Military VOTE Act

Sponsor: Sean Casten (Democratic-IL)April 22, 2026

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, 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.

Service members and overseas citizens would find it easier to register and vote in federal elections.

This bill would make it simpler for military personnel and Americans living abroad to register to vote and cast their ballots. States would have to accept voter registration forms sent electronically and send ballots electronically if no preference is given. It would also let voters use one application to request absentee ballots for multiple upcoming federal elections.

What Would Change

Today, states are not explicitly required to accept the official federal postcard form electronically or transmit absentee ballots electronically if a voter does not specify a preference. States may also have different rules for accepting applications for subsequent elections or for applications submitted early. After this bill, states would be required to accept the official federal postcard form via electronic means (email or online portal) and transmit absentee ballots electronically if a voter does not indicate a preference. States would also have to allow a single application to serve as an absentee ballot application for subsequent federal elections and would be prohibited from refusing early submissions.

Key Provisions

States would be required to accept the official federal postcard form (for voter registration and absentee ballot requests) when submitted electronically (email or online portal).
States would be required to transmit absentee ballots electronically if an absent uniformed services voter or overseas voter does not specify a preference.
States would be required to allow a single accepted application to serve as a request for absentee ballots for subsequent federal elections (at least the next two for paper ballots, all for electronic ballots).
States would be prohibited from refusing voter registration or absentee ballot applications from service members or overseas voters solely because they were submitted early.
$40,000,000 would be set aside to help states comply with the electronic submission requirement.

View on Congress.gov

HR 8441 · 119th Congress · April 22, 2026 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 7/10

Military VOTE Act

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity