H.R. 6513 would amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require states to allow observers designated by the Congress to witness the operation of Congressional elections. Under the bill, those observers would be permitted to witness the casting and counting of ballots and the certification of results but would be prohibited from handling ballots or equipment; observers who disrupt that process would be subject to removal. The House of Representatives already sends observers to monitor elections and CBO does not expect the number of observers would increase under the bill. On that basis, CBO estimates that enacting the bill would have no federal cost.
H.R. 6513 would impose an intergovernmental mandate as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) by requiring states to allow people designated by the Congress to observe the conduct of Congressional elections. Although the laws vary by state, all states currently permit election observers to oversee most or all elements of elections. Because those are existing procedures, CBO expects that the cost of the mandate would not exceed the intergovernmental threshold established in UMRA ($100 million in 2024, adjusted annually for inflation).
The bill would not impose any private-sector mandates.
