Supporting Military Voters Act

This bill, called the Supporting Military Voters Act, tells the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study how well the federal government helps service members vote absentee and how to improve access to voter registration information and help for troops and their families. The study will look at how ballots are sent and returned, how often they’re counted or rejected and why, how helpful Voting Assistance Officers are, and how well they work with state and local election officials. It also checks whether service members and families know about and receive the voter registration help the military is supposed to provide, and asks for ideas and cost estimates to make access better. GAO will use existing data and also gather new information through its own interviews and research, and must deliver a report by September 30, 2027.

Key points:

• Who is affected: Service members who vote absentee and their families; Voting Assistance Officers; military departments.
• What changes: GAO study and report on ballot delivery and return, counting and rejection rates, quality of assistance, coordination with election officials, awareness of voter help, plus recommended actions and cost estimates to improve access.
• When: GAO report due by September 30, 2027.