This bill changes parts of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. It requires States to accept the official postcard form used for voter registration and absentee ballot requests when the form is sent by email or through an online portal, as well as by mail. The bill requires the Presidential designee to offer grants to help States meet this requirement and authorizes $40,000,000 for those grants. If a uniformed services or overseas voter does not state a delivery preference, the State must send the absentee ballot electronically or by another allowed delivery method if electronic transmission is not possible. The bill lets a voter use the single postcard application to request absentee ballots for future federal elections (paper ballots for at least two future elections, or electronic ballots for each future election if they receive ballots electronically). It also bans States from refusing to process a valid postcard application just because it was submitted early. The Department of Defense must evaluate whether the change-of-base packet given to service members transferred to a new duty station gives timely and accurate voter registration information and report on that within one year. The Secretary of Defense must study the feasibility and costs of automatic voter registration for service members at enlistment or commission and automatic address updates, and report within 180 days. The bill clarifies that members of the Armed Forces may still register or change registration directly with State election officials.
Provisions in the bill are presented to promote timely and accurate delivery of the postcard form and absentee ballots for absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters, to modernize transmission by allowing electronic submission and delivery, to permit reuse of a single application for future federal elections, and to study ways to improve registration and address updating for service members.
No publicly available information.