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HR10700119th Congress

Accessible Voting Act of 2026

Sponsored By: Representative Scanlon, Mary Gay [D-PA-5]

Introduced

Summary

Creates an Election Assistance Commission Office of Accessibility to expand and enforce accessible voting for older adults and people with disabilities. The bill would set national standards for accessible election websites, require no‑excuse absentee voting options, and fund states and research to reduce barriers to voting.

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  • Older adults and people with disabilities would get clearer access: States would have to maintain WCAG‑conforming accessible election websites, ensure accessible polling places and drop boxes, provide absentee ballot tracking and expedited transmission, and protect voting rights for people under guardianship.
  • State and local election officials would need to designate a single accessibility office, form stakeholder committees, partner with outside technical organizations, and may receive federal payments to meet requirements. States could receive allocations from a $100 million per two‑year payment pool with a $1 million minimum per State.
  • Advocacy groups, researchers, and vendors would gain new grant opportunities and resources: a National Resource Center funded at about $5 million per year and $30 million for accessible voting technology research, plus expanded Protection and Advocacy litigation funding.

*Authorizes $100 million per two‑year period for State payments, about $5 million per year for a National Resource Center, and $30 million for technology grants, which would increase federal spending if appropriated.*

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

8 provisions identified: 7 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

New rules for absentee voting access

If enacted, States would have to allow no-excuse absentee voting in Federal elections held on or after January 1, 2027. States would accept voter registration forms up to 21 days before an election and absentee ballot requests up to 7 days before. When a voter requests a blank absentee ballot at least 45 days before an election, the ballot would have to be transmitted no later than 45 days before the election; officials would notify applicants of approval or rejection within 7 days. States would have to provide accessible electronic submission and allow assistive-technology marking and tracking that preserves ballot privacy. Internet voting would remain prohibited.

Expanded grants for accessible voting

If enacted, Help America Vote Act grant purposes would be expanded to pay for accessible absentee voting systems, voting at an individual’s residence, accessible polling places and paths of travel, and universally designed solutions. The bill would authorize such sums as may be necessary for FY2027 and each succeeding fiscal year. Grants that remain unused after a 4-year period would be transferred to the Commission and reallocated for one year.

State accessible office, websites, and grants

If enacted, each State would have to designate a single office to provide federal election information to older voters and people with disabilities and to maintain an accessible State election website starting January 1, 2027. States would have to publish precinct-level accessibility and poll-worker information at least 30 days before an election and post changes within 48 hours when possible. The Office of Accessibility would make payments to States in two-year periods starting October 1, 2027, with $100 million authorized for each FY pair (FY2027–28, FY2029–30, FY2031–32). Each eligible State would get a share based on voting-age population, with a $1,000,000 minimum and at least 10% of a State’s funds passed to local governments.

Protect voting rights under guardianship

If enacted, a State could not assume someone lacks the capacity to vote just because they have a guardian. A court would have to find by clear and convincing evidence that the person cannot communicate a desire to vote, even with accommodations, before removing voting rights. This rule would apply to Federal elections held on or after January 1, 2027.

Grants for accessible voting technology

If enacted, the Election Assistance Commission would award at least three grants, working with the Access Board and CISA, to study and develop accessible and secure remote voting systems and casting or verification devices. Grant projects would have to finish by January 1, 2028, deliver non-proprietary technology, and be publicly available to manufacturers. The bill would authorize $30,000,000 for these grants, with funds available until spent.

New federal office for accessible voting

If enacted, the bill would create an Election Assistance Commission Office of Accessibility led by a Director who serves a 4-year term. The Office would run a public national voter accessibility website and keep an anonymized complaint database, and it would refer possible federal-law violations to the Justice Department. The Office would also establish a National Resource Center on Accessible Voting by January 1, 2027. The Center would be authorized at not less than $5,000,000 per year starting in FY2027, with funds available until spent.

More legal funding for voting access

If enacted, Protection and Advocacy systems would no longer be limited by statute in how they use their funds for election-related litigation. That would let those organizations use their existing funds more broadly for lawsuits to protect voting access for people with disabilities. The change does not by itself add new federal funding.

Change to election enforcement reference

If enacted, the bill would change a Help America Vote Act enforcement cross-reference by replacing a short list of sections with a reference to subtitle A of title III. The text does not specify new procedures or direct remedies for voters. This technical change could alter which provisions are covered by the enforcement cross-reference.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Scanlon, Mary Gay [D-PA-5]

PA • D

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Raskin, Jamie [D-MD-8]

    MD • D

    Sponsored 10/1/2026

  • Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 10/1/2026

  • Rep. Dean, Madeleine [D-PA-4]

    PA • D

    Sponsored 10/1/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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