,i  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #hjha  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,august #ba1         
#bjbj,mr4 ,rush introduced the following
 bill2 which was referred to the        
,committee on ,house ,administration1   
and in addition to the ,committee on    
,oversight and ,reform1 for a period to 
be subsequently determined by the       
,speaker1 in each case for consideration
 of such provisions as fall within the  
jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
,a ,,bill  ,to amend the ,help ,america 
,vote ,act of #bjjb to prohibit ,states 
from imposing any additional conditions 
or requirements on the eligibility of   
individuals to cast votes in elections  
for ,federal office by absentee ballot  
by mail1 and for other purposes4  #a4   
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,american ,right to ,vote ,act4  #b4
 ,uniform availability of absentee      
voting to all voters  7a7 ,in general   
,title ,,iii of the ,help ,america ,vote
 ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bajha et 

seq47 is amended by inserting after     
section #cjc the following new section3 
#cjc;,a4 ,uniform availability of       
absentee voting to all voters  7a7 ,in  
general ,if an individual in a ,state is
 eligible to cast a vote in an election 
for ,federal office1 the ,state may not 
impose any additional conditions or     
requirements on the eligibility of the  
individual to cast the vote in such     
election by absentee ballot by mail1    
except that the ,state may impose a     
deadline for requesting the absentee    
ballot and related voting materials from
 the appropriate ,state or local        
election official and for returning the 
ballot to the appropriate ,state or     
local election official4  7b7           
,permitting voters ,to designate other  
person ,to return ballot ,the ,state--  
7#a7 shall permit a voter to designate  
any person to return a voted and sealed 
absentee ballot to the post office1 a   
ballot drop-off location1 tribally      
designated building1 or election office 

so long as the person designated to     
return the ballot does not receive any  
form of compensation based on the number
 of ballots that the person has returned
 and no individual1 group1 or           
organization provides compensation on   
this basis2 and  7#b7 may not put any   
limit on how many voted and sealed      
absentee ballots any designated person  
can return to the post office1 a ballot 
drop off location1 tribally designated  
building1 or election office4  7c7 ,rule
 of construction ,nothing in this       
section shall be construed to affect the
 authority of ,states to conduct        
elections for ,federal office through   
the use of polling places at which      
individuals cast ballots4  7d7 ,no      
effect on ballots submitted by absent   
military and overseas voters ,nothing in
 this section may be construed to affect
 the treatment of any ballot submitted  
by an individual who is entitled to vote
 by absentee ballot under the ,uniformed
 and ,overseas ,citizens ,absentee      

,voting ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjcja et   
seq474  7e7 ,effective date ,this       
section shall apply with respect to the 
regularly scheduled general election for
 ,federal office held in ,november #bjbj
 and each succeeding election for       
,federal office4  4  7b7 ,conforming    
amendment relating to enforcement       
,section #dja of such ,act 7#eb         
,u4,s4,c4 #baaaa7 is amended by striking
 and #cjc and inserting #cjc1 and       
#cjc;,a4  7c7 ,clerical amendment ,the  
table of contents of such ,act is       
amended by inserting after the item     
relating to section #cjc the following  
new item3  ,sec4 #cjc;,a4 ,uniform      
availability of absentee voting to all  
voters4  4  #c4 ,election mail  7a7     
,treatment of ballots as first-,class   
mail ,any ballot in an election for     
public office sent in the ,united       
,states mails shall be categorized1     
handled1 and delivered as first-class   
mail by the ,united ,states ,postal     
,service4  7b7 ,policy on postmarks ,it 

shall be the policy of the ,united      
,states ,postal ,service to postmark1   
which shall include any imprinted       
indicia from the ,postal ,service that  
indicates the date of receipt1 all      
election mail processed by the ,postal  
,service4  7c7 ,same-,day processing    
,the ,united ,states ,postal ,service   
shall ensure1 to the maximum extent     
practical1 that election mail is        
processed and cleared from any postal   
facility or post office on the same day 
it is received at such a facility or    
post office4  #d4 ,application of ,help 
,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb to         
,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana 
,islands  7a7 ,application to           
,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana 
,islands ,section #ija of the ,help     
,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb       
,u4,s4,c4 #baada7 is amended by striking
 and the ,united ,states ,virgin        
,islands and inserting the ,united      
,states ,virgin ,islands1 and the       
,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana 

,islands4  7b7 ,conforming amendments   
,such ,act is further amended as        
follows3 7#a7 ,the second sentence of   
section #bac7;a77#b7 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4     
#bjidc7;a77#b77 is amended by striking  
and ,american ,samoa and inserting      
,american ,samoa1 and the ,commonwealth 
of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands4     
7#b7 ,section #beb7;c77#b7 7#eb         
,u4,s4,c4 #bajjb7;c77#b77 is amended by 
striking or the ,united ,states ,virgin 
,islands and inserting the ,united      
,states ,virgin ,islands1 or the        
,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana 
,islands4