertising online must state who paid for the communication and provide info on how to find out more about the advertisement and who paid for it. 
• Online platforms must record and keep all advertising information (including attempts) for political advertisements that exceed $500.
• This information must include a copy of the advertisement, target audience, number of views, number of shares, and the date and time of the first instance and last instance of each ad. 
• Online platforms added to the list of places prohibited from taking foreign expenditures in political advertisements. 
• FEC shall commission a study on media literacy and online political content consumption.
• Should include recommendations on how to improve voting-age media literacy. 

Subtitle D - Stand by Every Ad

• Non-candidate commissioned political advertisements must also clearly state who paid for the ad, including listing the top five funders of the organization. 
• Greater transparency on individuals’ role in political organization and who is actually paying for political communication. 
• Political parties exempted from donor list requirements. 
• Pre-recorded phone calls that act as political advertisements must state who they are from at the beginning of the call. 

Subtitle E - Deterring Foreign Interference in Elections

• Sharing of nonpublic campaign information by a campaign with a foreign national or to another person the campaign knows will transmit said information to another foreign government will be treated the same as soliciting a contribution or donation from a foreign national. 
• Tightening of rules on outside contributions to a campaign: payments will be considered cooperation regardless of agreement or formal collaboration. 
• Prohibited foreign contributions to include opposition research, polling or other non-public information pertaining to candidates or elections regardless of the information’s monetary value. 
• If the SEC determines some foreign intervention in a campaign, they must inform the state in which the election is taking place within 30 days. 
• Prohibition of the use of ‘deepfakes’ in election campaigns.
• Exception made for clear disclaimers. 

Subtitle F - Secret Money Transparency

• Remove restriction on the IRS to investigate political activity of nonprofit organizations
• Remove protection of certain religious and nonprofit organizations from reporting their political donations and expenditures. 

Subtitle G - Shareholder Right-To-Know

• Remove restriction on SEC from providing shareholders with information on corporate political activity. 
• Corporations must get shareholder approval before embarking on political activity. 
• Greater FEC oversight in corporate PACs.

Subtitle H - Disclosure of Political Spending by Government Contractors

• Greater ability to investigate government contractors disclosure of political spending. 

Subtitle I - Limitation and Disclosure Requirements for Presidential Inaugural Committees

• Inauguration committees prohibited from receiving donations from organizations or foreign nationals. 
• Prohibit donations to an inauguration committee by someone acting for a separate individual. 
• Prohibit the conversion of inaugural committee money into personal use money. 
• No individual shall make a donation greater than $50,000 to an inaugural committee. (with slight raises beginning in the 2028 presidential campaign)
• Donations of $1,000 to an inaugural committee shall be reported to the FEC.
• 90 days after the inauguration a full report must be submitted to the FEC detailing expenditures and inflows.

TITLE V - Campaign Finance Empowerment 

• A rebuttal to the Citizens United SCOTUS decision (2010). 

Subtitle B - Congressional Elections

• “My Voice Voucher” pilot program in 3 states
• States will transmit a $25 voucher to each eligible voter who applies. Said voter will then have the opportunity to spread the $25 to congressional candidates of their choosing in $5 increments.
• Small dollar matching system
• Candidates will be entitled to matching funds up to 600% of small dollar donations. 
• Small donations listed as anything over a $1 and under $200. 
• My Voice Voucher donations considered small dollar donations. 

Subtitle C - Presidential Elections

• Small dollar matching increased from 100% to 600% matching congressional systems. 
• Presidential candidates limited to an aggregate amount of $50,000 in campaign donations by self or family. 
• Limit on party contributions to a presidential campaign raised to $100,000,000.

Subtitle D - Personal Use Services as Authorized Campaign Expenditures. 

• Personal use of campaign funds on a candidate’s daily needs no longer prohibited.
• Not permissible for current office holders (considering salary already obtained).
• Allowable personal uses of campaign finances.
• Child care.
• Elder care.
• Dependent care.
• Health insurance premiums.

