[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 98 (Wednesday, June 12, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S3406]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 314. Mr. CORNYN (for himself, Mr. King, Mr. Tillis, and Ms. 
Duckworth) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the 
bill S. 1790, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2020 for 
military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place in title V, insert the following:

     SEC. ____. INFORMATION AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR REGISTRATION FOR 
                   VOTING AND ABSENTEE BALLOT REQUESTS FOR MEMBERS 
                   OF THE ARMED FORCES UNDERGOING DEPLOYMENT 
                   OVERSEAS.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 45 days prior to a general 
     election for Federal office, a member of the Armed Forces 
     shall be provided with the following:
       (1) A Federal write-in absentee ballot prescribed pursuant 
     to section 103 of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens 
     Absentee Voting Act (52 U.S.C. 20303), together with 
     instructions on the appropriate use of the ballot with 
     respect to the State in which the member is registered to 
     vote.
       (2) In the case of a member intending to vote in a State 
     that does not accept the Federal write-in absentee ballot as 
     a simultaneous application and acceptable ballot for Federal 
     elections, a briefing on, and an opportunity to fill out, the 
     official post card form for absentee voter registration 
     application and absentee ballot application prescribed under 
     section 101(b)(2) of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens 
     Absentee Voting Act (52 U.S.C. 20301(b)(2)).
       (b) Personnel Responsible of Discharge.--Ballots and 
     instructions shall be provided pursuant to paragraphs(1) of 
     subsection (a) by Voting Assistance Officers or such other 
     personnel as the Secretary of the military department 
     concerned shall designate.
       (c) Sense of Congress Relating to the Use of the Federal 
     Write-in Absentee Ballot.--
       (1) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
       (A) Servicemembers serving abroad are subject to 
     disproportionate challenges in voting.
       (B) As of May, 2019, only 28 States allow servicemembers to 
     use the Federal write-in absentee ballot as a simultaneous 
     application and acceptable ballot for Federal elections.
       (2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
       (A) Federal and State governments should remove all 
     obstacles that would inhibit deployed servicemembers from 
     voting; and
       (B) States that do not allow servicemembers to use the 
     Federal write-in absentee ballot as a simultaneous 
     application and acceptable ballot for Federal elections 
     should modify their laws to permit such use.
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