# 119-s-5124: Stop Harassment and Intimidations in Elections through Legal Defenses (SHIELD) Our Elections Act

119-s-5124, Stop Harassment and Intimidations in Elections through Legal Defenses (SHIELD) Our Elections Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-13).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5124
- As of: 2026-08-13
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5124
- Congress: 119
- Title: Stop Harassment and Intimidations in Elections through Legal Defenses (SHIELD) Our Elections Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-23
- Sponsor: Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 7
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-13

## Summary

**Protecting ballots and voters from intimidation and improper seizure** is the bill's core aim. It would create private civil remedies and extend statutes of limitation for certain election crimes, bar most pre‑final-resolution seizures of ballots, and fund state ballot‑materials tracking programs. - Voters would get standardized tracking for mail‑in and absentee ballots showing request, send, and receipt dates, whether a ballot was counted, and reasons for non‑count, accessible online or by toll‑free number. - Election officials and courts would face new limits on seizing ballots and related materials before recounts or legal challenges end, and must preserve chain of custody and joint custody arrangements unless a judge finds clear and convincing risk of destruction. - People harmed by voter intimidation or unlawful use of armed forces would be able to sue in federal court for declaratory or injunctive relief, recover attorney's fees, and covered election offenses would have a nine‑year statute of limitations. *Would authorize $50.0 million for a federal State Ballot Materials Tracking Program for FY2027, increasing federal spending.*

## Cosponsors (7)

- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-07-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME] (I-ME), 2026-07-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-07-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO] (D-CO), 2026-07-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] (D-HI), 2026-07-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Slotkin, Elissa [D-MI] (D-MI), 2026-07-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] (D-WI), 2026-07-23T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Longer time to prosecute election crimes: benefit, medium. If enacted, prosecutors would have 9 years to bring charges for certain election offenses. The change would apply to offenses under 18 U.S.C. 592, 593, and 594, plus section 11 of the Voting Rights Act and section 12 of the National Voter Registration Act. The longer window would give more time for…
- New private right to sue for intimidation: benefit, low. If enacted, you would be able to sue in federal court if you are harmed by alleged election intimidation under 18 U.S.C. 592, 593, or 594. A court could order injunctive or declaratory relief to stop the harm. If you win, a court could award you reasonable attorney fees, litigation expenses, and co…
- Federal grants for ballot tracking: benefit, low. If enacted, the Election Assistance Commission would get $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2027 to help states build absentee and mail ballot tracking programs. Qualifying systems would have to confirm receipt to voters and show dates for requests, applications, when ballots were sent and out for deliver…
- Limits on seizing ballots and equipment: mixed, medium. If enacted, state and federal law enforcement would be barred from seizing election records, papers, or equipment while any recount, audit, or legal challenge remains unresolved. A judge could allow seizure earlier only if there is clear and convincing evidence the items would be destroyed. If seiz…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act
- 119-s-2295: Child Care for Working Families Act
- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5124 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5124)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3869)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [119-s-2295: Child Care for Working Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2295)
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5124 (as of 2026-08-13).