,,ii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dgjg ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #bd1 #bjbj,mr4 ,scott of ,florida introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,rules and ,administration ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb to provide ,federal standards for mail-in ballots and reporting of election results with respect to elections for ,federal office4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,verifiable1 ,orderly1 and ,timely ,election ,results ,act4 #b4 ,federal standards for mail-in ballots 7a7 ,in general ,title ,,iii of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjija et seq47 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating sections #cjd and #cje as sections #cje and #cjf1 respectively2 and 7#b7 by inserting after section #cjc the following new section3 #cjd4 ,federal standards for mail-in ballots 7a7 ,in general ,when otherwise permitted by ,state law1 any vote-by-mail system used in an election for ,federal office must be designed and implemented to ensure a secure1 uniform1 and timely system to cast a mail-in ballot in accordance with this section4 7b7 ,requests 7#a7 ,in general ,requests for a mail-in ballot under such system may be submitted electronically or by postal mail using a standardized form approved for such requests by the chief ,state election official4 7#b7 ,request ,the form for such requests must enable an election official who receives the request to confirm-- 7,a7 the identity of the individual submitting the request2 7,b7 that the individual is validly registered to vote in the jurisdiction where the request is submitted2 and 7,c7 that the individual continues to reside at the physical address where the individual is registered to vote 7if different than the mailing address where the ballot is requested to be sent74 7#c7 ,deadline for submission ,such request must be submitted by an individual and received by the office of the ,state or local election supervisor not later than #ba days before the date of the election for ,federal office4 7#d7 ,mailing of ballots ,upon receipt of such a request1 the ,state or local election supervisor shall fulfill the request by mailing a mail-in ballot to the individual within #c days4 7c7 ,requirements for ,state or local election officials ,the office of the ,state or local election supervisor shall-- 7#a7 record the total number of mail-in ballots sent to voters pursuant to this section2 and 7#b7 include a notation on the voter rolls maintained by the office and provided to the individual polling locations1 which identifies that a voter has received a mail-in ballot and the date that mail-in ballot was sent to the voter4 7d7 ,ballot requirements 7#a7 ,in general ,to be considered validly cast and eligible to be counted in an election for ,federal office1 a mail-in ballot must-- 7,a7 be marked using blue or black ink1 and properly designate the individual's vote for each candidate2 7,b7 be signed by the individual using the same signature the individual used to register to vote2 7,c7 be dated2 7,d7 be received by the appropriate election official no later than the time polls close on the date of the election2 7,e7 include an attestation1 signed by the individual1 that the individual submitting the mail-in ballot is-- 7i7 the individual to whom the ballot was mailed2 7ii7 registered to vote in the jurisdiction where the ballot is being submitted2 and 7iii7 submitting the mail-in ballot in lieu of casting a ballot in-person1 and will not attempt to cast a ballot in-person after submitting the mail-in ballot4 7#b7 ,return of ballots in-person ,an individual may choose to return a mail-in ballot in-person to the polling place where the individual is registered to vote in lieu of returning the ballot by mail4 7e7 ,option ,to vote in-,person 7#a7 ,in general ,an individual who receives a mail-in ballot with respect to an election for ,federal office may instead vote in-person in such election if the individual turns in the blank or incomplete mail-in ballot received by the individual to the polling location where the individual plans to vote in-person4 7#b7 ,provisional ballot ,if the individual attempts to vote in-person but does not bring their blank or incomplete mail-in ballot to the polling location1 the individual shall be directed to complete a provisional ballot4 7f7 ,persons permitted ,to possess mail-,in ballots 7#a7 ,in general ,it shall be unlawful for any person to possess or return a mail-in ballot completed by another person1 except as provided in this subsection4 7#b7 ,immediate family member 7,a7 ,in general ,a person may possess or return a mail-in ballot completed by an immediate family member1 provided that the person does not possess more than two such completed mail-in ballots other than his or her own4 7,b7 ,definition of immediate family member ,in this paragraph1 the term immediate family member means the spouse1 child1 parent1 grandparent1 or sibling of the person4 7#c7 ,caregiver 7,a7 ,in general ,a caregiver may possess or return a mail-in ballot completed by a person under the supervision or care of the caregiver1 provided that the caregiver does not possess more than two such completed mail-in ballots other than his or her own4 7,b7 ,definition of caregiver ,in this paragraph1 the term caregiver means an individual who has the responsibility for the care of an older individual1 either voluntarily1 by contract1 by receipt of payment for care1 or as a result of the operation of law and means an individual who provides 7on behalf of such individual or of a public or private agency1 organization1 or institution7 compensated or uncompensated care to an older individual4 7#d7 ,incidental possession excepted ,the prohibition under paragraph 7#a7 shall not apply to the incidental possession of mail-in ballots by a postal worker or election official acting within the scope of his or her official capacity4 7#e7 ,penalty ,any person who violates this subsection shall be fined under title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code1 or imprisoned not more than #a year1 or both4 7g7 ,effective date ,this section shall apply with respect to elections for ,federal office held after the date of the enactment of this section4 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 #cjd4 #c4 ,federal standards for reporting election results 7a7 ,in general ,title ,,iii of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjija et seq471 as amended by section #b7;a71 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating sections #cje and #cjf as sections #cjf and #cjg1 respectively2 and 7#b7 by inserting after section #cjd the following new section3 #cje4 ,federal standards for reporting election results 7a7 ,in general ,the chief ,state election official shall ensure that ballots validly cast in an election for ,federal office are able to be counted and reported in a timely manner as follows3 7#a7 ,mail-in ballots received prior to the date of the election shall be counted beginning at the time polls open on the date of the election4 7#b7 ,one hour after polls close on the date of the election1 each voting precinct shall report to the chief ,state election official the following3 7,a7 ,the total number of mail-in ballots received by the voting precinct4 7,b7 ,the total number of ballots cast in-person in the voting precinct4 7,c7 ,of the ballots reported under subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b71 the number of such ballots that have been counted and the number of such ballots that remain to be counted4 7#c7 ,all ballots validly cast in an election for ,federal office shall be counted and reported within #bd hours after the conclusion of voting on the date of the election4 7b7 ,effective date ,this section shall apply with respect to elections for ,federal office held after the date of the enactment of this section4 4 7b7 ,conforming amendment relating to enforcement ,section #dja of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #baaaa71 as amended by section #b7;b71 is amended by striking and #cjd and inserting #cjd1 and #cje4