Hiring Preference for Veterans and Americans With Disabilities Act
Key claim: HR5734 would allow states and localities to give hiring preferences to veterans, disabled individuals, and nonresident military spouses/dependents when hiring election workers, and prohibit residency-based refusals for military family members.
Abstract
(HR5734 · 119th Congress) Hiring Preference for Veterans and Americans With Disabilities Act This bill allows states and local jurisdictions to give a hiring preference (when hiring election workers to administer an election in the state or local jurisdiction) to veterans, individuals with a disability, and nonresident military spouses or dependents. Further, the bill prohibits states and local jurisdictions from refusing to hire a nonresident military spouse or dependent as an election worker solely on the grounds that the individual does not maintain a place of residence in the state or local jurisdiction. Latest action (2025-10-10): Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
Why this matters
Election worker shortages have been a recurring administrative pressure point, and this bill would give jurisdictions an explicit federal green light to prefer veterans and ADA-covered individuals — groups already favored in other public hiring regimes — while removing a residency barrier for military families who move frequently. The practical effect, if enacted, would broaden the pool of eligible poll workers and provide a civil-rights backstop against residency-based exclusion of military dependents, without disturbing state control over election administration.