,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ib ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #c1 #bjai,mr4 ,blumenauer 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,cicilline1 ,mr4 ,de,fazio1 ,ms4 ,bonamici1 ,mr4 ,schrader1 ,ms4 ,schakowsky1 ,ms4 ,kaptur1 ,mr4 ,deutch1 ,ms4 ,jayapal1 ,ms4 ,sewell of ,alabama1 ,mr4 ,cooper1 ,mr4 ,smith of ,washington1 ,ms4 ,brownley of ,california1 ,mr4 ,carbajal1 ,mr4 ,swalwell of ,california1 and ,ms4 ,norton7 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 allow all eligible voters to vote by mail in ,federal elections1 to amend the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic to provide for automatic voter registration4 #a4 ,short ,title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,vote ,by ,mail ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,an inequity of voting rights exists in the ,united ,states because voters in some ,states have the universal right to vote by mail while voters in other ,states do not4 7#b7 ,many voters often have work1 family1 or other commitments that make getting to polls and waiting in line on the date of an election difficult or impossible4 ,many citizens with disabilities are physically unable to vote due to long lines1 inadequate parking1 no curb cuts1 steep ramps1 and large crowds4 ,in #bjab1 #cj percent of voters with disabilities had difficulty voting1 and more than #e1jjj1jjj voters waited more than an hour to vote4 ,under current ,state laws1 many of these voters are not permitted to vote by mail4 7#c7 ,twenty-eight ,states currently allow universal absentee voting 7also known as no-excuse absentee voting71 which permits any voter to request a mail-in ballot without providing a reason for the request4 ,no ,state which has implemented no-excuse absentee voting has repealed it4 7#d7 ,three ,states currently hold elections entirely by mail4 ,twenty-two ,states currently allow some elections to be conducted by mail1 especially in large and rural jurisdictions where voting by mail is especially convenient4 ,polling stations in rural jurisdictions tend to have higher costs per voter1 smaller staffs1 and limited resources4 ,transportation is often a crucial barrier for rural voters4 7#e7 ,voting by mail gives voters more time to consider their choices1 which is especially important as many ballots contain greater numbers of questions about complex issues than in the past due to the expanded use of the initiative and referendum process in many ,states4 7#f7 ,voting by mail is cost effective4 ,after the ,state of ,oregon adopted vote by mail for all voters in #aiif1 the cost to administer an election in the ,state dropped by nearly #cj percent over the next few elections1 from #c4jg per voter to #b4ba per voter4 ,after ,colorado implemented all-mail balloting in #bjac1 voting administration costs decreased by an average of #dj percent4 ,the cost of conducting vote-by-mail elections is generally one-third to one-half less than conducting polling place elections4 ,voting by mail also saves a substantial amount by getting rid of the temporary labor costs of hiring poll workers4 ,in addition to that cost1 many jurisdictions have been facing difficulty in obtaining sufficient numbers of poll workers4 7#g7 ,allowing all voters the option to vote by mail can reduce waiting times for those voters who choose to vote at the polls4 ,in #bjaf1 voters in ,arizona reported waiting in line from #a to #e hours to vote2 in ,new ,york1 voters reported that stations ran out of ballots and did not have staff during all of the hours scheduled for voting4 7#h7 ,voting by mail is preferable to many voters as an alternative to going to the polls4 ,in #bjaf1 #bd percent of ballots in the ,united ,states were cast by mail1 up from #aj percent in #bjjj4 ,voting by mail has become increasingly popular with voters who want to be certain that they are able to vote no matter what comes up on election day1 as it reduces the physical obstacles and eases the time constraints connected with the act of voting4 7#i7 ,the signature verification process1 the tracking system for each ballot1 and postal service cooperation in preventing ballots from being delivered to names not recognized as receiving mail at an address nearly eliminate the potential for fraud in vote-by-mail elections4 ,evidence of undue influence or voter coercion after vote-by-mail implementation in ,oregon has been nonexistent to minimal4 7#aj7 ,many of the reasons which voters in many ,states are required to provide in order to vote by mail require the revelation of personal information about health1 travel plans1 or religious activities1 which violate voters' privacy while doing nothing to prevent voter fraud4 7#aa7 ,state laws which require voters to obtain a notary signature to