Protecting American Votes and Elections Act of 2018

This bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require voting systems for federal elections to use durable, paper ballots. Systems must make ballots available for verification by the voter before the vote is cast.

Each ballot shall be suitable for a manual audit and shall be counted by hand in any recount or audit.

The bill sets forth a rule for the treatment of disputes when paper ballots have been compromised.

The bill revises requirements for accessible voting for individuals with disabilities to require paper ballots and accessibility for individuals who are mobility and dexterity impaired.

The National Science Foundation shall make grants to study, test, and develop accessible paper voting mechanisms and devices and best practices to enhance the accessibility of voting and verification mechanisms for individuals with disabilities, for voters whose primary language is not English, and for voters with difficulty in literacy.

Each state and jurisdiction shall audit the results of all federal elections.