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Election Worker Protection Act of 2023
3/12/2024, 9:14 AM
Summary of Bill S 1318
The key provisions of the Election Worker Protection Act include:
1. Providing funding for training and resources to help election workers identify and respond to potential threats and violence. 2. Establishing a national database to track incidents of violence and threats against election workers, in order to better understand and address the problem. 3. Requiring states to develop and implement plans to protect election workers, including measures such as providing security at polling places and offering support services for workers who have experienced threats or violence. 4. Enhancing penalties for individuals who threaten or harm election workers, in order to deter such behavior and hold perpetrators accountable. Overall, the Election Worker Protection Act of 2023 aims to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process by ensuring that election workers can carry out their duties without fear of intimidation or violence. The bill has garnered bipartisan support in Congress, with lawmakers from both parties recognizing the importance of protecting those who play a crucial role in ensuring free and fair elections.
Congressional Summary of S 1318
Election Worker Protection Act of 2023
This bill establishes certain protections for election workers.
Specifically, the bill makes it a crime to intimidate, threaten, coerce, or harass an election worker with the intent to interfere with the official duties of, or retaliate against, the worker.
The bill extends (1) the prohibition on certain types of intimidation in federal elections to also prohibit intimidation for processing ballots or tabulating, canvassing, or certifying votes; and (2) the prohibition on public disclosure of restricted personal information to also prohibit the disclosure of information about election officials, poll workers, or election volunteers in connection with a federal election.
The bill also authorizes election officials to remove poll observers who are interfering with or attempting to disrupt the administration of an election.
Additionally, the bill directs the Election Assistance Commission to award grants to states (or local governments under specified circumstances) for (1) recruiting and training individuals to serve as poll workers and election volunteers on dates of elections for public office, and (2) physical security services and social media threat monitoring for election workers.
The bill directs the Department of Justice to (1) provide training to law enforcement and federal attorneys on addressing threats to election workers, and (2) establish a grant program to support programs to prevent the disclosure of personally identifiable information of election workers.
