CHALLENGES Act

This bill, known as the CHALLENGES Act, aims to strengthen protections for individuals lawfully registered to vote in federal elections by preventing bad faith challenges to their registration status. It amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to impose strict requirements on who can submit a formal challenge and what evidence they must provide. Specifically, individuals, other than election officials, must present clear and convincing evidence from a specific inquiry, not mass data matching, and provide an oath under penalty of perjury affirming personal knowledge of ineligibility. Furthermore, an individual making a challenge must be registered to vote in the same jurisdiction as the person they are challenging. The legislation also mandates that online portals accepting challenges must reject anonymous submissions and inform users of these new prohibitions. To ensure compliance, the bill establishes a private right of action , allowing aggrieved voters to seek compensatory and punitive damages for violations. Additionally, it introduces criminal penalties , including fines and imprisonment, for individuals who knowingly or negligently submit false challenges or provide false information intended for such challenges.