Securing our Elections Act of 2025

House Bill

H.R. 156

119th Congress

Securing our Elections Act of 2025

In Committee

Introduced:Jan 9, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Michael T. McCaul

Representative

Republican

TX-10

Cosponsors

1

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Government Operations and Politics

Summary

This bill requires photo identification to vote in federal elections. Voters without ID may cast provisional ballots but must present ID or an affidavit within three days. Mail-in voters must include a copy of ID or last four Social Security digits with an affidavit. States must provide free IDs to those who cannot afford them.

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.

SponsorMichael T. McCaul (R-TX)

Introduced1/9/2025

StatusReferred to the House Committee on House Administration.

ChamberHouse

Data from Congress.gov

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Vote Prediction

Securing our Elections Act of 2025

This bill requires photo identification to vote in federal elections. Voters without ID may cast provisional ballots but must present ID or an affidavit within three days. Mail-in voters must include a copy of ID or last four Social Security digits with an aff

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This bill requires photo identification to vote in federal elections. Voters without ID may cast provisional ballots but must present ID or an affidavit within three days. Mail-in voters must include a copy of ID or last four Social Security digits with an affidavit. States must provide free IDs to those who cannot afford them.

Bill Number: 156
Sponsor: Michael T. McCaul (R-TX)
Introduced: 1/9/2025
Status: Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
Policy Area: Government Operations and Politics

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: Securing our Elections Act of 2025
Bill Number: 156
Sponsor: Michael T. McCaul (R-TX)
Status: Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
Introduced: 1/9/2025
Summary: This bill requires photo identification to vote in federal elections. Voters without ID may cast provisional ballots but must present ID or an affidavit within three days. Mail-in voters must include a copy of ID or last four Social Security digits with an affidavit. States must provide free IDs to

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill requires photo identification to vote in federal elections. Voters without ID may cast provisional ballots but must present ID or an affidavit within three days. Mail-in voters must include a copy of ID or last four Social Security digits with an affidavit. States must provide free IDs to those who cannot afford them.

Last updated: 1/5/2026

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Securing our Elections Act of 2025This bill establishes certain photo identification requirements for voting in federal elections.Specifically, the bill prohibits a state or local election official from providing a ballot for a federal election to an individual who does not present valid photo identification.Next, the bill outlines the availability of provisional ballots and the requirements for counting those ballots. In particular, an individual who does not present a valid photo identification must be permitted to cast a provisional ballot. However, an election official may not determine that the individual is eligible under state law to vote in the election unless, not later than three days after casting the provisional ballot, the individual presents (1) the identification required, or (2) an affidavit attesting that the individual does not possess the identification because of a religious objection to being photographed.An election official may not allow for voting methods other than in-person voting unless the individual submits the ballot with (1) a copy of their photo identification, or (2) the last four digits of their Social Security number with an affidavit attesting that the individual is unable to obtain a copy of a valid photo identification after making reasonable efforts to obtain a copy. This prohibition shall not apply to overseas military voters.The bill also requires a state to provide an individual with a valid photo identification without charge if that individual presents an affidavit attesting to an inability to afford or otherwise obtain a valid photo identification.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Requires photo ID for federal elections
Allows provisional ballots without ID
Mail voters must include ID copy or SSN digits
States must provide free IDs to those in need
Exception for military overseas voters

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

Voters would need to present photo ID to cast regular ballots in federal elections. Supporters say this prevents fraud while opponents argue it creates barriers for eligible voters. The free ID provision addresses cost concerns but questions remain about access.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Government Operations and Politics

Related Subjects

Computers and information technology

Elections, voting, political campaign regulation

State and local government operations

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

156, 119th Congress (2025). "Securing our Elections Act of 2025". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-156

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