vote by mail only add cost and inconvenience to voters without increasing security4 7#ab7 ,many voters choose to cast ballots early when they have the option 7over #ej percent in ,arizona1 ,arkansas1 ,california1 ,colorado1 ,florida1 ,georgia1 ,hawaii1 ,montana1 ,nevada1 ,new ,mexico1 ,north ,carolina1 ,oregon1 ,tennessee1 ,texas1 ,utah1 and ,washington74 ,more than #dj percent of voters in the #bjaf election cast their ballot before election day4 ,in ,oregon1 #g years after vote-by-mail election implementation1 over #hj percent of voters favored the vote-by-mail system4 7#ac7 ,vote by mail typically increases turnout in all elections1 but can be particularly effective in increasing voter participation in special elections and primary elections4 ,oregon and ,washington1 the #b ,states with the longest standing vote-by-mail systems1 continue to have consistently high voter turnout rates4 7#ad7 ,a crucial component of a modern voting system is making it easy1 affordable1 and accessible to register to vote4 ,eighteen ,states and the ,district of ,columbia introduced automatic voter registration legislation in #bjae1 and ,oregon and ,california now automatically register their citizens to vote when they apply for a driver's license4 ,automatic1 permanent voter registration has the potential to increase participation1 protect election integrity1 and reduce registration costs4 #c4 ,promoting ability of voters to vote by mail in ,federal elections 7a7 ,voting by mail in ,federal elections 7#a7 ,in general ,subtitle ,a of 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 ,promoting ability of voters to vote by mail 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 mail1 except to the extent that the ,state imposes a deadline for returning the ballot to the appropriate ,state or local election official4 7b7 ,provision of ballot materials ,not later than #b weeks before the date of any election for ,federal office1 each ,state shall mail ballots to individuals who are registered to vote in such election4 7c7 ,accessibility for individuals with disabilities ,all ballots provided under this section shall be accessible to individuals with disabilities in a manner that provides the same opportunity for access and participation 7including for privacy and independence7 as for other voters4 7d7 ,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 7e7 ,effective ,date ,a ,state shall be required to comply with the requirements of subsection 7a7 with respect to elections for ,federal office held in years beginning with #bjbb4 4 7#b7 ,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 7#c7 ,clerical ,amendment ,the table of contents for such ,act is amended by inserting after the item relating to section #cjc the following new item3 ,sec4 #cjc;,a4 ,promoting ability of voters to vote by mail4 4 7b7 ,free postage for voting by mail 7#a7 ,in general ,chapter #cd of title #ci1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #cdjg4 ,ballots provided for voting in ,federal elections ,ballots mailed pursuant to section #cjc;,a7b7 of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7individually or in bulk7 shall be carried expeditiously and free of postage4 4 7#b7 ,technical and conforming amendments 7,a7 ,table of sections ,the table of sections for chapter #cd of title #ci1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #cdjg4 ,ballots provided for voting in ,federal elections4 4 7,b7 ,authorization of appropriations ,section #bdja7;c7 of title #ci1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by striking #cdjc through #cdjf and inserting #cdjc through #cdjg4 #d4 ,automatic voter registration through ,state motor vehicle authorities 7a7 ,automatic ,voter ,registration ,section #e of the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjejd7 is amended to read as follows3 #e4 ,voter registration through motor vehicle authority 7a7 ,simultaneous application for voter registration and application for motor vehicle driver's license 7#a7 ,transmission of information to election officials ,each ,state's motor vehicle authority1 upon receiving any of the identifying information described in paragraph 7#b7 with respect to any applicable individual1 shall securely transmit the identifying information to the appropriate ,state election official4 7#b7 ,identifying information described ,the identifying information described in this paragraph with respect to any individual is as follows3 7,a7 ,the individual's legal name4 7,b7 ,the individual's age4 7,c7 ,the individual's residence4 7,d7 ,the individual's citizenship status4 7,e7 ,the individual's electronic signature4 7b7 ,duties of officials receiving information 7#a7 ,in general ,upon receiving the identifying information with respect to an applicable individual under subsection 