Sponsors (9)
The bill aims to improve absentee voting access and reduce ballot disenfranchisement for uniformed and overseas voters through GAO study and targeted recommendations, at the cost of modest federal spending, added administrative work, and use of GAO resources.
Members of the Armed Forces and their families will receive clearer information and better coordination for transmitting and counting absentee ballots, reducing the chance of disqualified ballots and helping preserve their right to vote.
The bill directs identification of gaps and provides actionable steps with cost estimates for military Secretaries to improve voter registration and assistance across services, making it easier for uniformed voters to access absentee voting.
A GAO report will give Congress evidence-based findings to inform oversight or future legislation to strengthen absentee voting protections for overseas and uniformed voters.
Taxpayers and the military may face additional costs if recommendations to expand voter assistance are implemented, requiring budgetary trade-offs or new spending.
Collecting data and coordinating implementation could create added administrative burdens for military departments and state/local election offices during rollout, increasing workload and potential short-term disruption.
Requiring a GAO study and analysis consumes GAO resources and staff time, creating opportunity costs that could delay or divert other audits and reports.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires GAO to analyze absentee voting implementation for uniformed and overseas voters and study ways to improve voter-registration assistance for service members and families, with a report due Sept 30, 2027.
Introduced July 21, 2025 by Laurel Lee · Last progress July 21, 2025
Requires the Government Accountability Office to review how the federal government implements absentee voting for uniformed and overseas voters and to study ways to improve voter registration information and assistance for service members and their families. The GAO must analyze ballot transmission, counting and rejection rates, the effectiveness of Voting Assistance Officers, and awareness/delivery of required registration assistance, and deliver a report to two congressional committees by September 30, 2027.