The POLL Act (People Over Long Lines Act) is designed to fix voting wait times, particularly in communities that have historically faced discrimination. The bill is based on research showing that Black voters wait about 29% longer to vote than white voters, and that long lines discourage people from voting and undermine confidence in elections.

The law requires states to ensure no one waits more than 30 minutes to vote in federal elections. Before each election, states must create and publicly share a plan explaining how they'll achieve this goal, including how they'll serve voters with disabilities. After elections, the federal government will review actual wait times and publish reports. If a jurisdiction has serious problems—where many voters wait over an hour—the Attorney General can step in and create a remedial plan to fix resource allocation and staffing issues.

The bill also provides funding and sets standards for how many voting machines, poll workers, and other resources each polling place needs based on factors like population size, past turnout, and the number of voters with disabilities or limited English proficiency. Additionally, it makes it illegal for the top state election official to actively participate in political campaigns for federal office, preventing potential conflicts of interest. States get $500 million annually to help meet these new requirements, with the law taking effect in 2027 for most provisions.

POLL Act

Williams, Nikema

People Over Long Lines Act or the POLL ActThis bill sets forth provisions related to voting and the administration of federal elections.Specifically, the bill requires states to ensure that voters wait no more than 30 minutes at any polling place to cast their vote in a federal election, establishes a private right of action for voters who experience longer waiting times, and directs the Election Assistance Commission to make payments to eligible states to prevent unreasonable waiting times.Next, the bill requires each state to provide for the minimum required number of voting systems, poll workers, and other election resources for each polling location on the day of any federal election and each day of early voting. The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division must issue uniform standards regarding the minimum number and distribution of such systems, workers, and other resources.The bill also prohibits a chief state election administration official from taking an active part in political management or in a political campaign with respect to any federal election over which the official has supervisory authority, with certain exceptions.