H.R. 738

119 HR 738 IH: Universal Right To Vote by Mail Act of 2025
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2025-01-24
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 I  119th CONGRESS  1st Session  H. R. 738  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES   January 24, 2025   Ms. Salinas  (for herself,  Ms. Norton ,  Mr. Cleaver ,  Mr. Vargas ,  Mrs. Dingell ,  Mr. Mullin ,  Mr. Johnson of Georgia ,  Ms. Tlaib , and  Mr. Pocan ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the  Committee on House Administration    A BILL
To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to allow all eligible voters to vote by mail in Federal elections.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Universal Right To Vote by Mail Act of 2025  .
2.
Findings
Congress finds the following:
(1)
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 not.
(2)
Many voters often have work, family, or other commitments that make getting to polls on the date of an election difficult or impossible. Under current State laws, many of these voters are not permitted to vote by mail.
(3)
36 States and the District of Columbia currently allow universal absentee voting (also known as  no-excuse  absentee voting), which permits any voter to request a mail-in ballot without providing a reason for the request, and no State which has implemented no-excuse absentee voting has switched back.
(4)
Voting by mail gives voters more time to consider their choices, 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 States.
(5)
Allowing all voters the option to vote by mail can lead to increased voter participation.
(6)
Allowing all voters the option to vote by mail can reduce waiting times for those voters who choose to vote at the polls.
(7)
Voting by mail is preferable to many voters as an alternative to going to the polls. 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 Day.
(8)
No evidence exists suggesting the potential for fraud in absentee balloting is greater than the potential for fraud by any other method of voting.
(9)
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 health, travel plans, or religious activities, which violate voters’ privacy while doing nothing to prevent voter fraud.
(10)
State laws which require voters to obtain a notary signature to vote by mail only add cost and inconvenience to voters without increasing security.
3.
Promoting ability of voters to vote by mail in Federal elections
(a)
In general
Subtitle A of title III of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 ( 52 U.S.C. 21081 et seq. ) is amended by inserting after section 303 the following new section:
303A.
Promoting ability of voters to vote by mail
(a)
In General
If an individual in a State is eligible to cast a vote in an election for Federal office, the State may not impose any additional conditions or requirements on the eligibility of the individual to cast the vote in such election by mail, except to the extent that the State imposes a deadline for requesting the 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 official.
(b)
Notice and opportunity To cure discrepancy or defect
(1)
Notice and opportunity to cure discrepancy in signatures
If an individual submits a mail-in ballot or an absentee ballot and the appropriate State or local election official determines that a discrepancy exists between the signature on such ballot and the signature of such individual on the official list of registered voters in the State or other official record or document used by the State to verify the signatures of voters, such election official, prior to making a final determination as to the validity of such ballot, shall—
(A)
as soon as practical, but not later than the next business day after such determination is made, make a good faith effort to notify the individual by mail, telephone, and (if available) text message and electronic mail that—
(i)
a discrepancy exists between the signature on such ballot and the signature of the individual on the official list of registered voters in the State or other official record or document used by the State to verify the signatures of voters; and
(ii)
if such discrepancy is not cured prior to the expiration of the third day following the State's deadline for receiving mail-in ballots or absentee ballots, such ballot will not be counted; and
(B)
cure such discrepancy and count the ballot if, prior to the expiration of the third day following the State's deadline for receiving mail-in ballots or absentee ballots, the individual provides the official with information to cure such discrepancy, either in person, by telephone, or by electronic methods.
(2)
Notice and opportunity to cure missing signature or other defect
If an individual submits a mail-in ballot or an absentee ballot without a signature or submits a mail-in ballot or an absentee ballot with another defect which, if left uncured, would cause the ballot to not be counted, the appropriate State or local election official, prior to making a final determination as to the validity of the ballot, shall—
(A)
as soon as practical, but not later than the next business day after such determination is made, make a good faith effort to notify the individual by mail, telephone, and (if available) text message and electronic mail that—
(i)
the ballot did not include a signature or has some other defect; and
(ii)
if the individual does not provide the missing signature or cure the other defect prior to the expiration of the third day following the State's deadline for receiving mail-in ballots or absentee ballots, such ballot will not be counted; and
(B)
count the ballot if, prior to the expiration of the third day following the State's deadline for receiving mail-in ballots or absentee ballots, the individual provides the official with the missing signature on a form proscribed by the State or cures the other defect.
 This paragraph does not apply with respect to a defect consisting of the failure of a ballot to meet the applicable deadline for the acceptance of the ballot under State law.
(c)
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 ballots on the date of the election.
(d)
Effective Date
A State shall be required to comply with the requirements of this section with respect to elections for Federal office held in years beginning with 2026.
 .
(b)
Conforming amendment relating to enforcement
Section 401 of such Act ( 52 U.S.C. 21111 ) is amended by striking  and 304  and inserting  303A, and 304 .
(c)
Clerical amendment
The table of contents for such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 303 the following new item:
Sec. 303A. Promoting ability of voters to vote by mail.
  .