PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Dec 8, 2008
Bipartisan Electronic Voting Reform Act of 2008 - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require any voting system other than one using paper ballots personally marked by the voter to permit independent verification of cast ballots by various specified means, including paper or electronic.
Requires each state to conduct an audit of every federal election to ensure that each certificate of election is justified by the vote totals. Directs the Federal Election Commission to establish an Audit Guidelines Development Task Force to assist the Commission in developing model audit guidelines.
Prescribes election security requirements for voting systems, including: (1) chain of custody protocols; (2) disclosure of election-dedicated software; and (3) minimum state standards to ensure the integrity of the voting process and education and training of poll workers.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish a Voting System Software Review Committee which, upon request by the Commission or a state's chief election official, shall review voting system software that has not been certified by the Commission.
Establishes accreditation requirements for laboratories involved in testing of voting system hardware and software. Directs the Commission to establish the Election Assistance Commission Voting System Testing Revolving Fund for payments to accredited laboratories for testing of such hardware and software.
Requires the Commission to make grants for: (1) development and testing of new voting systems, technologies, and innovations to meet independent verification requirements under this Act; and (2) pilot programs for such testing.
Directs the Commission to establish a task force to study and develop recommendations regarding the appropriate level of funding for requirements payments.
Amends the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act to prohibit state refusal to accept voter registration and absentee ballot applications and federal write-in absentee ballots for failure to meet nonessential requirements.
People & committees
Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA] · D–CA
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Aug 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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