Safe and Fair Elections Act of 2026

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.

Requires photo ID for federal voting and sets new rules for elections and district maps.

This bill would make big changes to how federal elections are run. It would require voters to show photo ID and set a firm deadline for mail-in ballots. It would also make states hold open primary elections and aims to stop unfair political map-drawing by setting new rules for congressional districts.

What Would Change

Today, federal law does not require photo ID for voting, nor does it set a nationwide deadline for absentee ballots to arrive by election day. States also have different rules for primary elections and drawing congressional districts. This bill would require photo ID for all federal elections, mandate that absentee and mail-in ballots arrive by election day, and make states hold open primaries. It would also set strict federal rules for drawing congressional districts, banning mid-decade changes and partisan map-drawing, and allow federal courts to review these maps.

Key Provisions

Requires voters in federal elections to show a valid photo ID, whether voting in person or by mail.
Sets a deadline for all absentee and mail-in ballots to be received by election officials by the time polls close on election day.
Requires states to hold open primary elections for federal offices, allowing any registered voter to participate in any party's primary.
Bans states from redrawing congressional district maps in the middle of a decade, with some exceptions.
Sets new federal rules for drawing congressional districts, including strict population equality, compactness, and a ban on favoring any political party.
Sets aside $200,000,000 for states and local governments to buy equipment and train staff to count ballots faster.

View on Congress.gov

S 5505 · 119th Congress · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 9/10

Safe and Fair Elections Act of 2026

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity