{"format":1,"id":"117-hr-8873","congress":117,"number":"H.R. 8873","kind":"bill","group":"bills","title":"Presidential Election Reform Act","title_source":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","official_title":"To amend title 3, United States Code, to reform the process for the counting of electoral votes, and for other purposes.","titles":[{"type":"Official Title as Introduced","title":"To amend title 3, United States Code, to reform the process for the counting of electoral votes, and for other purposes."},{"type":"Display Title","title":"Presidential Election Reform Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","title":"Presidential Election Reform Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Introduced","title":"Presidential Election Reform Act"}],"outcome":"passed_house","law_number":null,"introduced":"2022-09-19","chambers":{"house":{"status":"roll_call","date":"2022-09-21","vote":{"id":"117-2022-h449","question":"On Passage","title":"Presidential Election Reform Act","result":"Passed","yea":229,"nay":203,"present":0,"not_voting":1,"source":"https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2022/roll449.xml"}},"senate":{"status":"na","date":null,"vote":null}},"president":{"status":"na","date":null},"vice_president_tie_breaker":null,"latest_action":{"text":"Received in the Senate.","date":"2022-09-22"},"nominees":null,"amendments":[],"other_votes":[],"crs_summary":{"date":"2022-09-21","stage":"Passed House","blocks":[{"k":"h","t":"Presidential Election Reform Act"},{"k":"p","t":"This bill revises the process of casting and counting electoral votes for presidential elections."},{"k":"p","t":"The bill specifies that the choice of electors must occur in accordance with the laws of the state enacted prior to election day."},{"k":"p","t":"Next, the bill specifies that the voting time for a state's presidential election may only be extended due to a catastrophic event. Catastrophic event means a major natural disaster, act of terrorism, or widespread power outage if it (1) prevents a substantial portion of a state's electorate from casting a ballot on election day, or (2) causes a substantial number of ballots already cast in a state to be destroyed or rendered unreadable."},{"k":"p","t":"Additionally, the bill requires each state's governor to certify the appointment of electors for the state. Further, the bill provides for expedited judicial review for an action brought by an aggrieved presidential or vice-presidential candidate with respect to the issuance or transmission of a certificate of appointment."},{"k":"p","t":"The bill revises the framework for the joint session of Congress to count electoral votes and make a formal declaration of which candidates have been elected President and Vice President. Among other changes, the bill (1) specifies that the role of the presiding officer (the Vice President or, in the absence of the Vice President, the President pro tempore) during the joint session shall be ministerial in nature, and (2) raises the objection threshold in Congress to at least one-third of both the House of Representatives and the Senate."}],"words":250},"summary":{"main_subject":{"text":"Amends title 3 of the United States Code to change how presidential electors are appointed, certified and transmitted, and how Congress counts electoral votes and hears objections at the joint session.","cites":[{"label":"Sec. 4","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8873/text/eh#H81FC85C07DA94E78A31F27016CA93FBD"},{"label":"Sec. 7","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8873/text/eh#HF4E078D0BC11485C9B0854E2B421336C"},{"label":"Sec. 10","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8873/text/eh#H01388CB6B70944A8ACBBA79894DECA9A"}]},"core_areas":["Extension of presidential election voting time after a catastrophic event","Governor certification of electors and court enforcement","Dates for electors' meeting and transmission of certificates","Joint session procedures for counting electoral votes","Objections to electoral votes and the role of the presiding officer"],"what_it_does":[{"text":"Allows a court to extend voting time in a presidential election, for no more than 5 days after election day, only if a candidate shows by clear and convincing evidence that a catastrophic event prevented or invalidated enough votes to potentially affect the outcome.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 4","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8873/text/eh#H81FC85C07DA94E78A31F27016CA93FBD"}},{"text":"Requires each State's Governor to certify the appointment of electors by December 14 and send the certificate to the Archivist of the United States, who sends copies to both Houses of Congress.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 7","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8873/text/eh#HF4E078D0BC11485C9B0854E2B421336C"}},{"text":"Lets a candidate for President or Vice President who appears on a State's ballot sue in a three-judge federal court over a Governor's certification, with relief due by December 19.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 7","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8873/text/eh#HF4E078D0BC11485C9B0854E2B421336C"}},{"text":"Changes the date on which electors meet and vote to the twenty third of December, with a shift to the preceding Friday or following Monday if that date falls on a weekend.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 8","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8873/text/eh#H62D9FA7E55E640DF908BAAADE623E8A7"}},{"text":"States that the presiding officer's role at the joint session is ministerial, and requires an objection or motion to be signed by at least one third of each House of Congress.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 10","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8873/text/eh#H01388CB6B70944A8ACBBA79894DECA9A"}},{"text":"Limits objections to electoral votes to five listed grounds, sets two hours of debate on objections, and requires a majority vote of both Houses to sustain them.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 10","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8873/text/eh#H01388CB6B70944A8ACBBA79894DECA9A"}}],"unexpected":[{"category":"off_subject","items":[{"cite":{"label":"Sec. 11","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8873/text/eh#H8F1E539EB1DF42C0A6FF958B58E6AC9C"},"heading":"Protection of tabulation and certification","effect":"Prohibits anyone acting under color of law from willfully refusing to tabulate, count, report or certify valid votes in a presidential election, and lets candidates sue for declaratory and injunctive relief before a three-judge court.","amount":null,"quote":"no person acting under color of law shall willfully fail or refuse to— (1) tabulate, count, or report any vote that is timely cast and is otherwise valid"}]}],"version":{"type":"Engrossed in House","date":"2022-09-21","rule":"passed","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8873/text/eh"},"current":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","approved":"2026-10-15","approved_by":"checks"},"sources":{"congress_gov":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8873","text":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8873/text"},"card":{"image":"card/item/117-hr-8873.png","v":"1ba9487a7bd0","alt":"Votes on Record. H.R. 8873, 117th Congress: Presidential Election Reform Act. House: 229 Yea, 203 Nay. Outcome: Passed House, 21 Sep 2022."}}