Federal law shields election workers from harassment and funds their safety.

What it does

This bill creates federal grant programs to help states recruit, train, and protect election workers (poll workers, election officials, and volunteers). It funds physical security, social media threat monitoring, and training in culturally competent voter service. It also makes it a federal crime to harass, intimidate, or threaten election workers; expands doxxing protections to cover election workers; and gives election officials clear authority to remove disruptive poll observers.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is straightforward: federal grants for recruitment/training/security, criminal penalties for harassment, and operational authority for election officials. It is a public-safety and election-administration measure with no hidden private beneficiaries or deregulatory intent.

What the text implies

• Grant funding is discretionary (subject to appropriations), so actual protection levels depend on Congress's willingness to fund the program in future fiscal years.
• The bill does not specify dollar amounts or a mandatory funding floor, leaving the scope of protection to annual appropriations decisions.
• Poll observer removal authority (Section 9) is broad and rests on election officials' 'reasonable basis' to believe disruption will occur—a subjective standard that could be applied inconsistently across jurisdictions.
• The doxxing expansion (Section 8) applies only to federal elections, leaving state and local election workers potentially unprotected in non-federal races.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Election workers are essential to democratic function and have faced documented harassment and threats. This bill directly protects them through criminal penalties, funding for security and training, and operational tools to manage polling places. Citizens benefit from a more secure, stable election administration and reduced intimidation of the officials who administer their votes.

Who stands to gain

• States and local governments (grant recipients for recruitment, training, and security programs)
• Third-party contractors hired to redact personal information from public records
• Security service providers (physical security and social media monitoring firms)

Named in the bill

Election Assistance Commission (EAC), Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, States and local governments, Help America Vote Act of 2002, National Voter Registration Act of 1993, Title 18 United States Code (federal criminal law)

Where it stands

17 cosponsors: 16 Democrats, 1 Independents.

• Jun 18, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• Jun 18, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Rules and Administration · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.