A bill to prohibit interference in elections for Federal office, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Alex Padilla (Democratic-CA)July 23, 2026

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.

Lets voters track mail-in ballots and makes it easier to sue election interferers.

This bill lets voters track their mail-in ballots. It also allows people to sue those who interfere with federal elections. Plus, it makes it harder for police to take election materials without a clear reason.

What Would Change

Today, individuals generally cannot sue those who interfere with federal elections. Law enforcement can seize election materials under general rules, and there's no federal program for states to track mail-in ballots. If this bill becomes law, individuals could sue election interferers, the prosecution time limit for certain crimes would extend to 9 years, law enforcement would face restrictions on seizing election materials, and states could get federal money to set up ballot tracking systems for voters.

Key Provisions

Creates a grant program for states to set up systems that let voters track their mail-in and absentee ballots, and makes specific ballot tracking information available to political parties and voter registration organizations.
Blocks law enforcement from seizing election records or equipment until election challenges are fully resolved, except in specific cases.
Lets individuals sue those who interfere with federal elections, such as by intimidating voters or using armed forces at polling places.
Extends the time limit to prosecute certain federal election interference crimes to 9 years.

View on Congress.gov

S 5124 · 119th Congress · July 23, 2026 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 5/10

A bill to prohibit interference in elections for Federal office, and for other purposes.

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity