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Election Security Assistance Act This bill addresses security threats to federal elections. Specifically, the bill * authorizes grants to states for election technology and security, * requires election poll books to meet voting system standards, * allows for expedited security clearances for certain state election officials and officials with the Election Assistance Commission, * requires federal entities to share information with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding election cybersecurity incidents, and * requires DHS to share information with state and local officials regarding election cybersecurity incidents.

Prohibiting Foreign Election Assistance Act of 2019 This bill specifies that information sought or obtained for a political advantage is included in the ban on foreign contributions to an election, and establishes penalties for related violations. Political committees must submit to the Federal Election Commission a written acknowledgement of the ban on foreign contributions.

Citizen Legislature Anti-Corruption Reform of Elections Act or the CLEAN Elections Act This bill establishes requirements for nonpartisan redistricting and open primary elections. States must (1) conduct congressional redistricting using a plan developed by a nonpartisan independent redistricting commission, beginning with the 2020 census; and (2) hold open primaries for federal elections. A state may not use federal funds provided for election administration purposes unless it certifies to the Election Assistance Commission that it (1) conducts redistricting for its state legislative districts using a plan developed by a nonpartisan independent redistricting commission, and (2) holds open primaries for elections for state and local office.

Cyber Navigators for Elections Act This bill directs the Election Assistance Commission to make payments to eligible states and local governments for hiring cyber navigators (i.e., cybersecurity professionals) to provide election officials with access to risk management, resiliency, and technical support services in the administration of federal elections.

State Elections Preparedness Act This bill authorizes the Election Assistance Commission to waive matching funds requirements for states that receive election security grants. Such grants are available to states to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus (i.e., the virus that causes COVID-19) for the 2020 federal election cycle.

Secure Our Elections Act This bill waives matching funds requirements for states that receive election security grants from the Election Assistance Commission. Such grants are available to states to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus (i.e., the virus that causes COVID-19) for the 2020 federal election cycle.

Students Voicing Opinions in Today's Elections (VOTE) Act This bill directs the Election Assistance Commission to carry out a pilot program providing funds, during FY2019, to local educational agencies (LEAs) for initiatives that provide 12th graders with voter registration information. LEAs must consult with their state and local election officials in developing the initiatives.

Securing America's Elections Act of 2019 This bill requires voting systems for federal elections to produce paper ballots that the voter may inspect and verify before the vote is cast and counted. The bill also (1) requires the paper ballot to be suitable for manual audits, (2) prescribes approved methods for such audits, and (3) directs the Department of Homeland Security and the Election Assistance Commission to report on the desirability of using open-source software in voting systems.

Emergency Assistance for Safe Elections Act or the EASE Act This bill directs the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to make payments to assist states with administering elections during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. Further, it establishes a specified technology committee and unit within the EAC to address the security of election technology. It also makes a state ineligible to receive certain funding for elections unless it generally prohibits the knowing collection and transmission of a ballot in a federal election that was mailed to another person (commonly referred to as ballot harvesting).

Protecting American Votes and Elections Act of 2019 This bill addresses the security of federal elections, including by requiring paper ballots, requiring audits of election results, and establishing requirements for election cybersecurity. The bill provides requirements for ballots. Voting systems must use a paper ballot that is verifiable by a voter before being cast and these ballots must be retained for recounts or audits. During a recount, ballots must be counted by hand. States and jurisdictions must perform an audit of an election that must include a manual adjudication of voter intent from some or all of the ballots cast. The audit results must meet specified statistical requirements and must be published before such election is certified. The bill provides a private right of action for any person aggrieved by a violation of voting system or audit requirements. The Election Assistance Commission must provide funds to states * to replace paperless voting systems to comply with requirements of the bill, * for the acquisition of accessible ballot marking devices for voters with disabilities, * for certain ballot design and printing costs, and * for certain election audit costs. The bill also directs the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within in the Department of Homeland Security to set mandatory election cybersecurity standards, including those regarding optical scanning devices, ballot marking devices, election management systems, voter registration websites, and election results systems.

