H.R. 6591 (112th): SIMPLE Voting Act

Introduced:
Nov 15, 2012 (112th Congress, 2011–2013)
Sponsor:
Rep. George Miller [D-CA7]
Status:
Died (Referred to Committee)

The bill’s title was written by the bill’s sponsor. H.R. stands for House of Representatives bill.

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Status

This bill was introduced on November 15, 2012, in a previous session of Congress, but was not enacted.

Progress
Introduced Nov 15, 2012
Referred to Committee Nov 15, 2012
Cosponsors
89 cosponsors (89D) (show)
Committees

House House Administration

The committee chair determines whether a bill will move past the committee stage.

Full Title

To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require States to establish a minimum period of 15 days for early voting prior to the date of an election for Federal office and to ensure that no individual will be required to wait for longer than one hour to cast a ballot at a polling place in an election for Federal office.

Summary

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Text

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Last updated Nov 15, 2012.
8 pages

Primary Source

View on THOMAS (The Library of Congress)

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GovTrack’s Bill Summary

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Library of Congress Summary

The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.

11/15/2012--Introduced.
Streamlined and Improved Methods at Polling Locations and Early Voting Act or SIMPLE Voting Act - Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require each state to allow individuals to vote in a federal election on each day during the 15-day period ending two days before the election date in the same manner as voting is allowed on election day.
Requires a state to ensure that each polling place which allows early voting in a federal election is located within reasonable walking distance of a stop on a public transportation route.
Requires the Election Assistance Commission to issue standards for the administration of early voting in a federal election.
Requires each state to provide a sufficient number of voting systems, poll workers, and other election resources (including physical resources) at a polling place used in a federal election to ensure:
(1) a fair and equitable waiting time for all voters in the state, and
(2) that no individual will be required to wait longer than one hour to cast a ballot at the polling place.
Requires each state to develop, and implement to the greatest extent practicable, a contingency plan under which it shall provide any polling place on a federal election day whose waiting times exceed one hour with additional poll workers, machines, ballots, and other equipment and supplies, including a polling place at which individuals may cast ballots before the election date.

House Republican Conference Summary

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The bill contains the following citations to other parts of U.S. law:

United States Code

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