Right to Vote Act

Key Points

• The bill declares that every citizen of legal voting age has a fundamental right to vote in federal elections, establishing a new federal statutory right that goes beyond existing protections.
• State and local governments would be barred from passing laws that make voting harder unless they can prove the restriction is the least restrictive way to achieve an important government goal. This creates a very high legal bar for any new voting restrictions.
• Citizens could sue in federal court to challenge any voting rule that makes it harder to vote. Courts would be required to fast-track these cases, and winning plaintiffs could recover attorney's fees.
• The term 'vote' is defined broadly to cover the entire voting process, from registration through ballot counting. The retrogression provision would apply to any new voting rules not in effect during the November 2024 election, while the substantial impairment provision covers all rules in effect for elections on or after September 1, 2026.