Protecting American Votes and Elections Act of 2019 This bill addresses the security of federal elections, including by requiring paper ballots, requiring audits of election results, and establishing requirements for election cybersecurity. The bill provides requirements for ballots. Voting systems must use a paper ballot that is verifiable by a voter before being cast and these ballots must be retained for recounts or audits. During a recount, ballots must be counted by hand. States and jurisdictions must perform an audit of an election that must include a manual adjudication of voter intent from some or all of the ballots cast. The audit results must meet specified statistical requirements and must be published before such election is certified. The bill provides a private right of action for any person aggrieved by a violation of voting system or audit requirements. The Election Assistance Commission must provide funds to states * to replace paperless voting systems to comply with requirements of the bill, * for the acquisition of accessible ballot marking devices for voters with disabilities, * for certain ballot design and printing costs, and * for certain election audit costs. The bill also directs the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within in the Department of Homeland Security to set mandatory election cybersecurity standards, including those regarding optical scanning devices, ballot marking devices, election management systems, voter registration websites, and election results systems.

Election Security Act of 2019 This bill addresses election security through grant programs and requirements for voting systems and paper ballots. The bill establishes requirements for voting systems, including that systems (1) use individual, durable, voter-verified paper ballots; (2) make a voter's marked ballot available for inspection and verification by the voter before the vote is cast; (3) ensure that individuals with disabilities are given an equivalent opportunity to vote, including with privacy and independence, in a manner that produces a voter-verified paper ballot; and (4) be manufactured in the United States. The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) must award grants to study, test, and develop accessible voter-verified paper ballot voting and best practices to enhance the accessibility of such voting for individuals with disabilities, for voters whose primary language is not English, and for voters with difficulties in literacy. The EAC must award grants to states to (1) replace certain voting systems, carry out voting system security improvements, and implement and model best practices for ballot design, ballot instructions, and the testing of ballots; and (2) conduct risk-limiting audits. The bill provides for information sharing with states regarding threats to election infrastructure. The Department of Homeland Security must issue a national strategy to protect against cyberattacks, influence operations, disinformation campaigns, and other activities that could undermine the security and integrity of democratic institutions. The EAC must provide for the testing of voting system hardware and software and decertify such technology that does not meet guidelines.

Election Security Act of 2019 This bill addresses election security through grant programs and requirements for voting systems and paper ballots. The bill establishes requirements for voting systems, including that systems (1) use individual, durable, voter-verified paper ballots; (2) make a voter's marked ballot available for inspection and verification by the voter before the vote is cast; (3) ensure that individuals with disabilities are given an equivalent opportunity to vote, including with privacy and independence, in a manner that produces a voter-verified paper ballot; and (4) be manufactured in the United States. The National Science Foundation must award grants to study, test, and develop accessible voter-verified paper ballot voting and best practices to enhance the accessibility of such voting for individuals with disabilities, for voters whose primary language is not English, and for voters with difficulties in literacy. The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) must award grants to states to (1) replace certain voting systems, carry out voting system security improvements, and implement and model best practices for ballot design, ballot instructions, and the testing of ballots; and (2) conduct risk-limiting audits. The bill provides for information sharing with states regarding threats to election infrastructure. The Department of Homeland Security must issue a national strategy to protect against cyberattacks, influence operations, disinformation campaigns, and other activities that could undermine the security and integrity of democratic institutions. The EAC must provide for the testing of voting system hardware and software and decertify such technology that does not meet guidelines.

Safeguarding Election Infrastructure Act of 2019 This bill addresses the security of federal elections, including by requiring paper ballots, requiring audits of election results, and providing support for voting system security improvements. Voting systems must use individual, durable, voter-verified, paper ballots beginning one year after enactment of this bill. The ballots must be marked and made available for inspection and verification by the voter before the vote is cast and counted. The bill prohibits states or other jurisdictions from acquiring electronic voting systems for use in a federal election that do not produce a voter-verified paper record. States must audit election results in competitive races beginning in November 2022. Audits must consist of random hand counts of paper ballots. The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) must pay states to cover the costs of audits. The EAC must award grants to states to improve voting system security by updating or testing voting equipment, keeping offline backups of voter registration lists, providing a secure platform for disseminating vote totals, or taking other specified actions.If the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) determines that the security of a state's voting system or voter registration database was breached or is investigating whether a breach occurred, then DHS must report on the determination or investigation to specified congressional committees and the state election office. At the request of a state, DHS must collaborate with the state election office to help prevent and respond to threats to the security of the state's voting systems and voter registration databases.

