The Election Worker Protection Act of 2025 aims to enhance protections for individuals involved in administering federal elections, including election officials, poll workers, and volunteers. It directs the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to establish grant programs for states to improve the recruitment, training, and safety of these essential personnel. These grants are designed to ensure a robust and secure workforce for future elections.

One grant program focuses on recruitment and training, requiring states to use EAC materials and expert input to develop programs that address the unique needs of diverse voters, including those with limited English proficiency or disabilities. States must also dedicate efforts to recruit youth, minors, and diverse individuals. A separate grant program provides funding for election worker safety, specifically for physical security services and monitoring social media threats.

The bill also mandates that the Attorney General review and enhance training resources for federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies on detecting, deterring, and investigating threats against election workers. Furthermore, it establishes a grant program, administered by the Attorney General, to help states and local governments protect the personally identifiable information of election workers. Funds can be used to redact or remove PII from public records, expand existing protection programs, and develop confidential opt-out systems.

Crucially, the Act creates new federal criminal offenses to safeguard election workers. It makes it unlawful to intimidate, threaten, or coerce an election worker with intent to impede or retaliate against them, carrying penalties of fines up to $100,000 or up to 5 years imprisonment. The bill also expands existing prohibitions against voter intimidation to explicitly include actions that interfere with ballot processing, tabulation, canvassing, or certification. Additionally, it prohibits the doxxing of election workers by adding them to the list of protected individuals whose restricted personal information cannot be disclosed with malicious intent.

Finally, the legislation addresses poll observer conduct by amending the Help America Vote Act of 2002. It explicitly permits state and local election officials to remove a poll observer from polling locations or ballot processing sites if there is a reasonable belief that the observer is engaging in or will engage in intimidation, deceptive practices, or disruption of election processes. These provisions apply to federal elections occurring on or after the bill's enactment date.