Valuing Our Trust in Elections Act
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
Valuing Our Trust in Elections Act - Directs the Attorney General, within 30 days after receiving a complaint or other allegation, backed by evidence, of a violation of any Federal criminal law regarding voter intimidation, election fraud, or any provision relating to a Federal election, to initiate an investigation, and report to the chief election official of the State involved every 60 days until the investigation is completed.
Amends the Help America Vote Act to require: (1) each State to establish standards for the distribution of voter registration application forms for Federal elections; and (2) the Election Assistance Commission to establish standards for the prevention of fraud and abuse in the handling of absentee ballots in such elections. Requires each State to distribute, collect, and process absentee ballots in Federal elections in accordance with such standards. Provides for appropriate penalties for enforcement.
Requires individuals who register to vote and voters who vote in person, unless exempted by State law in certain circumstances, to provide a current, valid government-issued photo identification.
Directs the Commission to make payments to eligible States for assisting individuals with covering the costs of obtaining the government-issued photo identification an individual must present or provide in order to receive a Federal election ballot.
Requires certain training programs for poll workers.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on May 11, 2005. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on July 1, 2005: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 109th Congress (2005-06), 482 of the 10,701 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.5 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
MARK GREEN (R-WI) introduced it on May 11, 2005, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Republican.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 11, 2005, 7840 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 7789 days ago, on July 1, 2005.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 109th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2007 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers