[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2082 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2082

  To amend the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act to 
  require States to accept absentee ballots of overseas military and 
   civilian voters which are submitted by the voter to a provider of 
  express mail services not later than the day before the date of the 
 election involved for transmission to the appropriate State election 
  official, to require the Secretary of Defense to reimburse overseas 
   military voters for the costs of using a provider of express mail 
    services to transmit the ballot to the official, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 23, 2009

   Mr. Holt introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                   Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act to 
  require States to accept absentee ballots of overseas military and 
   civilian voters which are submitted by the voter to a provider of 
  express mail services not later than the day before the date of the 
 election involved for transmission to the appropriate State election 
  official, to require the Secretary of Defense to reimburse overseas 
   military voters for the costs of using a provider of express mail 
    services to transmit the ballot to the official, 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 ``Military and Overseas Voting 
Enhancement Act''.

SEC. 2. ACCEPTANCE OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS OF OVERSEAS MILITARY AND 
              CIVILIAN VOTERS USING EXPRESS MAIL SERVICES FOR 
              TRANSMISSION.

    Section 102(a) of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee 
Voting Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff-1(a)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (4);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (5) and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(6) accept and process, with respect to any election for 
        Federal office, any otherwise valid absentee ballot (including 
        the Federal write-in absentee ballot under section 103) from an 
        overseas voter who provides the ballot to a provider of express 
        mail services for transmission to the appropriate State 
        election official not later than the day before the date of the 
        election (as determined on the basis of either a postmark or a 
        dated receipt generated by the provider of express mail 
        services at the time the voter provides the ballot to such 
        provider), so long as the ballot is received by the official 
        prior to the expiration of the 10-day period which begins on 
        the date of the election (or, if longer, such period as may be 
        provided under State law).''.

SEC. 3. REIMBURSEMENT OF COSTS INCURRED BY OVERSEAS MILITARY VOTERS IN 
              USING EXPRESS MAIL SERVICES FOR TRANSMISSION OF ABSENTEE 
              BALLOTS.

    (a) Reimbursement.--Section 101 of the Uniformed and Overseas 
Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff) is amended by adding at 
the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) Reimbursement for Costs Incurred by Overseas Uniformed 
Services Voters in Using Express Mail Services for Transmission of 
Absentee Ballots.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Presidential designee shall make a 
        payment to each eligible overseas voter described in section 
        107(5)(A) whose absentee ballot was transmitted to the 
        appropriate State election official by a provider of express 
        mail services in an amount equal to the reasonable costs 
        incurred by the voter in using the provider to transmit the 
        ballot.
            ``(2) Eligibility of voters.--For purposes of paragraph 
        (1), an overseas voter described in section 107(5)(A) is 
        eligible to receive a payment from the Presidential designee 
        under such paragraph if the voter submits to the Presidential 
        designee (at such time and in such form as the Presidential 
        designee may require) such information and assurances as the 
        Presidential designee may require regarding the voter's use of 
        a provider of express mail services to transmit an absentee 
        ballot and the costs incurred by the voter in using the 
        provider to transmit the ballot.
            ``(3) Authorization of appropriations.--There are 
        authorized to be appropriated to the Presidential designee such 
        sums as may be necessary to carry out this subsection.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 101(b) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
1973ff(b)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (6);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (7) and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(8) make payments to overseas uniformed services voters 
        whose absentee ballots are transmitted to State election 
        officials by providers of express mail services, in accordance 
        with subsection (d).''.

SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall apply with respect to each 
election for Federal office held on or after the date of the enactment 
of this Act.
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