By Molly K. Hooper, CQ Staff

Republican opposition led to the defeat Tuesday of a bill offering federal help to localities that don’t trust their electronic voting machines.

The bill (HR 5036) would authorize reimbursement for states and counties that convert to paper-ballot voting machines before the November elections or need help paying for manual audits afterward.

Democrats put the bill on the part of Tuesday’s calendar used for non­controversial measures. It was brought up under suspension of the rules, which requires a two-thirds vote for passage.

The final tally, 239-178, fell far short of the margin needed.

Democrats have other options for moving the bill through the House.

They could take the measure to the Rules Committee and return it to the floor under a regular order. Then it would need only a simple majority to pass, though opponents would still have some procedural options with which to try to thwart the bill’s progress.

After the vote, Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer indicated that the measure was not likely to see further action in the House.

Hoyer, D-Md., said the measure would die in the Senate even if House Democrats brought the bill back using different procedures.

Numerous GOP House members opposed the bill because of its high price tag, said Vernon J. Ehlers of Michigan, ranking Republican on the House Administration Committee.

The Congressional Budget Office released its estimate of the bill’s cost — as much as $685 million — after the committee had approved the bill by voice vote April 2.

Democrats countered that their minority­-party colleagues knew the cost was likely to exceed $600 million when they supported the bill in committee.

Ehlers said he had hoped to be able to negotiate changes to the bill.

“I supported it out of committee because I thought it should reach the floor for floor debate,” he said. “I anticipated it would be taken up under a rule where we might have possibility for additional compromise, but that has not happened.”