S. 5481 — Youth Voting Rights Act

This section provides the short title of the Act as the "Youth Voting Rights Act" and sets forth its table of contents.

This section expresses the sense of Congress that the 26th Amendment's promises remain unfulfilled 50 years after ratification, that the reasons for its adoption endure, and that Congress is empowered to enforce the amendment through legislation.

This section states congressional findings on the ratification of the 26th Amendment lowering the voting age from 21 to 18, its near-unanimous bipartisan support, historical arguments for youth enfranchisement, and data showing lower youth turnout rates alongside higher provisional and mail ballot rejection rates compared to older voters.

This section establishes a private right of action allowing any person age 18 or older aggrieved by the denial or abridgment of the right to vote on account of age to sue in federal district court. It provides that such a denial or abridgment is established if a voting qualification, standard, practice, or procedure has the effect of denying due process or equal protection under the 14th and 26th Amendments and is not necessary to advance a compelling state interest. Prevailing plaintiffs may recover reasonable attorneys’ fees, expert witness fees, and costs.

This section designates all offices within public institutions of higher education, as defined in sections 101 and 102(c) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, that provide assistance to students as voter registration agencies. It requires those offices to distribute mail voter registration forms, offer assistance in completing applications, and accept completed forms for transmittal to state election officials.

This section requires each state to implement a pre-registration process allowing residents to apply to register to vote in federal elections at age 16 (or younger at state option), and ensuring that qualifying applicants are registered upon turning 18. It takes effect 90 days after enactment.

This section requires each State to provide polling places for federal elections on every campus of State public institutions of higher education, and on other institutions of higher education with the institution’s written permission. It directs States to request such permission at least 90 days before certifying polling locations, mandates alternative access procedures (such as shuttles, absentee drop boxes, or on-campus early voting) for voters age 18 and over when on-campus sites are unavailable or waived by the Attorney General, and requires the Attorney General to issue implementation guidance within 180 days.

This section extends the prohibition on durational residency requirements as a precondition to voting from elections for President and Vice President to all elections for Federal office. It also creates a private right of action allowing any aggrieved person to sue in federal district court and recover reasonable attorneys’ and expert witness fees if prevailing.

This section requires any state or local jurisdiction with a voter identification requirement to accept a student identification card issued by an institution of higher education as valid identification. It applies the enforcement provisions of the Help America Vote Act to the new requirement.

This section establishes a grant program under which the Election Assistance Commission awards funds to states to increase youth involvement in election activities, including promotion of pre-registration for those under 18, secondary school curriculum modifications to boost civic engagement, payments to schools and colleges for voter registration and turnout efforts, a paid youth fellowship program with election officials, and measures to reduce disparities among protected classes. It authorizes $26 million for the Youth Engagement Fund in FY2027 and adjusted amounts in subsequent years, with funds available for 10 years and states required to report results after a 2-year grant period.

This section directs the Attorney General to institute actions to enforce the 26th Amendment against denials or abridgments of voting rights on account of age resulting from age-based restrictions on mail voting for individuals of legal voting age. It expresses the sense of Congress that such restrictions violate the 26th Amendment.

This section requires the Comptroller General to report to Congress within 180 days on voter registration, absentee voting, and provisional voting trends disaggregated by 16 age cohorts from 16–17 to 85 and over and by race where available, including rejection rates and polling place availability on college campuses. It directs the Election Assistance Commission to collect and publish state data on those rates and reasons and requires states to submit the information for all federal elections held on or after the date of enactment.