52 U.S.C. § 21041 — Grants for research on voting technology improvements

(a) In general: The Commission must make grants to help groups research and develop ways to improve the quality, reliability, accuracy, accessibility, affordability, and security of voting equipment, election systems, and voting technology.

(b) Eligibility: A group can get a grant if it applies to the Commission, in whatever form the Commission requires, and its application includes: (1) certifications that its research will consider the need for fully accessible voting equipment for people with disabilities, including blind and visually impaired voters who need to vote independently and privately, and the need for alternative-language access for people with limited English, matching the Voting Rights Act of 1965; and (2) any other information or certifications the Commission requires.

(c) Applicability of regulations governing patent rights in inventions made with Federal assistance: Any invention a grant recipient makes using the grant money follows the patent rules in chapter 18 of title 35, covering inventions made with federal help.

(d) Recommendation of topics for research: (1) In general: The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, called "the Director" in this section, must send the Commission a yearly list of suggested research topics for these grants. (2) Review of grant applications received by Commission: The Commission must send every grant application it gets to the Director, who reviews it and gives the Commission comments. (3) Monitoring and adjustment of grant activities at request of Commission: After awarding a grant, the Commission may ask the Director to monitor it; the Director may then recommend changes to how the recipient carries out the grant, if the grant's terms allow. (4) Evaluation of grants at request of Commission: (A) In general: If the Commission sent an application to the Director under paragraph (2), or asked the Director to monitor a grant under paragraph (3), the Director must prepare and submit an evaluation of that grant to the Commission. (B) Inclusion in reports: The Commission must include these evaluations in its yearly report under section 20927 of this title.

(e) Provision of information on projects: The Commission may share information about grant-funded activities with the Technical Guidelines Development Committee, as needed to help that committee do its job.