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S. 5271In committee

A bill to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require voters to provide photo identification.

Introduced: Aug 5, 2026

Latest action date: Aug 8, 2026

Latest development

Cloture on the motion to proceed to the measure not invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 52 - 46. Record Vote Number: 231.

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Congress
119th Congress
Introduced
Aug 5, 2026
Recorded roll calls
1

Status detail: The most advanced recorded stage is committee consideration.

Plain-language overview

What this bill does

This bill establishes certain photo identification requirements for voting in federal elections.

Specifically, the bill prohibits a state or local election official from providing a ballot for a federal election to an individual who does not present valid physical photo identification.

Next, the bill outlines the availability of provisional ballots and the requirements for counting those ballots. An individual who does not present a valid photo identification must be permitted to cast a provisional ballot. However, an election official may not determine that the individual is eligible under state law to vote in the election unless, not later than three days after casting the provisional ballot, the individual presents (1) the identification required, or (2) an affidavit attesting that the individual does not possess the identification because of a religious objection to being photographed.

An election official may not allow for voting methods other than in-person voting unless the individual submits with the ballot (1) a copy of their photo identification, or (2) the last four digits of their Social Security number with an affidavit attesting that the individual is unable to obtain a copy of a valid photo identification after making reasonable efforts to obtain a copy. This prohibition shall not apply to overseas military voters and certain disabled or elderly voters.

States must, to the extent practicable, ensure public access to digital imaging devices for individuals to make a free copy of their valid photo identification.

These requirements take effect one day after the bill's enactment.

Civixly topics

What this legislation is about

Civixly topics make federal and state legislation comparable. They are derived from the official CRS policy area and legislative subjects.

Official CRS policy area

Government Operations and Politics

View 5 official legislative subjects
Elections, voting, political campaign regulationLicensing and registrationsState and local government operationsVisas and passportsVoting rights

Committee activity

Committees and subcommittees that received, reviewed, marked up, or reported this legislation.

No committee relationships are listed for this measure.

Amendments

Proposed changes to this measure, with their latest official outcome or action from Congress.gov.

No amendments are listed for this measure.

Checked against Congress.gov Sep 16, 2026.

Action timeline

Newest action first. Action language comes from the official Congress.gov record.

View full action timeline6 actions
  1. Cloture on the motion to proceed to the measure not invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 52 - 46. Record Vote Number: 231.

    FloorSenate
  2. Cloture motion on the motion to proceed to the measure presented in Senate. (CR S4556)

    FloorSenate
  3. Motion to proceed to consideration of measure made in Senate. (CR S4556)

    FloorSenate
  4. Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 547.

    CalendarsSenate
  5. Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.

    CalendarsSenate
  6. Introduced in Senate

    IntroReferralLibrary of Congress

Roll-call votes

Recorded House and Senate votes connected to this bill. Your representatives appear first when available.

Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Rejected (52-46, 3/5 majority required)Aug 8, 2026Senate · Roll call 231

On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed S. 5271

Vote source ↗
46 Nay52 Yea2 Not Voting
View 100 recorded positions
Mitch McConnellNot Voting
Peter WelchNot Voting

Discussion

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Sources: Congress.gov and official House and Senate vote records.

View data freshness details

Base metadata checked Sep 16, 2026 · Summary checked Sep 16, 2026 · Action timeline checked Sep 16, 2026 · Sponsorship checked Sep 16, 2026 · Topics checked Sep 16, 2026 · Committees checked Sep 16, 2026 · Status checked Sep 16, 2026 · Related bills checked Sep 16, 2026.