[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8499 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8499

 To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to establish requirements 
for voting by absentee ballot in elections for Federal office, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 22, 2024

 Mr. Grothman 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 establish requirements 
for voting by absentee ballot in elections for Federal office, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Clean Elections in America Act''.

SEC. 2. REQUIREMENTS WITH RESPECT TO VOTING BY ABSENTEE BALLOT.

    (a) Requirements.--Title III of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 
(52 U.S.C. 21081 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating sections 304 and 305 as sections 305 
        and 306, respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after section 303 the following new 
        section:

``SEC. 304. REQUIREMENTS WITH RESPECT TO VOTING BY ABSENTEE BALLOT.

    ``(a) Individuals Eligible To Receive Absentee Ballot.--
            ``(1) Excusable reasons to receive absentee ballot.--A 
        State may not provide to an individual an absentee ballot to 
        vote in an election for Federal office unless such individual 
        meets the application requirements described in paragraph (2) 
        and is unable to vote in person at the appropriate polling 
        place in the State on the date of the election for any of the 
        following reasons:
                    ``(A) The business or occupation of the individual 
                prevents such individual from voting in person on the 
                date of the election.
                    ``(B) The individual is unable to vote in person on 
                the date of the election because such individual 
                provides care to a parent, spouse, or child with an 
                illness, disability, or injury that requires constant 
                care.
                    ``(C) The individual suffers from a physical 
                ailment, or is an individual with a disability, that 
                substantially limits the ability of the individual to 
                vote in person.
                    ``(D) The individual will be absent from the 
                jurisdiction in which the individual is registered to 
                vote on the date of the election.
                    ``(E) The individual is entitled to vote by 
                absentee ballot under any other Federal law.
            ``(2) Application requirements.--A State may not provide to 
        an individual an absentee ballot to vote in an election for 
        Federal office unless--
                    ``(A) the individual submits an application to the 
                appropriate State or local election official and such 
                application is received by the official not later than 
                noon on the Friday before the date of the election; and
                    ``(B) the application includes--
                            ``(i) the individual's name and address;
                            ``(ii) the reason such individual is unable 
                        to vote in person at the appropriate polling 
                        place in the State on the date of the election 
                        and such reason is an excusable reason 
                        described in paragraph (1); and
                            ``(iii) a sworn written statement attesting 
                        to the individual's identity.
    ``(b) Effective Date.--This section shall apply with respect to 
each election for Federal office held after the date of the enactment 
of this section.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment Relating to Enforcement.--Section 401 of 
the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21111) is amended by 
striking ``and 303'' and inserting ``303, and 304''.
    (c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents of such Act is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating the items relating to sections 304 and 
        305 as relating to sections 305 and 306; and
            (2) by inserting after the item relating to section 303 the 
        following new item:

``Sec. 304. Requirements with respect to voting by absentee ballot.''.
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