II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1566 

To require information and opportunities for registration for voting and 

absentee ballot requests for members of the Armed Forces who are 

undergoing deployment overseas, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 21, 2019 

Mr. CORNYN (for himself, Mr. KING, Mr. TILLIS, and Ms. DUCKWORTH) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration 

A BILL 

To require information and opportunities for registration for 

voting and absentee ballot requests for members of the 

Armed Forces who are undergoing deployment overseas, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Military Voting Protec5 tion Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. INFORMATION AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR REG2 ISTRATION FOR VOTING AND ABSENTEE BAL3 LOT REQUESTS FOR MEMBERS OF THE 

4 ARMED FORCES UNDERGOING DEPLOYMENT 

5 OVERSEAS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 45 days prior to 

7 a general election for Federal office, a member of the 

8 Armed Forces shall be provided with the following: 

9 (1) A Federal write-in absentee ballot pre10 scribed pursuant to section 103 of the Uniformed 

11 and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (52 

12 U.S.C. 20303), together with instructions on the ap13 propriate use of the ballot with respect to the State 

14 in which the member is registered to vote. 

15 (2) In the case of a member intending to vote 

16 in a State that does not accept the Federal write17 in absentee ballot as a simultaneous application and 

18 acceptable ballot for Federal elections, a briefing on, 

19 and an opportunity to fill out, the official post card 

20 form for absentee voter registration application and 

21 absentee ballot application prescribed under section 

22 101(b)(2) of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens 

23 Absentee Voting Act (52 U.S.C. 20301(b)(2)). 

24 (b) PERSONNEL RESPONSIBLE OF DISCHARGE.— 

25 Ballots and instructions shall be provided pursuant to 

26 paragraphs(1) of subsection (a) by Voting Assistance OffiVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:19 May 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1566.IS S1566

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1 cers or such other personnel as the Secretary of the mili2 tary department concerned shall designate. 

3 (c) SENSE OF CONGRESS RELATING TO THE USE OF

4 THE FEDERAL WRITE-IN ABSENTEE BALLOT.— 

5 (1) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following 

6 findings: 

7 (A) Servicemembers serving abroad are 

8 subject to disproportionate challenges in voting. 

9 (B) As of May, 2019, only 28 States allow 

10 servicemembers to use the Federal write-in ab11 sentee ballot as a simultaneous application and 

12 acceptable ballot for Federal elections. 

13 (2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 

14 Congress that— 

15 (A) Federal and State governments should 

16 remove all obstacles that would inhibit deployed 

17 servicemembers from voting; and 

18 (B) States that do not allow servicemem19 bers to use the Federal write-in absentee ballot 

20 as a simultaneous application and acceptable 

21 ballot for Federal elections should modify their 

22 laws to permit such use. 

Æ 


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