[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2847 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2847
To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to allow all eligible voters
to vote by mail in Federal elections, to amend the National Voter
Registration Act of 1993 to streamline the procedures under which
individuals may apply to register to vote in such elections through
State motor vehicle authorities, to permit automatic voter registration
through such authorities for eligible citizens of the United States,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 10, 2025
Ms. Hoyle of Oregon (for herself, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Carson, Ms. Chu,
Mr. Deluzio, Ms. Dexter, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Norton, Ms.
Salinas, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Veasey, and Mrs.
Watson Coleman) introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee
on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, 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 2002 to allow all eligible voters
to vote by mail in Federal elections, to amend the National Voter
Registration Act of 1993 to streamline the procedures under which
individuals may apply to register to vote in such elections through
State motor vehicle authorities, to permit automatic voter registration
through such authorities for eligible citizens of the United States,
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 ``Vote at Home Act of 2025''.
SEC. 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 and waiting in line on
the date of an election difficult or impossible. Many citizens
with disabilities are physically unable to vote due to long
lines, inadequate parking, no curb cuts, steep ramps, and large
crowds. In the 2022 election, the Election Assistance
Commission found that 20 percent of voters with disabilities
faced difficulties voting in person.
(3) In 2020, despite a global pandemic, the general
election saw record high turnout as a result of increased vote
by mail options, which allowed voters to cast a ballot and stay
safe at the same time.
(4) 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. No State which has
implemented no-excuse absentee voting has repealed it.
(5) 7 states and Washington, DC, conduct elections entirely
by mail. At least 13 States currently allow some elections to
be conducted by mail, especially in large and rural
jurisdictions where voting by mail is especially convenient.
Polling stations in rural jurisdictions tend to have higher
costs per voter, smaller staffs, and limited resources.
Transportation is often a crucial barrier for rural voters.
(6) In 2020, in order to provide greater accessibility and
to protect the public health, 30 States adopted or changed
their laws for the general election to allow voters to cast
their ballots from home. These changes included removing strict
excuse requirements or allowing COVID-19 concerns to be a valid
excuse to vote absentee, allowing ballot drop boxes, offering
prepaid postage on election mail and proactively sending all
active registered voters applications to request an absentee
ballot, with some even skipping that step and sending the
actual ballots.
(7) 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.
(8) Voting by mail is cost effective. After the State of
Oregon adopted vote by mail for all voters in 1996, the cost to
administer an election in the State dropped by nearly 30
percent over the next few elections, from $3.07 per voter to
$2.21 per voter. After Colorado implemented all-mail balloting
in 2013, voting administration costs decreased by an average of
40 percent. The cost of conducting vote-by-mail elections is
generally one-third to one-half less than conducting polling
place elections. Voting by mail also saves a substantial amount
by getting rid of the temporary labor costs of hiring poll
workers. In addition to that cost, many jurisdictions have been
facing difficulty in obtaining sufficient numbers of poll
workers.
(9) Allowing all voters the option to vote by mail can
reduce waiting times for those voters who choose to vote at the
polls. In 2024, voters in Illinois reported waiting in line up
to 4 hours to vote; in Pennsylvania, voters reported waiting
more than 6 hours to cast a ballot.
(10) Voting by mail is preferable to many voters as an
alternative to going to the polls. In 2024, nearly 30 percent
of ballots in the United States were cast by mail, up from 10
percent in 2000. 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, as it reduces the
physical obstacles and eases the time constraints connected
with the act of voting.
(11) Despite attempts to claim that voting by mail is
susceptible to fraud, it is not. Strategies such as the
tracking systems for ballots 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 elections. Evidence of undue
influence or voter coercion after vote-by-mail implementation
in Oregon has been nonexistent to minimal.
(12) 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.
(13) State laws which require voters to obtain a notary
signature to vote by mail only add cost and inconvenience to
voters without increasing security.
(14) Vote-by-mail typically increases turnout in all
elections, but can be particularly effective in increasing
voter participation in special elections and primary elections.
Oregon, Washington, and Colorado, 3 States with entirely vote
by mail systems, continue to have consistently high voter
turnout rates.
(15) A crucial component of a modern voting system is
making it easy, affordable, and accessible to register to vote.
24 States and the District of Columbia have enacted automatic
voter registration policies, with Oregon and California
becoming the first to automatically register their citizens to
vote when they apply for a driver's license. Automatic,
permanent voter registration has the potential to increase
participation, protect election integrity, and reduce
registration costs.
SEC. 3. PROMOTING ABILITY OF VOTERS TO VOTE BY MAIL IN FEDERAL
ELECTIONS.
(a) Voting by Mail in Federal Elections.--
(1) 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:
``SEC. 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) Provision of Ballot Materials.--Not later than 2 weeks before
the date of any election for Federal office, each State shall mail
ballots to individuals who are registered to vote in such election.
``(c) 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 (including for privacy and independence) as for other
voters.
``(d) 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.
``(e) 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.''.
(2) 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''.
(3) 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.''.
(b) Free Postage for Voting by Mail.--
(1) In general.--Chapter 34 of title 39, United States
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 3407. Ballots provided for voting in Federal elections
``Blank ballots mailed pursuant to section 303A(b) of the Help
America Vote Act of 2002 which are mailed by a State or local election
official (individually or in bulk) to a voter, and voted ballots which
are mailed by a voter to an election official, shall be carried
expeditiously and free of postage.''.
(2) Technical and conforming amendments.--
(A) Table of sections.--The table of sections for
chapter 34 of title 39, United States Code, is amended
by adding at the end the following:
``3407. Ballots provided for voting in Federal elections.''.
(B) Authorization of appropriations.--Section
2401(c) of title 39, United States Code, is amended by
striking ``3403 through 3406'' and inserting ``3403
through 3407''.
SEC. 4. VOTER REGISTRATION THROUGH STATE MOTOR VEHICLE AUTHORITIES.
(a) Streamlining Existing Procedures.--Section 5 of the National
Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20504) is amended to read as
follows:
``SEC. 5. VOTER REGISTRATION THROUGH MOTOR VEHICLE AUTHORITY.
``(a) Streamlined Registration Through Application for Driver's
License.--
``(1) In general.--Each State shall include a voter
registration application form for elections for Federal office
as part of an application for a State motor vehicle driver's
license for each applicable individual other than an applicable
individual described in subsection (b)(1).
``(2) Forms and procedures.--The voter registration
application portion of an application for a State motor vehicle
driver's license--
``(A) may not require any information that
duplicates information required in the driver's license
portion of the form;
``(B) may require only the minimum amount of
information necessary to--
``(i) prevent duplicate voter
registrations; and
``(ii) enable State election officials to
assess the eligibility of an applicable
individual and to administer voter
registration;
``(C) shall include a statement that--
``(i) states each eligibility requirement
(including citizenship);
``(ii) contains an attestation that the
applicant meets each such requirement; and
``(iii) requires the signature of the
applicant, under penalty of perjury;
``(D) shall include--
``(i) a statement that, if an applicant
declines to register to vote, the fact that the
applicant has declined to register will remain
confidential and will be used only for voter
registration purposes; and
``(ii) a statement that if an applicant
does register to vote, the office at which the
applicant submits a voter registration
application will remain confidential and will
be used only for voter registration purposes;
and
``(E) shall be made available (as submitted by the
applicant, or in machine readable or other format) to
the appropriate State election official as provided by
State law--
``(i) subject to clause (ii), not later
than 10 days after the date of acceptance; or
``(ii) if a registration application is
accepted within 5 days before the last day for
registration to vote in an election, not later
than 5 days after the date of acceptance.
``(3) Treatment of attestations of eligibility.--For
purposes of an application for voter registration with respect
to elections for Federal office in a State under this
subsection, an attestation of eligibility, including an
attestation that the applicant is a United States citizen,
shall be treated as the presumptive minimum amount of
information necessary for the State to assess the eligibility
of an applicable individual to vote in such elections and for
the State to administer voter registration, except that a State
shall prevent the completion of or reject the voter
registration application of an applicable individual based upon
reliable information in its possession demonstrating that the
individual is not a United States citizen or is otherwise
ineligible to register to vote in elections for Federal office
in the State at the time of the application for a motor vehicle
driver's license.
``(b) Automatic Registration of Eligible Citizens.--
``(1) Duties of motor vehicle authority.--Each State motor
vehicle authority shall transmit the voter registration
information described in paragraph (2) with respect to an
applicable individual to the appropriate election official if--
``(A) such individual has presented a document as
part of an application for a State motor vehicle
driver's license (including a document presented in a
previous application retained by the State's motor
vehicle authority) demonstrating that the individual is
a United States citizen; or
``(B) based on information provided to the State
motor vehicle authority by the appropriate election
official, such individual is currently registered to
vote in elections for Federal office in the State.
``(2) Voter registration information described.--The voter
registration information transmitted by the State motor vehicle
authority described in this paragraph is, with respect to an
applicable individual, the minimum amount of information
necessary to--
``(A) prevent duplicate voter registrations;
``(B) enable State election officials to assess the
eligibility of such an individual who is not at that
time registered to vote in elections for Federal office
in the State and to administer voter registration; and
``(C) enable State election officials to update the
address of such an individual who is currently
registered to vote in elections for Federal office in
the State.
``(3) Deadline for transmission to election official.--The
voter registration information described in paragraph (2) shall
be made available (in machine readable or other format) to the
appropriate State election official as provided by State law--
``(A) subject to subparagraph (B), not later than
10 days after the date of acceptance; or
``(B) if the voter registration information is
accepted within 5 days before the last day for
registration to vote in an election, not later than 5
days after the date of acceptance.
``(4) Determination of registration status by election
officials receiving information.--Upon receiving the voter
registration information with respect to an individual under
paragraph (1), the appropriate State election official shall
determine--
``(A) whether such individual is at that time
registered to vote in elections for Federal office in
the State;
``(B) if the individual is at that time registered
to vote in such elections, the address at which the
individual is registered; and
``(C) if the individual at that time is not
registered to vote in elections for Federal office in
the State, whether such individual is eligible to vote
in such elections, including as provided by section