SWIFT VOTE Act

This legislation, known as the SWIFT VOTE Act, establishes a grant program administered by the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to support states and eligible jurisdictions. The primary purpose of these grants is to fund the procurement and maintenance of electronic pollbooks (e-pollbooks) , which automate voter check-in processes. Additionally, grants will support the development of systems for collecting and disseminating wait time information at polling places during federal elections, whether through e-pollbooks or other means. The EAC will prioritize grants for jurisdictions demonstrating a need for new or additional e-pollbooks to reduce wait times and those proposing to report wait time information. To be eligible for a grant, jurisdictions must submit an application detailing their need for e-pollbooks or their plan for collecting and disseminating wait time data. For wait time information grants, chief election officials must certify they will publish real-time wait times on their official websites at regular intervals and issue a post-election report detailing wait times. Grantees must also assure that funds will supplement existing resources, provide regular reports to the EAC, comply with the Commission's e-pollbook certification program, and develop training programs for election officials to assist all voters, including those with limited English proficiency and disabilities. The bill authorizes an appropriation of $120,000,000 for these purposes.