This bill requires each chief state election official to disclose to the Election Assistance Commission the identity of any foreign national known by that official to have (1) physically handled either ballots used in an election for federal office or voting machines, (2) had unmonitored access to a storage facility or centralized voting-tabulation location used to support an election, or (3) had unmonitored access to election-related information or communications technology. It also requires the official to make the disclosure within 30 days of becoming aware of such activity.

Duty to Refuse and Report Foreign Interference in American Elections Act of 2019 This bill prohibits campaigns from accepting foreign assistance and requires a campaign to report an offer of foreign assistance to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for a Lasting Democracy Act or the SHIELD Act This bill establishes a duty to report election interference from foreign entities, applies existing campaign advertising requirements to online advertisements, and generally limits political spending and election interference by foreign entities. Specifically, a political committee must report certain foreign contacts involving an offer of unlawful election assistance to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Election Commission. The bill establishes criminal penalties for violations of these requirements. This bill establishes that an alien engaging in improper election interference shall be deportable and inadmissible into the United States. Existing requirements for political advertisements and electioneering communications apply to internet and digital advertisements, including requirements related to disclosures and contributions. Additionally, large online platforms must maintain a public database of certain political advertisements. The bill prohibits the distribution of certain deceptive audio or visual media within 60 days of an election. The bill places limitations on political spending by foreign entities. Specifically, foreign entities may not (1) contribute to campaigns related to ballot initiatives and referenda, or (2) make disbursements for certain internet activity referring to a candidate or a political issue. A candidate is prohibited from offering to share nonpublic campaign information with certain foreign entities.

Protect American Voters Act This bill establishes a specified technology committee and unit within the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to address the security of election technology. Specifically, the bill establishes the Emerging Election Technology Committee to advise the EAC on voluntary guidelines for election officials on the use of nonvoting election technology. Nonvoting election technology refers to the technology used in the administration of federal elections which is not used directly in the casting, counting, tabulating, or collecting of ballots or votes (e.g., electronic pollbooks or election result reporting systems). The EAC must (1) take into account the recommendations of the technology committee and adopt such voluntary guidelines, and (2) review and update such guidelines every two years. The bill also establishes the Election Cyber Assistance Unit to provide state and local election officials with access to risk management, resiliency, and technical support services provided by election administration and cybersecurity experts.

Invest in Our Democracy Act of 2019 This bill directs the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to provide grants to institutions of higher education to reduce tuition for state or local election officials, employees of such election officials, and employees of the EAC who are enrolled in accredited certificate programs in election administration or cybersecurity at such institutions.

Vote By Mail Stamp Act This bill directs the U.S. Postal Service to issue a Voting By Mail Semipostal Stamp and transfer the proceeds from the sale of the stamp to the Election Assistance Commission for providing grants to states to support voting by mail in federal elections.

Students Voicing Opinions in Today's Elections Act or the Students Vote Act This bill directs the Election Assistance Commission to carry out a pilot program providing funds, during FY2019, to local educational agencies (LEAs) for initiatives that provide 12th graders with voter registration information. LEAs must consult with their state and local election officials in developing the initiatives.

Election Fraud Prevention Act This bill requires each state, in order to receive certain election assistance funds, to prohibit the knowing collection and transmission of a ballot in a federal election that was mailed to another person (commonly referred to as ballot harvesting), with exceptions.

Election Fraud Prevention Act This bill requires each state, in order to receive certain election assistance funds, to prohibit the knowing collection and transmission of a ballot in a federal election that was mailed to another person (commonly referred to as ballot harvesting), with exceptions.

Election Technology Research Act of 2020 This bill directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and other agencies to support research on voting systems. (Sec. 2) NIST, in collaboration with the NSF, must carry out research related to the security and integrity of voting systems. NIST shall make an award to an institution of higher education or a nonprofit organization to establish a Center of Excellence in Election Systems. (Sec. 3) The NSF, in collaboration with other agencies, shall award basic research grants to increase the understanding of cyber and other threats to voting systems and to inform the development of technologies, processes, and policies that contribute to more secure, fair, and accessible elections. The NSF shall award grants to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations to establish at least one multidisciplinary center for elections systems research and education. (Sec. 4) NIST shall establish and make available common data format specifications for auditing, voter registration, and other elements of voting systems. (Sec. 5) The General Accountability Office must report on, among other things, the extent to which NIST's efforts to assist in the development of voluntary voting systems guidelines have resulted in market-ready standardized voting equipment and software.