Helping Heroes Vote Act of 2013

Summary: Helping Heroes Vote Act of 2013 - Amends the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (the Act) to direct the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to notify the appropriate election official of the state in which a servicemember is registered to vote of any change in the servicemember's current mailing address due to being deployed on active duty for more than 30 days away from his or her permanent duty station or being redeployed without first returning to such duty station. Repeals a state's authority to waive ballot transmission requirements with respect to absentee military voters and overseas citizens who request such ballots within 45 days of a federal election. Requires the use of express delivery in the case of a failure to meet such requirement. Requires each state to establish alternative procedures to accept and process absentee ballots of military voters and overseas citizens in the event of a major disaster in that state. Prohibits a state from refusing to accept voter registration and absentee ballot applications from overseas voters (under current law, only from absent servicemember voters) on the grounds of early submission. Authorizes additional funding to carry out the Act.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Helping Heroes Vote Act of 2013''.

SEC. 2. PROVISION OF INFORMATION TO ELECTION OFFICIALS ON DEPLOYMENTS 
              OF ABSENT UNIFORMED SERVICES VOTERS.

    (a) Requiring Secretary of Defense To Provide Information.--Section 
101(b) of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 
U.S.C. 1973ff(b)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (10);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (11) and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(12) to the greatest extent practicable, notify the 
        appropriate election official of the State in which an absent 
        uniformed services voter is registered to vote of any change in 
        the current mailing address of the voter which results from the 
        voter being deployed on active duty for a period of more than 
        30 days from the voter's permanent duty station or redeployed 
        from such a deployment without first returning to the voter's 
        permanent duty station.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to deployments or redeployments occurring on or 
after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. REVISIONS TO 45-DAY ABSENTEE BALLOT TRANSMISSION RULE.

    (a) Repeal of Waiver Authority.--
            (1) In general.--Section 102 of the Uniformed and Overseas 
        Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff-1) is amended by 
        striking subsection (g).
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Section 102(a)(8)(A) of such Act 
        (42 U.S.C. 1973ff-1(a)(8)(A)) is amended by striking ``except 
        as provided in subsection (g),''.
    (b) Requiring Use of Express Delivery in Case of Failure To Meet 
Requirement.--Section 102 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff-1), as amended 
by subsection (a), is amended by inserting after subsection (f) the 
following new subsection:
    ``(g) Requiring Use of Express Delivery in Case of Failure To 
Transmit Ballots Within Deadlines.--
            ``(1) Transmission of ballot by express delivery.--If a 
        State fails to meet the requirement of subsection (a)(8)(A) to 
        transmit a validly requested absentee ballot to an absent 
        uniformed services voter or overseas voter not later than 45 
        days before the election (in the case in which the request is 
        received at least 45 days before the election)--
                    ``(A) the State shall transmit the ballot to the 
                voter by express delivery; or
                    ``(B) in the case of a voter who has designated 
                that absentee ballots be transmitted electronically in 
                accordance with subsection (f)(1), the State shall 
                transmit the ballot to the voter electronically.
            ``(2) Special rule for transmission fewer than 40 days 
        before the election.--If, in carrying out paragraph (1), a 
        State transmits an absentee ballot to an absent uniformed 
        services voter or overseas voter fewer than 40 days before the 
        election, the State shall enable the ballot to be returned by 
        the voter by express delivery, except that in the case of an 
        absentee ballot of an absent uniformed services voter for a 
        regularly scheduled general election for Federal office, the 
        State may satisfy the requirement of this paragraph by 
        notifying the voter of the procedures for the collection and 
        delivery of such ballots under section 103A.''.
    (c) Clarification of Treatment of Weekends.--Section 102(a)(8)(A) 
of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff-1(a)(8)(A)) is amended by striking ``the 
election;'' and inserting the following: ``the election (or, if the 
45th day preceding the election is a weekend or legal public holiday, 
not later than the most recent weekday which precedes such 45th day and 
which is not a legal public holiday, but only if the request is 
received by at least such most recent weekday);''.
    (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply with respect to elections occurring on or after January 1, 2014.

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF ALTERNATIVE PROCEDURES TO ACCEPT AND PROCESS 
              ABSENTEE BALLOTS OF MILITARY VOTERS AND OVERSEAS CITIZENS 
              IN EVENT OF MAJOR DISASTERS.

    (a) Responsibilities of State Election Officials.--Section 102(a) 
of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 U.S.C. 
1973ff-1(a)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (10);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (11) and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(12) establish procedures to ensure the effective and 
        timely acceptance and processing of absentee ballots 
        transmitted by absent uniformed services voters and overseas 
        voters in the event of a major disaster (as defined in section 
        102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
        Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122)) in the State.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to elections for Federal office held on or after the 
date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 5. PROHIBITION OF REFUSAL TO ACCEPT VOTER REGISTRATION AND 
              ABSENTEE BALLOT APPLICATIONS FROM OVERSEAS VOTERS ON 
              GROUNDS OF EARLY SUBMISSION.

    Section 104 of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff-3) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``or overseas voter'' after ``absent 
        uniformed services voter''; and
            (2) by striking ``uniformed services.'' and inserting 
        ``uniformed services or who do not reside outside the United 
        States.''.

SEC. 6. ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO CARRY OUT UOCAVA.

    (a) Funding.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
Presidential designee under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens 
Absentee Voting Act $25,000,000 to carry out the requirements of such 
Act.
    (b) Treatment of Funds.--Any amounts appropriated pursuant to the 
authorization under subsection (a)--
            (1) shall be in addition to any other amounts appropriated 
        to the Presidential designee under the Uniformed and Overseas 
        Citizens Absentee Voting Act pursuant to any other 
        authorization under law; and
            (2) shall remain available until expended.