SEC. 2. ASSISTING POSTSECONDARY STUDENTS IN OBTAIN-
ING ABSENTEE BALLOTS. 
(a) 
INSTITUTION
REQUIREMENTS.—Section 
487(a)(23) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1094(a)(23)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(23)(A) The institution will make every rea-
sonable effort to— 
‘‘(i) distribute the mail voter registration 
application form for elections for Federal office 
prescribed pursuant to section 9 of the National 
Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 
20508), which may include sharing a direct, 
guided link to the application form, to each stu-
dent enrolled in the institution; 
‘‘(ii) provide clear guidance that a student 
should— 
‘‘(I) register in the State in which the 
student is eligible to vote in the next elec-
tion described in subparagraph (F); and 
‘‘(II) update the student’s existing 
voter registration if the student’s address 
has changed; 
‘‘(iii) share credible, nonpartisan resources 
to help students determine where they are eligi-
ble to vote, which may include resources from 
State and local election officials; and 
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‘‘(iv) make voter registration forms widely 
available, including through access to online 
voter registration, to students at the institution. 
‘‘(B) If an institution is in a State that has a 
deadline for absentee ballots and the institution has 
decided to require or encourage students of the insti-
tution to remain off-campus due to a national, State, 
or local public health or other emergency as of the 
date that is 90 days prior to such State’s deadline, 
the following requirements take effect: 
‘‘(i) By the date that is not less than 75 
days prior to such deadline, the institution will 
request that the State provide the institution 
with printed absentee ballot application forms, 
as applicable, or for the State to share the offi-
cial State website or online portal through 
which eligible voters can directly request an ab-
sentee ballot. 
‘‘(ii) By the date that is not less than 60 
days before the absentee ballot deadline for the 
State, the institution will make every reasonable 
effort to— 
‘‘(I) distribute to each student en-
rolled in the institution an absentee ballot 
application form, requested from the State 
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under clause (i) and received in accordance 
with section 303(d) of the Help America 
Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21083(d)) or 
the official State website or online portal 
through which eligible voters can directly 
request an absentee ballot, with clear in-
structions that the form, website, or online 
portal should be used only by students eli-
gible to vote in the State; 
‘‘(II) share, with all students enrolled 
in the institution, credible, nonpartisan re-
sources to help students who are registered 
in another State to apply for absentee bal-
lots in such State, which may include re-
sources from State and local election offi-
cials; and 
‘‘(III) make such absentee ballot ap-
plication forms, in printed or electronic 
format, widely available to students en-
rolled in the institution. 
‘‘(iii) In any case where an institution has 
not received from the State the official website 
or online portal through which eligible voters 
can request an absentee ballot application, or a 
sufficient quantity of printed absentee ballot 
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application forms, as needed to fulfill this sec-
tion by the date described in clause (ii), the in-
stitution shall not be held liable for not meeting 
the requirements of this section during that 
election year. 
‘‘(C) Not later than 30 days prior to the State’s 
deadline to submit an absentee ballot or, in a State 
that mails ballots to all voters without requiring an 
application, submit the mailed ballot, the institution 
shall make every reasonable effort to communicate 
with each student enrolled in the institution regard-
ing— 
‘‘(i) information about the applicable ab-
sentee ballot or mailed ballot deadline of the 
State; 
‘‘(ii) information about any requirements 
in the State to cast a valid absentee ballot or 
mailed ballot, including requirements for a wit-
ness signature or a copy of valid identification; 
and 
‘‘(iii) current (as of the date of the com-
munication), credible information from appro-
priate State and local election officials about all 
other voting options, such as early and in-per-
son voting and voting on Election Day. 
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‘‘(D) An institution of higher education that 
only provides distance education shall, in lieu of the 
requirements of subparagraphs (B) and (C)— 
‘‘(i) 60 days before the date of a general 
election for Federal office, share credible, non-
partisan resources, which may include resources 
from State and local officials, to help students 
apply for absentee ballots and learn about re-
quirements for different options to vote, such as 
absentee voting, voting by mail, early and in- 
person voting, and voting on Election Day; and 
‘‘(ii) 30 days before the date of a general 
election for Federal office, remind students 
about the date of the general election for Fed-
eral office and provide credible, nonpartisan re-
sources, which may include resources from 
State and local officials, for different options to 
vote, such as absentee voting, voting by mail, 
early and in-person voting, and voting on Elec-
tion Day. 
‘‘(E) An institution subject to the requirements 
of this paragraph shall ensure that— 
‘‘(i) in distributing voting materials (as de-
fined in section 203(b)(3) of the Voting Rights 
Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10503(b)(3))) that are 
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produced by a covered State or political subdivi-
sion (as defined in such section), such voting 
materials are provided in accordance with sec-
tion 203 of that Act (52 U.S.C. 10503); and 
‘‘(ii) all materials and information made 
available electronically under this paragraph— 
‘‘(I) are accessible to individuals with 
disabilities; and 
‘‘(II) conform to the accessibility 
standards under section 508 of the Reha-
bilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d). 
‘‘(F) This paragraph shall apply to general and 
special elections for Federal office and to the elec-
tions for Governor or other chief executive within 
such State, unless otherwise provided. 
‘‘(G)(i) An institution may satisfy the require-
ments of subparagraphs (A) through (D), and shall 
be considered in compliance with such subpara-
graphs, with respect to each student to whom the in-
stitution electronically transmits a message con-
taining the information required under such sub-
paragraphs, if such information is in an electronic 
message devoted exclusively to that information. 
‘‘(ii) Nothing in this subparagraph shall be con-
strued to prevent an institution from including infor-
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mation described in clause (i) through routine, wide-
ly disseminated communications with students en-
rolled in the institution, in addition to the electronic 
message devoted exclusively to that information as 
described in clause (i). 
‘‘(H) In this paragraph— 
‘‘(i) the term ‘absentee ballot’ means any 
ballot cast by any means other than in person 
and for which the State requires an application; 
‘‘(ii) the term ‘distance education’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 103, except 
such term shall not include distance education 
that is provided due to a decision of an institu-
tion to require or encourage students of the in-
stitution to remain off-campus due to a na-
tional, State, or local public health or other 
emergency; and 
‘‘(iii) the term ‘Federal office’ has the 
meaning given in section 301(3) of the Federal 
Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 
30101(3)).’’. 
(b) STATE REQUIREMENT.—Section 303 of the Help 
America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21083) is amend-
ed— 
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(1) in the section heading, by inserting ‘‘; PRO-
VISION OF FORMS TO INSTITUTIONS OF HIGH-
ER EDUCATION’’ after ‘‘BY MAIL’’; 
(2) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub-
section (e); 
(3) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol-
lowing new subsection: 
‘‘(d) PROVISION OF ABSENTEE BALLOT APPLICA-
TION
FORMS
TO
INSTITUTIONS
OF
HIGHER
EDU-
CATION.—Each State shall provide the voter registration 
and absentee ballot application forms or access to elec-
tronic versions of such forms to each institution of higher 
education for the purposes described in section 487(a)(23) 
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1094(a)(23)).’’; and 
(4) in subsection (e), as redesignated by para-
graph (2), by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(3) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE VOTER REG-
ISTRATION
AND
ABSENTEE
BALLOT
APPLICATION 
FORMS TO INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 
Each State and jurisdiction shall be required to 
comply with the requirements of subsection (d) on 
and after the earlier of— 
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‘‘(A) the date that is 30 days after the 
date of enactment of the National Emergency 
Student Vote Act; or 
‘‘(B) August 1, 2020.’’. 
Æ 
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