A bill to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require ballots in elections for Federal office to be received by the close of the polls on the date of election.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · July 15, 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
This bill would require all ballots cast in federal elections, including absentee and mail-in ballots, to arrive at election officials by the time polls close on Election Day to be counted as valid. The legislation applies to primary, runoff, and general elections for federal office, though it exempts military voters and U.S. citizens voting from abroad, who would be allowed additional time to submit their ballots. The bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to establish this uniform deadline across all states and would take effect starting with the 2027 federal elections. This change would effectively end the practice in many states of accepting ballots that arrive after Election Day, even if they were postmarked on or before that date. The legislation contains no new federal funding requirements, as it directs states to implement the deadline through their existing election administration processes.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.