To require certain States to submit a continuity of operations plan for elections in the event of a major disaster, to require the Comptroller General of the United States to report on assistance for election administration in the event of a major disaster, and to require the Election Assistance Commission to award grants to strengthen elections against climate change-driven disasters, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill requires states that receive federal election funding to submit continuity of operations plans to the Election Assistance Commission, ensuring elections can continue during natural disasters. It also directs the GAO to study how the federal government can better assist with elections during disasters, and authorizes $100 million in grants over five years (2026-2030) to help states strengthen their election infrastructure against climate-driven disasters.
Who Benefits and How
State and local election officials benefit from new grant funding ($20 million per year) to improve disaster preparedness, acquire resilient voting equipment, and train staff. Voters in disaster-prone areas benefit through more reliable election access when disasters strike, as states must develop specific plans for continuing elections during emergencies.
Who Bears the Burden and How
State governments face new compliance requirements to develop, submit, and regularly update continuity of operations plans (by September 2028, then every 5 years through 2043). The Election Assistance Commission must review and publicly disseminate these plans, adding to their administrative workload.
Key Provisions
- States must submit disaster continuity plans to the Election Assistance Commission by September 30, 2028
- Authorizes $100 million in grants (FY2026-2030) for election disaster preparedness
- Requires GAO study on federal assistance for elections during major disasters
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires states to develop continuity of operations plans for elections in the event of major disasters and provides grants to strengthen election infrastructure against climate-related disruptions
Key Policy Areas
Elections, Emergency Management, Climate Adaptation
Primary Purpose
Requires states to develop continuity of operations plans for elections in the event of major disasters and provides grants to strengthen election infrastructure against climate-related disruptions
Policy Domains
Strengthening Elections Against Climate Disasters
Identified Gains
- State election officials
- Local election administrators
- Voters in disaster-prone areas
- Election equipment vendors
Identified Costs
- State governments
- Election Assistance Commission
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Morelle (for himself, Ms. Sewell, Mrs. Torres of California, …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Election Assistance Commission, Government Accountability Office, State election agencies
Positive-direction: State election offices
Negative-direction: Election Assistance Commission, Government Accountability Office, State election agencies, State election agencies receiving federal HAVA funding
Election technology consultants
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_commission"
- → Election Assistance Commission
- "the_comptroller_general"
- → Comptroller General of the United States (GAO)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A major disaster as defined in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122)
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology