Federal Election Integrity Act of 2012
Latest action. Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
Federal Election Integrity Act of 2012 - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to prohibit the appropriate state or local election official from providing a federal election ballot to an individual who desires to vote in person unless: (1) the individual presents to the official a government-issued, current, and valid photo identification (ID), and (2) the election official verifies that the ID is of the individual who requests the ballot.
Requires an individual who does not present such an ID to be permitted to cast a provisional ballot in such an election. Requires such individual, however, to present the required ID within 48 hours after casting the provisional ballot, or the appropriate state or local election official shall not determine the individual's eligibility to vote. Requires verification of the photo ID by the election official.
Requires individuals who vote other than in person in a federal election (for example, by mail) to submit a copy of such a photo ID with a ballot, or the appropriate official shall not accept the ballot. Requires verification of the photo ID by the election official. Exempts from this photo ID requirement the absentee ballot of any eligible overseas military voter absent from the United States by reason of active duty or service. Prohibits the appropriate state or local election official from providing a ballott for voting other than in person to an individual who requests such a ballot in person unless: (1) the individual presents the official a government-issued, current, and valid photo ID; and (2) the election official verifies it.
Requires states to establish a program to provide photo IDs in accordance with this Act to individuals who desire to vote but do not otherwise possess a government-issued photo ID. Prohibits any such photo ID from serving as a government-issued photo identification for purposes of operating a motor vehicle or any related purpose.
Prescribes requirements for any state fee for providing such a photo ID.
The summary continues for 1 more paragraph. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on September 13, 2012. 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 September 13, 2012: Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
- 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 112th Congress (2011-12), 283 of the 10,618 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.7 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?
Joe Walsh (R-IL) introduced it on September 13, 2012, 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 September 13, 2012, 5110 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 5110 days ago, on September 13, 2012.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 112th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2013 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