Ballot Fairness Act

Ballot Fairness Act

This bill requires states to impose the same requirements for appearing on the ballot in a general congressional election on all candidates, without regard to whether a candidate is the nominee of a political party.

In such elections, states must use a ballot that requires a specific vote for a candidate and that does not permit the casting of a single vote for all candidates of the same political party.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1681 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1681

    To require States to impose the same ballot access rules on all 
   candidates in a general congressional election held in the State 
   without regard to whether or not the candidates are nominees of a 
 political party, and to require States to use a ballot for a general 
 congressional election that requires a specific vote for a candidate 
                        for the office involved.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 12, 2019

  Mr. Amash introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                   Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To require States to impose the same ballot access rules on all 
   candidates in a general congressional election held in the State 
   without regard to whether or not the candidates are nominees of a 
 political party, and to require States to use a ballot for a general 
 congressional election that requires a specific vote for a candidate 
                        for the office involved.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Ballot Fairness Act''.

SEC. 2. BALLOT FAIRNESS REQUIREMENTS FOR GENERAL CONGRESSIONAL 
              ELECTIONS.

    (a) Requiring Equivalent Ballot Access Rules for All Candidates in 
General Election.--A State shall impose the same requirements for 
appearing on the ballot in a general congressional election held in the 
State on all candidates in the election, without regard to whether or 
not a candidate is the nominee of a political party.
    (b) Requiring Use of Ballots That Require Specific Votes for 
Candidate.--For the election of a candidate in a general congressional 
election held in a State, the State shall use a ballot that requires a 
specific vote for that candidate for the office involved and that does 
not permit the casting of a single vote for all candidates of the same 
political party for multiple elections.
    (c) Definitions.--In this Act, the following definitions apply:
            (1) The term ``general congressional election'' means a 
        general election for the office of Senator or Representative 
        in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress.
            (2) The term ``State'' means each of the several States, 
        the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 
        Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the 
        Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
    (d) Effective Date.--This section shall apply with respect to the 
regularly scheduled general congressional election held in November 
2020 and each succeeding general congressional election.
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