S. 2346 (119th)Bill Overview

Preparing Election Administrators for AI Act

Government Operations and Politics|Government Operations and Politics
Cosponsors
Support
Lean Democratic
Introduced
Jul 17, 2025
Discussions
Bill Text
Current stageCommittee

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

Introduced
Committee
Floor
President
Law
Congressional Activities
01 · The brief

This bill directs the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), in consultation with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to publish voluntary guidelines for state and local election offices on the use and risks of artificial intelligence (AI) in election administration within 60 days of enactment.

The guidelines must address AI-related risks and benefits, cybersecurity concerns, the effects of AI-generated information on accurate information sharing, and how AI may drive election disinformation that undermines public trust.

The bill also requires the EAC (with NIST) to study AI use and impacts in the 2024 Federal elections and deliver a public report by July 31, 2026, and to review and update the voluntary guidelines based on that study.

Passage55/100

Content-wise this is a low-cost, technical, voluntary guidance-and-study bill addressing a topical policy area (AI in elections). Those characteristics historically make passage more plausible than sweeping or costly legislation. Nevertheless, elections are politically sensitive, and absent explicit funding or stronger incentives for states, uptake is voluntary and political objections to federal involvement could slow or block action—particularly in the Senate—so the chance is moderate rather than high.

CredibilityPartially aligned

Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a clearly focused reporting and guidance measure that assigns responsibilities and deadlines to relevant federal entities and enumerates the substantive topics to be covered. It lacks fiscal authorizations, methodological detail for the study, and deeper integration with existing legal frameworks.

Contention50/100

Level of federal involvement: liberals and centrists view voluntary federal guidance as useful; conservatives worry it will be used to influence state practices.

02 · What it does

Who stands to gain, and who may push back.

Who this appears to help vs burden50% / 50%
Local governmentsLocal governments
Likely helped
  • Local governmentsProvides standardized, expert-informed best practices that smaller or resource-limited state and local election offices…
  • Targeted stakeholdersCreates a central, publicly available resource on AI risks and responses that could help election officials detect and…
  • Local governmentsRespects state authority by offering voluntary (nonbinding) guidance rather than federal mandates, allowing jurisdictio…
Likely burdened
  • Local governmentsBecause the guidelines are voluntary and the bill does not authorize funding, state and local jurisdictions may face un…
  • Targeted stakeholdersAI capabilities evolve rapidly, so guidelines issued on a short statutory timeline (60 days) risk becoming outdated qui…
  • Local governmentsSome jurisdictions or stakeholders may view federal-issued guidance as undue influence on local election administration…
03 · Why people split

Why the argument around this bill splits.

Level of federal involvement: liberals and centrists view voluntary federal guidance as useful; conservatives worry it will be used to influence state practices.
Progressive75%

A mainstream progressive would likely view the bill as a necessary, albeit modest, federal step to help election officials counter AI-driven disinformation and cybersecurity risks.

They would appreciate the focus on protecting public trust, improving accurate information sharing, and using federal expertise (EAC and NIST) to help understaffed local offices.

However, they may find the bill too limited because it only produces voluntary guidance and does not provide funding, enforcement, or stronger mandates to ensure implementation or to protect vulnerable communities from AI-enabled harms.

Leans supportive
Centrist80%

A centrist or moderate would likely view the bill as a pragmatic, low-risk federal action that uses existing agencies to provide guidance without imposing mandates on states.

They would appreciate the emphasis on an evidence-based study of 2024 elections and a relatively light-touch approach that respects state and local control.

Centrists may caution that the 60-day deadline is ambitious and that the lack of funding or enforcement could limit practical impact, but they would generally prefer this incremental approach to heavy-handed federal rules.

Leans supportive
Conservative35%

A mainstream conservative would probably be skeptical of additional federal involvement in election administration, but might be mildly reassured that the bill only requires voluntary guidelines and a study rather than mandates.

Concerns would center on federal agencies producing guidance that could influence state practices, potential politicized framing of 'disinformation', and the lack of clear limits on how guidance could be used.

Some conservatives might support technical cybersecurity guidance but oppose any perceived federal intrusion into content moderation or state election law.

Likely resistant
04 · Can it pass?

The path through Congress.

Introduced

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Committee

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Floor

Still ahead

President

Still ahead

Law

Still ahead

Passage likelihood55/100

Content-wise this is a low-cost, technical, voluntary guidance-and-study bill addressing a topical policy area (AI in elections). Those characteristics historically make passage more plausible than sweeping or costly legislation. Nevertheless, elections are politically sensitive, and absent explicit funding or stronger incentives for states, uptake is voluntary and political objections to federal involvement could slow or block action—particularly in the Senate—so the chance is moderate rather than high.

Scope and complexity
24%
Scopenarrow
24%
Complexitylow
Why this could stall
  • No appropriation or cost estimate is included; it's unclear whether the EAC has the resources to meet the deadlines or whether appropriations would be required for the study or implementation.
  • Uptake by state and local election offices is voluntary and dependent on perceived usefulness and political considerations; the bill does not provide incentives or enforcement mechanisms.
05 · Recent votes

Recent votes on the bill.

No vote history yet

The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.

06 · Go deeper

Go deeper than the headline read.

Included on this page

Level of federal involvement: liberals and centrists view voluntary federal guidance as useful; conservatives worry it will be used to infl…

Content-wise this is a low-cost, technical, voluntary guidance-and-study bill addressing a topical policy area (AI in elections). Those cha…

Unlocked analysis

Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a clearly focused reporting and guidance measure that assigns responsibilities and deadlines to relevant federal entities and enumerates the substantive topics to…

Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.

Perspective breakdownsPassage barriersLegislative design reviewStakeholder impact map
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