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Adds a new section 313 (Uniform deadline for acceptance of mailed ballots) to Subtitle C of title III of the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
Amends section 401 of the Help America Vote Act by inserting additional text immediately before the final period of the section (the inserted text is not specified in this section).
In subsection (a) (as redesignated to section 321(a)), strikes the cross-reference 'section 312' and inserts 'section 322' to reflect the redesignation of sections.
Adds new section 3407, 'Same-day processing of ballots', requiring the Postal Service to ensure ballots carried by the Postal Service are processed and cleared from any postal facility or post office on the same day received; defines 'ballot' and 'election for Federal office' and excludes ballots covered by section 3406.
Amends the heading for chapter 34 of title 39 by striking and inserting a revised heading.
Amends the table of chapters for part IV of title 39 by replacing the item relating to chapter 34.
Amends the table of sections for chapter 34 of title 39 by adding at the end a new item for section 3407.
Adds new section 3409 to chapter 34 of title 39 establishing definitions for 'election for Federal office' and 'election mail'; requires election mail be carried in accordance with first-class service standards; requires completed absentee and other mail-in ballots to be carried free of postage; restricts certain operational changes by the Postal Service during the 120-day period ending on the date of a Federal election; and requires appointment of an Election Mail Coordinator at each area and district office.
Amends 39 U.S.C. 2401(c) to include newly added section 3409 in the list of sections for which the Postal Service may be reimbursed for revenue forgone.
Amends the table of sections for title 39 by adding chapter 34 (including the newly enacted section 3409) at the end.
And 1 more affected section...
Requires the Postal Service to prioritize, mark, and expedite absentee and other election mail and sets rules to make ballots more visible during processing. It bans operational changes that would slow election mail in the 120 days before a federal election, requires local USPS Election Mail Coordinators, mandates yearly consultations with Indian Tribes about voting barriers on Indian lands, and directs states to count ballots mailed on or before election day if received within seven days after the election (effective beginning with the November 2026 general election). Implementation timelines vary by provision.
The Postal Service must ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that any ballot carried by the Postal Service is processed by and cleared from any postal facility or post office on the same day that the ballot is received by that postal facility or post office.
Defines "ballot" to mean any ballot transmitted by a voter by mail in an election for Federal office, but explicitly excludes any ballot covered by section 3406.
Defines "election for Federal office" to mean a general, special, primary, or runoff election for the offices of President or Vice President, or of Senator or Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress.
Amends the chapter heading in title 39 (chapter 34) by striking and inserting revised text (technical/conforming change to reflect the new section).
Amends the table of chapters for part IV of title 39 by striking the item relating to chapter 34 and inserting a revised item (technical/conforming change).
Who is affected and how:
Voters (especially absentee/mail-in voters): Primary beneficiaries. Faster and more-visible handling of ballots, plus a requirement that ballots mailed by election day be processed if received within seven days, should reduce ballots rejected solely for arriving after Election Day and increase the odds that timely-mailed ballots are counted.
United States Postal Service and postal employees: Must change operations, staffing, and daily processing procedures to prioritize same-day clearance of ballots where practicable, mark envelopes with dates, maintain handling standards, and avoid service changes that could delay election mail. These requirements may increase workload and require new training and local coordinators.
State and local election officials: Must accept and process ballots that were mailed by election day and arrive within seven days, even if prior state practice rejected such ballots; will need closer coordination with USPS and may need to update administrative practices and guidance for voters.
Federally recognized Indian Tribes and voters on Indian lands: Benefit from a mandated annual consultation with the Postmaster General intended to identify and reduce voting barriers tied to mail service on Indian lands.
Election administrators and local governments: Expected to coordinate with USPS Election Mail Coordinators, integrate mailbox/processing date marks into verification, and adjust chain-of-custody and ballot-processing workflows.
Legal and political environment: Provisions that require uniform USPS treatment of election mail and mandate state acceptance of certain late-arriving ballots are likely to prompt legal challenges or disputes in some jurisdictions and can be politically contentious; states retaining longer acceptance windows are not precluded.
Net effects and tradeoffs:
Implementation considerations:
Election Mail Act
Expand sections to see detailed analysis
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
Introduced July 31, 2025 by Amy Klobuchar · Last progress July 31, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
Introduced in Senate