The Universal Right to Vote by Mail Act (, ) is a proposed bill that would "Amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to prohibit a state from imposing additional conditions or requirements on the eligibility of an individual to cast a vote in federal elections by mail, except to the extent that it imposes a deadline for requesting the ballot and returning it to the appropriate state or local election official.". The bill would remove restrictions in 22 states that require specific reasons, such as doctors notes, for voting absentee by mail.

Background

In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, an absentee ballot is a

ballot A ballot is a device used to cast votes in an election and may be found as a piece of paper or a small ball used in secret voting. It was originally a small ball (see blackballing) used to record decisions made by voters in Italy around the 16 ...

that the voter records and casts other than at a designated polling station on Election Day. Typically these ballots are

mail The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal sys ...

ed, though some states provide provisions for

email Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic ( digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" mean ...

ing ballots,

fax Fax (short for facsimile), sometimes called telecopying or telefax (the latter short for telefacsimile), is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material (both text and images), normally to a telephone number connected to a printer o ...

ing ballots, or delivering them in person to a designated location. Typically a voter must request an absentee ballot at least a week before the election occurs. Each State's Secretary of State or Director of Elections is in charge of the election process, including voter registration and absentee ballot requests. Balloting materials may be sent via the United States Postal Service without prepayment of postage for members of the Armed Forces, members of the U.S. Merchant Marine and U.S. citizens residing outside the territorial limits of the United States and the District of Columbia and their spouses. As of September 30, 2014: * 33 states and the

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

allow early voting with no-excuse required. * 27 states and the District of Columbia permit voters to vote absentee without requiring an excuse. * 20 states permit voters to vote via absentee ballots but require an excuse. * 6 states and the District of Columbia allow voters to request 'Permanent Absentee Status'. * 5 states (

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

) conduct their elections completely by mail.

Provisions

* Allows all eligible voters nationwide to vote by mail for any reason in federal elections. * Removes the doctor’s note, notary and privacy information requirements imposed by some states.

Legislative history

House

The bill was originally introduced on January 5, 2007 during the

110th congress The 110th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, between January 3, 2007, and January 3, 2009, during the last two years of the Presidency of George W. Bush. It was composed of ...

by Susan Davis. However, it never got past the committee phase in the House. The bill was again introduced by Rep. Susan Davis (D-California) on March 19, 2009. It currently has 50 co-sponsors. The bill cleared the House Administration Committee on June 10. The next step is a vote on the House floor.

Senate

An identical copy of the bill was introduced in the Senate during the

111th congress The 111th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011. It began during the last weeks of the George W. Bush administration, with th ...

on May 5, 2010 by Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon). It was read twice and referred to the

Senate Committee on Rules and Administration The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, also called the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, is responsible for the rules of the United States Senate, administration of congressional buildings, and with credentials and qualificat ...

Related bills

The bill is essentially part of a package with two other bills also authored by Congresswoman Davis. The other two, which both passed committee the same day as the main bill are... ::* The Absentee Ballot Track, Receive and Confirm (TRAC) Act () which gives states grant money to set up a system to track absentee ballots. Through the system, a voter will be able to find out if a ballot was mailed, if their completed ballot was received, and if their ballot was counted. ::* The Federal Election Integrity Act () prohibits the chief elections official of a state from serving on federal campaign committees or engaging in other political activity, such as fundraising, on behalf of federal candidates in any election over which the official has supervisory authority."

References

{{reflist United States federal election legislation Proposed legislation of the 111th United States Congress