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By Sam Stevenson
Associate News Editor
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A new bill proposing major changes to the American voting system is being considered by Congress.
The Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) Act, introduced by House Administration Committee Chairman Representative Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, would establish federal requirements for voter ID, mail‑in ballot deadlines, voter‑roll maintenance and ballot‑handling practices across all states.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump recently urged Republicans to “nationalize” voting and “take over” election administration in several states, framing stricter federal rules as a way to combat what he says are crooked systems and illegal voting.
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The MEGA Act overlaps with many of those priorities, positioning it as a bill friendly to Trump’s agenda, but its prospects remain limited in a divided Congress where Democrats oppose the bill as restrictive and many Republicans have traditionally resisted federalizing election rules—despite Trump’s rhetoric.
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What To Know
A new Republican-led election reform bill is heading to Congress, proposing nationwide rules that would standardize how Americans vote.
Steil's proposals for an overhaul to the electoral system would mandate photo identification to vote, require citizenship verification, and limit certain mail voting practices.
A bill page for H.R. 7300, which Steil said would be formally introduced during the House’s pro‑forma session on Friday, appears on Congress.gov listing the measure in the 119th Congress, and Steil’s office posted a document titled “Make Elections Great Again Act” containing bill text.
The bill, which represents an evolution of the American Confidence in Elections (ACE) Act introduced by Steil during the 118th Congress, would require voters to present photo identification and states to verify citizenship when registering voters, according to Steil’s summary, which says it would set baseline requirements for state election administration.
It comes as Republicans push national standards on voter identification and citizenship verification, while Democrats warn the measures would restrict access to the ballot.
Steil’s proposal would mandate that mail-in ballots be received by the close of polls on Election Day, with an exception for military voters overseas, and would require auditable paper ballots for federal elections.
It would ban ranked-choice voting in federal elections and end universal vote-by-mail systems by requiring voters to request a mail ballot.
And it would prohibit so-called ballot harvesting except by immediate family members or caregivers and limit any one person from delivering more than four mail ballots.
Several states currently allow mail‑in ballots to be counted after Election Day if they were postmarked on time, a practice that can delay final results—especially in states like California, where most voters cast ballots by mail.
“Ballot harvesting” is the practice of having someone other than the voter collect and return completed mail‑in or absentee ballots to election officials.
In many states, this can be a family member, caregiver or designated volunteer, and the intent is often to help voters who can’t easily return ballots themselves.
Steil says the goal is to strengthen voter confidence by creating uniform national standards, even though elections are traditionally run by states.
Supporters argue the steps in Steil's bill, which enjoys the backing of 38 Republican co-sponsors, would help restore trust in U.S. elections.
Conservative groups quoted in the announcement say the proposal clarifies states’ obligations under existing federal law and tightens what they view as vulnerable areas of the voting system.
What People Are Saying
Steil said: "Americans should be confident their elections are being run with integrity - including commonsense voter ID requirements, clean voter rolls, and citizenship verification.
"These reforms will improve voter confidence, bolster election integrity, and make it easy to vote, but hard to cheat."
Scott Presler, founder of Early Vote Action, said: "I’ve spent the last decade registering voters across the country and empowering Americans to vote. Without fair elections, we aren’t a free nation.
"Thank you to Chairman Steil for his leadership on comprehensive election reform. Let’s make elections great again!"
J. Christian Adams, President of the Public Interest Legal Foundation and Commissioner on the United States Commission of Civil Rights, said: “The bill gives clear guidance where the original law in 1993 failed – states have an obligation to have clean voter rolls. 25,000 dead registrants in Michigan or voters supposedly living in Vegas casinos will no longer be acceptable. This bill will bring clarity to voter roll maintenance obligations under the NVRA."
Justin Riemer, President & CEO, Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections, said: "I applaud Chairman Steil for leading efforts to reform and modernize our elections system. For too long, federal laws — especially those governing voter list maintenance — have hampered states that are serious about improving election security and enabled those that are not. Reform is long overdue.”
Democratic Representative Joe Morelle of New York, a ranking member on the House Administration Committee, said: “President Trump and House Republicans are terrified of the American people. They are desperate to rig the system so they can choose their voters. This bill is their latest attempt to block millions of Americans from exercising their right to vote. I will fight this bill at every turn.”
What Happens Next
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said a separate GOP bill requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, would come to the Senate floor “at some point,” per The Hill.
Despite likely strong support among House Republicans, its prospects remain uncertain in a divided Congress.
With the 2026 midterms approaching, the bill underscores how central voting rules remain in national politics and how sharply lawmakers are divided over how American elections should be run.
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