POLL Act

Key Points

• The bill caps voter wait times at 30 minutes for all federal elections. States must publish plans 60 days before each election explaining how they will keep lines short and distribute resources fairly across all communities.
• Voters who wait too long can sue for money. The base penalty is $50 plus $50 for each additional hour of waiting, but if a court finds the long lines were intentional voter suppression, the penalties jump to $650 plus $150 per extra hour, plus attorney fees.
• The federal government would provide $500 million per year to help states hire more poll workers, buy more voting machines, and ensure polling places have enough resources. An additional $5 million per year is authorized for the Election Assistance Commission to review wait times and enforce remedial plans.
• If voting machines break down or other problems cause unreasonable delays, polling places must immediately offer emergency paper ballots in all available languages. These ballots count the same as regular ballots.
• The bill bans top state election officials from actively participating in political campaigns for federal races they oversee, with an exception if they recuse themselves from administering that election entirely.
• The Attorney General, through the Civil Rights Division, must set minimum standards for voting systems, poll workers, and resources at every polling place. These standards must account for factors like voting-age population, past turnout, disability needs, and limited English proficiency.