Here's what's in the new voting rights bill (part 2)

Yesterday, we shared a list of the provisions in the first section of the Freedom to Vote Act. Today, we're sharing the second section.

Here is the full text of the bill. Section 2 is broken down below.

Section 2: Election Integrity

This section includes measures to promote confidence in elections, stop partisan election subversion, and protect against election interference, both foreign and domestic.

Preventing State Election Subversion

• Establishes federal protections to insulate nonpartisan state and local officials who administer federal elections from undue partisan interference or control.
• Gives Federal Judges and AG right to intervene
• Federal crime to harass, threaten, coerce, intimidate any election official, poll worker or poll volunteer. Conviction 5 years or $100,000 fine

Protection of Election Records, Election Infrastructure, and Ballot Tabulation

• Strengthens protections for federal election records and election infrastructure in order to protect the integrity and security of ballots and voting systems.

Voter-Verified Paper Ballots, Reliable Audits, and Voting System Upgrades

• Requires states to use voting systems that use paper ballots that can be verified by voters and to implement reliable post-election audits. Also provides grants for states to purchase new and more secure voting systems and make cybersecurity improvements.
• Requires all votes to be cast with a voter verified paper trail
• Prohibits any voting machine, tabulation machine be accessible to any wireless device or the internet
  • State grants available to upgrade machines

Non-Partisan Election Official Recruitment and Training

• Tasks the Election Assistance Commission with developing model training programs to recruit a new generation of election workers and provides dedicated grants for training and recruitment.
• Provides grants to states for poll worker training and recruitment

Comprehensive Voting System Security Protections

• Puts in place election vendor cybersecurity standards, including standards for manufacturing and assembling voting machines, among other key security measures.
• Requires all voting vendors to be controlled by US Citizens and assembled in the US
• Requires all vendors to permit independent security testing by the Election Assistance Community
• Requires certification of all poll books used in elections
• Requires that by 2024 all voting machines, software or codes must be developed and manufactured in the US

Establishing Duty to Report Foreign Election Interference

• Creates a reporting requirement for federal campaigns to disclose certain foreign contacts.
• Includes requirements for candidates and family members to report, including parents, parent in laws, spouse, siblings and children
• Failure to report criminal charges 5 years in prison or a $500,000 fine

Combats Voter Intimidation

• Creates criminal penalties for voter intimidation (5 years in prison or $100,000 fine)
• Prohibits deceptive practice and false statements by means of written, electronic and phone communications
• Creates buffer for poll observers, who cannot go with in 8 feet of any voter, processor, scanning machine or certification process
• Prohibits states from restricting donations of food and water to any voter outside of the polling location

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Cross-posted from Demcast USA. Section 3 (of 3) coming tomorrow.