PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Casten, Sean [D-IL-6] · D–IL
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 1, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-06-25 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This proposal would amend the Constitution to add 12 senators elected by voters nationwide and 12 additional presidential electors—the people who formally vote for President and Vice President. Those additional electors would vote for the candidates receiving the most votes nationwide. The amendment would take effect only after ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures.
which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States
the Senate of the United States shall be composed of twelve Senators at-large, who shall be elected by the People of the United States for six years
there shall be twelve Electors at-large, who shall be appointed in such manner as Congress shall by law provide.
they shall cast their ballots for the presidential and vice-presidential candidates having received the greatest number of votes cast by citizens of the United States.
The 12 nationwide senators would serve alongside senators from individual states. Each would have a six-year term and one Senate vote, and would have to meet the same age and citizenship requirements as state senators.
In addition to the Senators from each of the several States, the Senate of the United States shall be composed of twelve Senators at-large, who shall be elected by the People of the United States for six years, and each Senator at-large shall have one vote. Senators at-large shall meet the same age and citizenship requirements as the Senators from each of the several States.
Nationwide senators would be elected through a national popular vote. Each eligible voter could vote for one candidate for each seat being contested.
Senators at-large shall be elected using a national popular vote, under which each eligible elector may vote for one candidate for each seat that is up for election.
The seats would be split equally among the Senate's three election groups, with four seats available every two years. The first election would cover four seats and occur no later than the second regularly scheduled federal general election after ratification.
the Senate of the United States shall be composed of twelve Senators at-large
Seats of the Senators at-large shall be divided equally among the three Classes of Senate seats, so that one-third may be chosen every second year. The first election of Senators at-large shall occur no later than the second regularly scheduled general election for Federal office following the date of the ratification of this article, in which one-third of the seats of Senators at-large shall be up for election.
A vacancy would have to be filled within 30 days by the executive authority of the state where the departing senator lived when last elected or appointed. The appointee would have to belong to the departing senator's party, or a differently named party affiliated with that party at the state level.
Within thirty days of the seat of a Senator at-large becoming vacant, the executive authority of the State in which the departing Senator at-large resided when last elected or appointed to such seat shall fill the vacancy by appointing a Senator at-large of the same political party, or a political party of a different name if affiliated with the same political party at the State level, as the departing incumbent.
Congress would set a waiting period for vacancy elections. If the seat was not already scheduled for election at the next regular federal general election after that waiting period, a special election held alongside that general election would select someone to serve the remainder of the term.
If the seat is not up for election at the next regularly scheduled general election for Federal office that occurs following a period of delay that Congress shall by law provide, a special election shall be held to determine who shall serve the remainder of the term. Such special election shall coincide with such general election.
Eligible voters would include U.S. citizens age 18 or older who register by their state of residence's deadline and otherwise meet that state's requirements for voting in federal general elections.
An eligible elector shall include any United States citizen who is eighteen years of age or older; who has registered to vote by the deadline of the citizen’s State of residence; and who otherwise meets the eligibility requirements, as set by the citizen’s State of residence, for voting in a general election for Federal office.
States would administer nationwide Senate elections under procedures Congress must establish by law. Each state would send its ballot totals to a federal entity designated by Congress, which would combine and count the totals and announce the winners.
The election of Senators at-large shall be administered by each of the several States, but Congress shall by law provide the procedures for such election. Each State shall submit a tabulation of all ballots cast within its jurisdiction to such Federal entity as Congress shall by law provide, which shall collect and count the tabulations and announce the winners.
The amendment's references to states and their voters would also apply to U.S. territories and Washington, D.C., and their voters.
References in this article to the States and the electors thereof shall apply in the same manner to United States territories and the electors thereof and to the District constituting the seat of Government of the United States and the electors thereof.
The 12 additional presidential electors would be appointed through a process Congress must establish by law. They would have the same powers and duties as other presidential electors, except they would meet in Washington, D.C., and cast their ballots for the presidential and vice-presidential candidates receiving the most votes from U.S. citizens. They would count toward the total number of appointed electors for purposes of the Twelfth Amendment.
In addition to the Electors for President and Vice President appointed by each of the several States, there shall be twelve Electors at-large, who shall be appointed in such manner as Congress shall by law provide. Electors at-large shall hold the same powers and duties of Electors for President and Vice President, except that Electors at-large shall meet in the District constituting the seat of Government of the United States, where they shall cast their ballots for the presidential and vice-presidential candidates having received the greatest number of votes cast by citizens of the United States. Electors at-large shall be included in determining the whole number of Electors appointed for the purposes of the twelfth article of amendment.
Congress would have authority to pass legislation enforcing the amendment.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated August 1, 2025, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on the Judiciary on June 25, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2025-08-01T15:58:44Z. 2025-06-25: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. 2025-06-25: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-06-25. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or appropriations policy rider was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish what other versions or accompanying materials contain.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; accompanying earmark disclosures and committee materials were not supplied.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow benefit beyond the proposal's general electoral coverage and administration was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Aug 1, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI