Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill establishes election security grant programs and requirements for voting systems and paper ballots.

Highlights:

• Requires states to implement voting systems that use an individual, durable, voter-verified paper ballot that will be marked and made available for inspection and verification by the voter before a vote is cast and counted, and will be either counted by hand or read by an optical character recognition counting device (Sec. 102).

• Appropriates $600 million to the Election Assistance Commission for fiscal year 2019, and $175 million for each of the fiscal years 2020, 2022, 2024, and 2026 (Sec. 29D). 

• Authorizes the Commission to make grants available to states for obtaining compliant paper ballot voting systems and for carrying out voting system security improvements (Sec. 297).

• Prohibits any voting system or device upon which ballots are cast by voters from being connected to the internet or any non-local computer system via telephone or other communication network, effective for elections taking place in November 2020 (Sec. 201).

• Requires every state to use voting machines manufactured in the United States for the general election in November 2020 (Sec. 301). 

• Authorizes and appropriates $5 million to the Director of the National Science Foundation to make grants to no fewer than three eligible entities to study, test, and develop accessible paper ballot voting, verification, and casting mechanisms to enhance the accessibility of paper ballot voting and verification mechanisms for individuals with disabilities, for voters whose primary language is not English, and for voters with difficulties in literacy (Sec. 247).

Full Bill Text

Full Bill Text