7a71 the appropriate ,state election official shall determine-- 7,a7 whether such individual is eligible to vote in an election for ,federal office2 and 7,b7 whether such individual is currently registered to vote in elections for ,federal office at the address provided in such identifying information4 7#b7 ,notification to ,individuals 7,a7 ,eligible unregistered individuals ,in the case of an applicable individual who is eligible to vote in an election for ,federal office and who is not currently registered to vote1 the appropriate ,state election official shall issue a notification to the individual containing-- 7i7 a statement that1 unless the individual notifies the election official prior to the expiration of the #ba-;calendar-day period which begins on the date the official issued the notification that the individual declines to be registered to vote in elections for ,federal office held in the ,state1 the individual's records and signature will constitute a completed registration for the individual2 and 7ii7 a description of the process by which the individual may decline to be registered to vote in elections for ,federal office in the ,state4 7,b7 ,eligible individuals registered at a different address ,in the case of an applicable individual who is eligible to vote in an election for ,federal office and who is registered to vote in such election at a different address than the address provided in the identifying information1 the appropriate ,state election official shall issue a notification to the individual containing-- 7i7 a statement that1 unless the individual notifies the election official prior to the expiration of the #ba-;calendar-day period which begins on the date the official issued the notification that the address provided in the identifying information should not be used for voter registration purposes1 the address provided in the identifying information shall be used as the individual's address for voter registration purposes2 and 7ii7 a description of the process by which the individual may decline a change of address for voter registration purposes4 7c7 ,automatic ,registration of ,eligible ,individuals2 automatic change of address 7#a7 ,registration ,upon the expiration of the #ba-;calendar-day period which begins on the date the appropriate ,state election official issues a notification to an individual under subsection 7b77#b77;,a71 the official shall ensure that the individual is registered to vote in elections for ,federal office held in the ,state unless-- 7,a7 the official later determines that the individual does not meet the eligibility requirements for registering to vote in such elections2 or 7,b7 prior to the expiration of such #ba-;calendar-day period1 the individual notifies the official that the individual declines to be registered to vote in such elections4 7#b7 ,change of address ,upon the expiration of the #ba-;calendar-day period which begins on the date the appropriate ,state election official issues a notification to an individual under subsection 7b77#b77;,b71 the official shall ensure that the individual is registered to vote in elections for ,federal office at the address provided in the identifying information unless-- 7,a7 the official later determines that the individual does not meet the eligibility requirements for registering to vote in such elections2 or 7,b7 prior to the expiration of such #ba-;calendar-day period1 the individual notifies the official that the individual declines a change of address for voter registration purposes4 7d7 ,applicable individual ,for purposes of this section1 the term applicable individual means any individual who seeks assistance from1 receives benefits from1 or receives service or assistance from a ,state motor vehicle authority that issues motor vehicle driver's licenses4 4 7b7 ,conforming ,amendment ,relating to ,timing of ,registration ,prior to ,elections ,section #h7;a77#a77;,a7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjejg7;a77#a77;,a77 is amended to read as follows3 7,a7 in the case of registration through a motor vehicle authority under section #e1 if the identifying information with respect to the individual is transmitted by the authority to the appropriate ,state election official under section #e7;a77#a7 not later than the lesser of #cj days1 or the period provided by ,state law1 before the date of the election2 4 7c7 ,other ,conforming ,amendment ,section #d7;a77#a7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjejc7;a77#a77 is amended to read as follows3 7#a7 through the ,state motor vehicle authority pursuant to section #e2 4 7d7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this section shall take effect upon the expiration of the #ahj-;day period which begins on the date of the enactment of this ,act4