# 119-s-5481: Youth Voting Rights Act

119-s-5481, Youth Voting Rights Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-22).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5481
- As of: 2026-10-22
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5481
- Congress: 119
- Title: Youth Voting Rights Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-09-23
- Sponsor: Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA)
- Cosponsors: 8
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-22

## Summary

**Expand youth access to voting.** This bill would create new tools to help young people register and vote by adding pre-registration at age 16, on-campus polling, student IDs as acceptable voter ID, and private enforcement for age-based denials. - Students and young people: Makes it easier for 16-year-olds to pre-register so they are registered on their 18th birthday. It treats student ID cards as valid voter ID and clarifies that age-based denials of mail voting violate the 26th Amendment. - Colleges and campuses: Requires public college offices that assist students to act as voter registration agencies and asks states to provide polling places on every public campus unless a waiver is granted. For private campuses, states must request permission and offer alternatives like shuttles, on-campus ballot drop boxes, or mobile early voting. - States and election officials: Requires age-disaggregated reporting to the Election Assistance Commission and the Government Accountability Office on registrations, absentee ballots, and provisional ballots. Creates a Youth Engagement Grant program and a Youth Engagement Fund and authorizes $26.0 million for FY2027 to support state projects. *Authorizes $26.0 million for FY2027 for the Youth Engagement Fund and creates a new federal grant stream with funds available for obligation for 10 years.*

## Cosponsors (8)

- Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] (D-HI), 2026-09-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA), 2026-09-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT), 2026-09-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2026-09-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-09-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (D-NY), 2026-09-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (D-RI), 2026-09-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-09-23T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- On-campus voting and student ID: benefit, medium. If enacted, States would have to provide a polling place for federal elections on every public college campus unless the Attorney General grants a waiver. Private campuses could host polling places if they agree in writing. If a private campus does not give permission, the State would have to provi…
- Pre-registration and campus registration help: benefit, medium. This bill would let States accept applications to pre-register for federal elections starting at age 16. If you apply before 18 and will be eligible by a coming federal election, the State would make sure you are registered on or after your 18th birthday. The bill would also make offices that help…
- New legal protections for young voters: benefit, medium. This bill would expand legal protections and remedies for age and residency voting issues in federal elections. It would let people age 18 or older sue if they are denied or abridged the right to vote on account of age, and it would let people sue over residency-based restrictions in any federal el…
- Grants to boost youth civic engagement: benefit, medium. The bill would create a Youth Engagement Grant Program run by the Election Assistance Commission to give States money to boost youth voting and civic learning. State grant plans would cover pre-registration promotion, civic education in secondary schools, support for campus and school registration,…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-4540: Reproductive Health Care Accessibility Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5481 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5481)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-4540: Reproductive Health Care Accessibility Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4540)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5481 (as of 2026-10-22).