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§20901 Payments to States for Activities to Improve Administration of Elections

Title 52 › Subtitle II — Voting Assistance and Election Administration › CHAPTER 209 — ELECTION ADMINISTRATION IMPROVEMENT › SUBCHAPTER I — PAYMENTS TO STATES FOR ELECTION ADMINISTRATION IMPROVEMENTS AND REPLACEMENT OF PUNCH CARD AND LEVER VOTING MACHINES › § 20901

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Administrator of General Services must set up a program within 45 days after October 29, 2002 to send payments to States that tell the Administrator within 6 months after October 29, 2002—after the governor or their designee talks with the chief state election official—that they will use the money under these rules. States must spend the money on election-related work such as following subchapter III rules, improving how Federal elections are run, teaching voters about voting, training election workers, planning required payments, upgrading voting systems and technology, making polling places more accessible, and running toll‑free hotlines for voters. States may not use the funds to pay most litigation costs or to pay judgments. To get a payment, a State must certify it will use the money in line with the laws listed in section 21145 and not in ways that conflict with subchapter III. Subject to section 20903(b), each State’s payment equals a minimum payment plus a voting-age population share. The minimum is 0.5% of the total pool for each State and the District of Columbia, and 0.1% for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The voting-age population share is the remainder of the pool (after minimums) multiplied by the State’s voting-age population divided by the voting-age population of all States from the most recent decennial census.

Title 52, §20901

Voting and Elections, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general

Not later than 45 days after October 29, 2002, the Administrator of General Services (in this subchapter referred to as the “Administrator”) shall establish a program under which the Administrator shall make a payment to each State in which the chief executive officer of the State, or designee, in consultation and coordination with the chief State election official, notifies the Administrator not later than 6 months after October 29, 2002, that the State intends to use the payment in accordance with this section.

(b)Use of payment

(1)In general

A State shall use the funds provided under a payment made under this section to carry out one or more of the following activities:

(A)Complying with the requirements under subchapter III.

(B)Improving the administration of elections for Federal office.

(C)Educating voters concerning voting procedures, voting rights, and voting technology.

(D)Training election officials, poll workers, and election volunteers.

(E)Developing the State plan for requirements payments to be submitted under subpart 1 of part D of subchapter II.

(F)Improving, acquiring, leasing, modifying, or replacing voting systems and technology and methods for casting and counting votes.

(G)Improving the accessibility and quantity of polling places, including providing physical access for individuals with disabilities, providing nonvisual access for individuals with visual impairments, and providing assistance to Native Americans, Alaska Native citizens, and to individuals with limited proficiency in the English language.

(H)Establishing toll-free telephone hotlines that voters may use to report possible voting fraud and voting rights violations, to obtain general election information, and to access detailed automated information on their own voter registration status, specific polling place locations, and other relevant information.

(2)Limitation

A State may not use the funds provided under a payment made under this section— (A)

(B)for the payment of any judgment.

(c)Use of funds to be consistent with other laws and requirements

In order to receive a payment under the program under this section, the State shall provide the Administrator with certifications that—

(1)the State will use the funds provided under the payment in a manner that is consistent with each of the laws described in section 21145 of this title, as such laws relate to the provisions of this chapter; and

(2)the proposed uses of the funds are not inconsistent with the requirements of subchapter III.

(d)Amount of payment

(1)In general

Subject to section 20903(b) of this title, the amount of payment made to a State under this section shall be the minimum payment amount described in paragraph (2) plus the voting age population proportion amount described in paragraph (3).

(2)Minimum payment amount

The minimum payment amount described in this paragraph is—

(A)in the case of any of the several States or the District of Columbia, one-half of 1 percent of the aggregate amount made available for payments under this section; and

(B)in the case of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, or the United States Virgin Islands, one-tenth of 1 percent of such aggregate amount.

(3)Voting age population proportion amount

The voting age population proportion amount described in this paragraph is the product of— (A)

(B)the voting age population proportion for the State (as defined in paragraph (4)).

(4)Voting age population proportion defined

The term “voting age population proportion” means, with respect to a State, the amount equal to the quotient of— (A)

(B)the total voting age population of all States (as reported in the most recent decennial census).

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Subchapter III, referred to in subsecs. (b)(1)(A) and (c)(2), was in the original “title III”, meaning title III of Pub. L. 107–252, Oct. 29, 2002, 116 Stat. 1704, which enacted subchapter III of this chapter and amended section 405 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. For complete classification of title III to the Code, see Tables. This chapter, referred to in subsec. (c)(1), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 107–252, Oct. 29, 2002, 116 Stat. 1666, known as the Help America Vote Act of 2002, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables. Codification Section was formerly classified to section 15301 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.