# 117-hr-8873: Presidential Election Reform Act

117-hr-8873, Presidential Election Reform Act, is a 117th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18] (D-CA); status Received in the Senate. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-8873
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 117-hr-8873
- Congress: 117
- Title: Presidential Election Reform Act
- Status: Received in the Senate.
- Introduced: 2022-09-19
- Sponsor: Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

Presidential Election Reform Act This bill revises the process of casting and counting electoral votes for presidential elections. The bill specifies that the choice of electors must occur in accordance with the laws of the state enacted prior to election day. Next, the bill specifies that the voting time for a state's presidential election may only be extended due to a catastrophic event. Catastrophic event means a major natural disaster, act of terrorism, or widespread power outage if it (1) prevents a substantial portion of a state's electorate from casting a ballot on election day, or (2) causes a substantial number of ballots already cast in a state to be destroyed or rendered unreadable. Additionally, the bill requires each state's governor to certify the appointment of electors for the state. Further, the bill provides for expedited judicial review for an action brought by an aggrieved presidential or vice-presidential candidate with respect to the issuance or transmission of a certificate of appointment. The bill revises the framework for the joint session of Congress to count electoral votes and make a formal declaration of which candidates have been elected President and Vice President. Among other changes, the bill (1) specifies that the role of the presiding officer (the Vice President or, in the absence of the Vice President, the President pro tempore) during the joint session shall be ministerial in nature, and (2) raises the objection threshold in Congress to at least one-third of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Cheney, Liz [R-WY-At Large] (R-WY), 2022-09-19T00:00:00.000Z

## Votes

| Date | Chamber | Question | Result | Yea | Nay |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2022-09-21T00:00:00.000Z | house | On Passage | Passed | 229 | 203 |

## Related bills

- 117-hr-3537: Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act
- 117-hr-1842: Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act
- 117-hr-1057: Greatest Generation Commemorative Coin Act
- 117-hres-1220: Expressing support for the designation of Journeyman Lineworkers Recognition Day.
- 117-hr-6015: Benjamin Berell Ferencz Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 117-hr-5577: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3900 Crown Road Southwest in Atlanta, Georgia, as the "John R. Lewis Post Office Build…

## Sources
- [117-hr-8873 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8873)

## Related
- [117-hr-3537: Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-3537)
- [117-hr-1842: Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-1842)
- [117-hr-1057: Greatest Generation Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-1057)
- [117-hres-1220: Expressing support for the designation of Journeyman Lineworkers Recognition Da…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hres-1220)
- [117-hr-6015: Benjamin Berell Ferencz Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-6015)
- [117-hr-5577: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3900 C…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-5577)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-8873 (as of 2025-11-18).