Subtitle E - Empowering Small Dollar Donations

• Raising accepted contribution levels from national committees to individual candidates if they come from small dollar donors.
• Raise from $5,000 cap from national committees to $10,000.

Title VI - Campaign Finance Oversight

Subtitle A - Restoring Integrity to America’s Elections

• Formatting of FEC to have 5 members with only 2 members affiliated with each party.
• Removes Secretary of Senate and Clerk of the House as ex officio members. 
• 6 year terms for each member. 
• Allowance of diacritical marks on official forms for individuals’ names. 
• Extension of the statute of limitations for election offense defined under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971. 

Subtitle B- Stopping Super PAC-Candidate Coordination

• Adds coordinated expenditures into the definition of a contribution. 
• Makes coordinated expenditures from any group that is not a campaign, individual candidate, or national political committee illegal. 
• Bans fundraising for super PACs by Federal candidates and officeholders. 

Subtitle C - Disposal of Contributions or Donations

• Federal campaign funds shall be used within 6 years of running for office either by paying debts associated with the campaign or by returning money to donors, parties, or a charitable organization (170(c)).

Subtitle D - Recommendations to Ensure Filing of Reports Before Date of Election 

• SEC shall create a report on existing campaign finance law including recommendations on improvement. 

DIVISION C - Ethics

Title VII - Ethical Standards

Subtitle A - Supreme Court Ethics

• The judiciary must compile an official code of conduct for all sitting justices and judges to follow. 

Subtitle B - Foreign Agents Registration

• Creation of a dedicated enforcement unit in the Dept. of Justice to investigate and take appropriate actions against violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938.
• Foreign agents must report when the foreign government they are acting for has conferred a benefit on an elected official within 60 days of said event. 
• Information posted online by a registered agent which is beneficial to their client state must clearly label the information as such.
• The Attorney General has the right to contact any online platform and ask that offending material of this regard be taken down 
• The Attorney General shall conduct an analysis of the challenges to the Foreign Agents Registration act of 1938 and send a report, including recommendations, to Congress within 180 days. 

Subtitle C - Lobbying Disclosure Reform

• Expansion of what activities are considered lobbying.
• Counseling services used by lobbyists in preparation for lobbying shall be considered lobbying as well.
• Percentage exemption for determination of lobbying reduced from less than 20% to less than 10%.
•  Prohibition of acceptance of compensation for lobbying activity from governments deemed to be in violation of human rights as defined by the President. 
• Lobbyists shall clearly identify themselves as such upon contact with elected officials and identify who they are lobbying for. 

Subtitle D - Recusal of Presidential Appointees

• Presidential appointees must recuse themselves from any particular matter involving the President who appointed them or the President’s spouse.

Subtitle E - Clearinghouse on Lobbying Information

• The Attorney General shall create a clearinghouse through which information about foreign agents and lobbyists can be accessed by journalists and the public. 

Title VIII Ethics Reforms for the President, Vice President, and Federal Officers and Employees

Subtitle A - Executive Branch Conflict of Interest

• Restrictions on private sector payment for government service.
• Inclusion of pension, retirement, group life, health insurance, accident insurance, profit-sharing, stock bonus, or other employed welfare or benefit plan which are used as compensation contingent upon accepting a government position. 
• Government employees shall not participate substantially in any matter which will benefit a former employer or client financially unless granted a waiver from the Designated Agency Ethics Official in consultation with the Director of the Office of Government Ethics. 
• Former officials shall not be compensated for any government contract that they handed out for at least two year after the dispersal. 
• Government officials must disclose job offers made to relatives. 
• Government employees shall not personally participate in any awarding of a contract to a company they have worked for in the previous 2 years. 
• 1 year ban on federal employees becoming lobbyists shall be a 2 year ban. 
• Director of the Office of Government Ethics shall write a report on the ethical standards of unpaid employees in executive agencies within 120 days. 
• Beginning in 2022, no federal funds may be expended on contracts to businesses owned by the President, Vice President, the head of any executive agency, or any cabinet level official or their direct family members. 

