H.R. 4396 would amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to prohibit noncitizens from voting in District of Columbia elections. Because enacting the bill would not affect federal responsibilities, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 4396 would have no cost to the federal government.
H.R. 4396 would impose an intergovernmental and private-sector mandates defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) by prohibiting noncitizens from voting in local elections and ballot initiatives in the District of Columbia. In doing so, the bill would preempt current law in the District of Columbia, which permits noncitizens to vote in such elections. Because the bill would not increase the costs associated with administering elections and there is no direct monetary cost associated with the act of voting, CBO estimates that the cost of the mandate would not exceed the intergovernmental or private-sector threshold established in UMRA ($100 million and $200 million in 2024, respectively, adjusted annually for inflation).
