I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3576 
To amend the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act to 
improve ballot accessibility to uniformed services voters and overseas 
voters, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 21, 2013 
Mr. MCCARTHY of California (for himself and Mrs. DAVIS of California) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House 
Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services 
and Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee 
Voting Act to improve ballot accessibility to uniformed 
services voters and overseas voters, and for other pur-
poses. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Safeguarding Elections 
for our Nation’s Troops through Reforms and Improve-
ments Act’’ or the ‘‘SENTRI Act’’. 
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TITLE 
I—AMENDMENTS 
RE-
LATED TO THE UNIFORMED 
AND OVERSEAS CITIZENS AB-
SENTEE VOTING ACT 
SEC. 101. PRE-ELECTION REPORTING REQUIREMENT ON 
TRANSMISSION OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (c) of section 102 of 
the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1973ff–1(c)) is amended by striking ‘‘Not later 
than 90 days’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) PRE-ELECTION
REPORT
ON
ABSENTEE 
BALLOTS TRANSMITTED.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 43 
days before any election for Federal office held 
in a State, the chief State election official of 
such State shall submit a report to the Attor-
ney General and the Presidential designee, and 
make that report publicly available that same 
day, confirming— 
‘‘(i) the number of absentee ballots 
validly requested by absent uniformed serv-
ices voters and overseas voters whose re-
quests were received by the 46th day be-
fore the election, and 
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‘‘(ii) whether those ballots were timely 
transmitted. 
‘‘(B) MATTERS
TO
BE
INCLUDED.—The 
report under subparagraph (A) shall include the 
following information: 
‘‘(i) Specific information about ballot 
transmission, including the total numbers 
of ballot requests received from such voters 
and ballots transmitted to such voters by 
the 46th day before the election from each 
unit of local government that will admin-
ister the election. 
‘‘(ii) If the chief State election official 
has incomplete information on any items 
required to be included in the report, an 
explanation of what information is incom-
plete information and efforts made to ac-
quire such information. 
‘‘(C) REQUIREMENT TO SUPPLEMENT IN-
COMPLETE INFORMATION.—If the report under 
subparagraph (A) has incomplete information 
on any items required to be included in the re-
port, the chief State election official shall make 
all reasonable efforts to expeditiously supple-
ment the report with complete information. 
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‘‘(D) FORMAT.—The report under sub-
paragraph (A) shall be in a format prescribed 
by the Attorney General in consultation with 
the chief State election officials of each State. 
‘‘(2) POST ELECTION REPORT ON NUMBER OF 
ABSENTEE
BALLOTS
TRANSMITTED
AND
RE-
CEIVED.—Not later than 90 days’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The heading for 
subsection (c) of section 102 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
1973ff–1(c)) is amended by striking ‘‘REPORT ON NUM-
BER OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS TRANSMITTED AND RE-
CEIVED’’ and inserting ‘‘REPORTS ON ABSENTEE BAL-
LOTS’’. 
SEC. 102. TRANSMISSION REQUIREMENTS; REPEAL OF 
WAIVER PROVISION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (8) of section 102(a) 
of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff–1(a)) is amended to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(8) transmit a validly requested absentee bal-
lot to an absent uniformed services voter or overseas 
voter by the date and in the manner determined 
under subsection (g);’’. 
(b) BALLOT TRANSMISSION REQUIREMENTS
AND 
REPEAL OF WAIVER PROVISION.—Subsection (g) of sec-
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tion 102 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff–1(g)) is amended 
to read as follows: 
‘‘(g) BALLOT TRANSMISSION REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of subsection 
(a)(8), in the case in which a valid request for an 
absentee ballot is received at least 46 days before an 
election for Federal office, the following rules shall 
apply: 
‘‘(A) 
TRANSMISSION
DEADLINE.—The 
State shall transmit the absentee ballot not 
later than 46 days before the election. 
‘‘(B) SPECIAL RULES IN CASE OF FAILURE 
TO TRANSMIT ON TIME.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—If the State fails 
to transmit any absentee ballot by the 46th 
day before the election as required by sub-
paragraph (A) and the absent uniformed 
services voter or overseas voter did not re-
quest electronic ballot transmission pursu-
ant to subsection (f), the State shall trans-
mit such ballot by express delivery. 
‘‘(ii) EXTENDED
FAILURE.—If the 
State fails to transmit any absentee ballot 
by the 41st day before the election, in ad-
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dition to transmitting the ballot as pro-
vided in clause (i), the State shall— 
‘‘(I) in the case of absentee bal-
lots requested by absent uniformed 
services voters with respect to regu-
larly scheduled general elections, no-
tify such voters of the procedures es-
tablished under section 103A for the 
collection and delivery of marked ab-
sentee ballots; and 
‘‘(II) in any other case, provide 
for the return of such ballot by ex-
press delivery. 
‘‘(iii) COST OF EXPRESS DELIVERY.— 
In any case in which express delivery is re-
quired under this subparagraph, the cost 
of such express delivery— 
‘‘(I) shall not be paid by the 
voter, and 
‘‘(II) may be required by the 
State to be paid by a local jurisdiction 
if the State determines that election 
officials in such jurisdiction are re-
sponsible for the failure to transmit 
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the ballot by any date required under 
this paragraph. 
‘‘(iv) ENFORCEMENT.—A State’s com-
pliance with this subparagraph does not 
bar the Attorney General from seeking ad-
ditional remedies necessary to effectuate 
the purposes of this Act. 
