Official Summaries

Voting Only Through English Act or the VOTE Act

This bill requires states to use English-only ballots to qualify for certain federal election funds. It also repeals a prohibition on English-only federal elections and eliminates language assistance provisions under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA). (The VRA requires some jurisdictions to provide materials such as ballots and registration information in English and in other covered languages for voters whose English proficiency is limited. The bill removes these requirements.)

Specifically, the bill prohibits a state from receiving federal election administration funds if the state provides ballots for a federal election that include text in any language other than English.

Current Full Text

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2054 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2054

To provide that States that provide for an election for Federal office 
that include text in any language other than English are ineligible to 
         receive certain Federal funds, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 11, 2025

 Mr. Hamadeh of Arizona (for himself, Mr. Gill of Texas, Mr. LaMalfa, 
 Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Jackson of Texas, Mr. Baumgartner, 
Mrs. Spartz, and Mr. Harrigan) introduced the following bill; which was 
  referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the 
  Committee on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide that States that provide for an election for Federal office 
that include text in any language other than English are ineligible to 
         receive certain Federal funds, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Voting Only Through English Act'' or 
the ``VOTE Act''.

SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON FUNDING.

    Notwithstanding the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10301 et 
seq.) or any other provision of law, a State shall be ineligible to 
receive Federal funds provided for purposes of the administration of 
elections for Federal office for any fiscal year during which the State 
provides ballots for an election for Federal office that include text 
in any language other than English.

SEC. 3. ELIMINATION OF PROHIBITION OF ENGLISH-ONLY ELECTIONS.

    Section 4(f) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10303(f)) 
is amended--
            (1) by striking paragraphs (1), (3), and (4); and
            (2) by striking ``(2) No'' and inserting ``No''.
                                 <all>