The POLL Act is designed to make voting faster and fairer by addressing long lines at polling places. The main goal is to ensure that no voter has to wait more than 30 minutes to cast their ballot in federal elections. If a polling place makes voters wait longer than that, voters can sue for compensation—giving them a legal tool to hold election officials accountable.

To make this happen, the bill requires states to have enough voting machines, poll workers, and other resources at each polling location to keep lines moving. The federal government's Election Assistance Commission will provide money to states that need help meeting these requirements. The Department of Justice will also create uniform standards so that every state knows exactly how many machines and workers they need based on the number of voters in their area.

Finally, the bill adds a rule about fairness in elections: the top election official in each state cannot actively participate in political campaigns or political activities related to federal elections that they oversee. This prevents the person running elections from using their position to help their preferred candidates, which could undermine public trust in the election process.

POLL Act

Wyden, Ron

<html><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> People Over Long Lines Act or the POLL Act This 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.</body></html>