‘‘(2) REQUESTS
RECEIVED
AFTER
46TH
DAY 
BEFORE
ELECTION.—For purposes of subsection 
(a)(8), in the case in which a valid request for an 
absentee ballot is received less than 46 days but not 
less than 30 days before an election for Federal of-
fice, the State shall transmit the absentee ballot not 
later than 3 business days after such request is re-
ceived.’’. 
SEC. 103. TECHNICAL CLARIFICATIONS TO CONFORM TO 
2009 MOVE ACT AMENDMENTS RELATED TO 
THE FEDERAL WRITE-IN ABSENTEE BALLOT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 102(a)(3) of the Uni-
formed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 
U.S.C. 1973ff–1(a)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘general 
elections’’ and inserting ‘‘general, special, primary, and 
runoff elections’’. 
(b) CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Section 103 of 
such Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff–2) is amended— 
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(1) in subsection (b)(2)(B), by striking ‘‘gen-
eral’’, and 
(2) in the heading thereof, by striking ‘‘GEN-
ERAL’’. 
SEC. 104. TREATMENT OF BALLOT REQUESTS. 
(a) APPLICATION OF PROHIBITION OF REFUSAL OF 
APPLICATIONS ON GROUNDS OF EARLY SUBMISSION TO 
OVERSEAS VOTERS.—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 ‘‘sub-
mitted by an absent uniformed services voter’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘members of the uniformed 
services’’ and inserting ‘‘absent uniformed services 
voters or overseas voters’’. 
(b) USE OF SINGLE APPLICATION FOR SUBSEQUENT 
ELECTIONS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Section 104 of the Uni-
formed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1973ff–3) is amended— 
(A) by striking ‘‘A State’’ and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(a) PROHIBITION OF REFUSAL OF APPLICATIONS 
ON GROUNDS OF EARLY SUBMISSION.—A State’’, and 
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(B) by adding at the end the following new 
subsections: 
‘‘(b) APPLICATION TREATED AS VALID FOR SUBSE-
QUENT ELECTIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—If a State accepts and 
processes a request for an absentee ballot by an ab-
sent uniformed services voter or overseas voter and 
the voter requests that the application be considered 
an application for an absentee ballot for each subse-
quent election for Federal office held in the State 
through the next regularly scheduled general election 
for Federal office (including any runoff elections 
which may occur as a result of the outcome of such 
general election) and any special elections for Fed-
eral office held in the State through the calendar 
year following such general election, the State shall 
provide an absentee ballot to the voter for each such 
subsequent election. 
‘‘(2) EXCEPTIONS.—Paragraph (1) shall not 
apply with respect to either of the following: 
‘‘(A) VOTERS CHANGING REGISTRATION.— 
A voter removed from the list of official eligible 
voters in accordance with subparagraph (A), 
(B), or (C) of section 8(a)(3) of the National 
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Voter Registration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 
1973gg–6(a)). 
‘‘(B) UNDELIVERABLE BALLOTS.—A voter 
whose ballot is returned by mail to the State or 
local election officials as undeliverable or, in the 
case of a ballot delivered electronically, if the 
email sent to the voter was undeliverable or re-
jected due to an invalid email address.’’. 
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The heading 
of section 104 of such Act is amended by striking 
‘‘PROHIBITION OF REFUSAL OF APPLICATIONS 
ON GROUNDS OF EARLY SUBMISSION’’ and in-
serting ‘‘TREATMENT OF BALLOT REQUESTS’’. 
(3) REVISION TO POSTCARD FORM.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Presidential des-
ignee shall ensure that the official postcard 
form prescribed under section 101(b)(2) of the 
Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Vot-
ing Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff(b)(2)) enables a 
voter using the form to— 
(i) request an absentee ballot for each 
election for Federal office held in a State 
through the next regularly scheduled gen-
eral election for Federal office (including 
any runoff elections which may occur as a 
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result of the outcome of such general elec-
tion) and any special elections for Federal 
office held in the State through the cal-
endar year following such general election; 
or 
(ii) request an absentee ballot for a 
specific election or elections for Federal of-
fice held in a State during the period de-
scribed in paragraph (1). 
(B) PRESIDENTIAL DESIGNEE.—For pur-
poses of this paragraph, the term ‘‘Presidential 
designee’’ means the individual designated 
under section 101(a) of the Uniformed and 
Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 
U.S.C. 1973ff(a)). 
SEC. 105. APPLICABILITY TO COMMONWEALTH OF THE 
NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS. 
Paragraphs (6) and (8) of section 107 of the Uni-
formed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 
U.S.C. 1973ff–6(6)) are each amended by striking ‘‘and 
American Samoa’’ and inserting ‘‘American Samoa, and 
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands’’. 
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SEC. 106. BIENNIAL REPORT ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF 
ACTIVITIES OF THE FEDERAL VOTING AS-
SISTANCE 
PROGRAM 
AND 
COMPTROLLER 
GENERAL REVIEW. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 105A(b) of the Uniformed 
and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 U.S.C. 
1973ff–4a(b)) is amended— 
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘March 31 of each year’’ 
and inserting ‘‘June 30 of each odd-numbered 
year’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘the following information’’ 
and inserting ‘‘the following information with 
respect to the Federal elections held during the 
2 preceding calendar years’’; 
(2) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘separate as-
sessment’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘sepa-
rate assessment and statistical analysis’’; and 
(3) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘section 1566a’’ in the 
matter preceding subparagraph (A) and insert-
ing ‘‘sections 1566a and 1566b’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘such section’’ each place 
it appears in subparagraphs (A) and (B) and 
inserting ‘‘such sections’’; and 
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