Subtitle B - Presidential Conflicts of Interest

• Within 30 days of assuming office, a President, Vice President, their spouses, or dependent Children must divest any conflicting business arrangements into cash or a blind thrust.
• Furthermore, any such arrangement requires the disclosure of any person who has significant financial interest in said businesses.
• Presidents and Vice Presidents shall be disallowed from raising general funds via legal defense funds. 
• Presidents and Vice Presidents as well as any executive employees may not receive gifts or donations from:
• Individual donors giving more than $5,000 per year,
• Registered lobbyists,
• Foreign governments or foreign agents,
• State governments or an agent of a state government,
• Any person seeking official action in regards to personal or employed business concerns,
• any person conduction regulated activities by executive agency in question,
• From any person whose interests may be substantially affected by perforation of official duties of the President, Vice President or executive employee,
• An officer or employee of the executive branch,
• From any organization a majority of which whose members are described in any category above. 

Subtitle C - White House Ethics Transparency

• Waivers from ethics requirements must be transmitted to the Director of the Office of Government Ethics.
• Is retroactive for all waivers granted during the Trump administration. 

Subtitle D - Executive Branch Ethics Enforcement

• Director of the Office of Government Ethics only subject for removal due to inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.
• Greater autonomy and authority given to the Director in decision making. 
• Direct reporting to Congress for the Director without needing executive agency approval. 
• Disclosure by DoD on the cost of presidential travel and security including the cost of traveling to any properties owned by the President or an immediate family member. 
• Disclosure by DoD on the cost of senior executive branch officials travel. 

Subtitle E - Conflicts from Political Fundraising

• Increased requirements of disclosure of contributions in a campaign to include any contribution made on behalf of a candidate or solicited in writing on behalf of a candidate. 

Subtitle F - Transition Team Ethics

• For all members of a transition team receiving security clearances they must disclose any government jobs they’ve held in the previous 12 months, any source of compensation exceeding $5,000, a description of their role, a list of reasons for possible recusal, and a declaration of no financial conflict of interest. 

Subtitle G - Ethics Pledge for Senior Executive Branch Employees

• Every executive employee shall take a pledge including:
• A ban on lobbyist gifts,
• Guarantee that they won’t take part in any matter involving their former employer for 2 years,
• Guarantee, if a former lobbyist, to not touch anything related to the former issue area lobbied for,
• Guarantee to abide by 2 year ban on joining private sector affected as executive employee,
• Guarantee not to lobby any other executive branch employee until there is a new administration.

Subtitle H - Travel on Private Aircraft by Senior Political Appointees

• No federal funds shall be permitted for use by officials on a private or chartered flight. 

Title IX - Congressional Ethics Reform

Subtitle A - Requireign Members of Congress to Reimburse Treasury for Amounts Paid as Settlements and Awards Under Congressional Accountability Act of 1995

• Makes legal settlements for harassment or discrimination payable by the offender and not the treasury.

Subtitle B - Conflict of Interest

• House of Rep. members shall be prohibited from serving on the boards of for-profit businesses. 

Subtitle C - Campaign Finance and Lobbying Disclosure

• Greater disclosure of campaign finances acquired from lobbyists. 

Subtitle D - Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports

• Creation of a single directory, publicly available, for all congressional reports. 

Subtitle E - Reports on Outside Compensation Earned by Congressional Employees

• Any Congressional staffer who makes money outside of their role as a staffer must report that income to the either the Select Committee on Ethics of the Senate or the Committee on Ethics of the House of Representatives. 

Title X - Presidential and Vice Presidential Tax Transparency

• Candidates for the Presidency or Vice Presidency must submit 10 years worth of tax returns no later than 15 days after becoming a candidate.
• Failure to do so will require the IRS to submit said returns to the FEC.