Bill · H.R. 8441· House(119-HR-8441)
Military VOTE Act
- Introduced
- 4/22/2026
- Last activity
- 4/22/2026 — Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, 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.
- Sponsored by
- Sean Casten
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Military VOTE Act aims to update the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. It requires States to accept official post card forms for voter registration and absentee ballot applications through electronic means, such as email or online portals. The bill provides for federal grants to help States implement these electronic requirements. Additionally, it expands the use of single applications to cover subsequent elections for Federal offices. The legislation also mandates a study on the feasibility of automatic voter registration and address updates for service members.
Yes· 3 of 6
Does this make casting a ballot easier in practice?+8
The bill increases voting access by facilitating electronic submission of forms and streamlining the process for subsequent elections.
Does this protect the right to vote?+7
The bill improves voting rights for service members by requiring states to accept electronic voter registration and absentee ballot applications.
Does this make elections run better?+7
The bill modernizes the electoral process for uniformed service members through electronic transmission and automated registration studies.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Improved Access to Voting: States will be required to accept the official post card form when it is submitted electronically via email or an online portal, rather than just through physical means (Section 2(a)(1)).
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Financial Assistance for States: The bill authorizes up to $40,000,000 in grants to help States comply with the new electronic submission requirements (Section 2(a)(2)(C)).
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Streamlined Ballot Requests: If a voter requests an electronic ballot, the State is required to provide that ballot for each subsequent election, provided the voter has requested it (Section s 3(a)(1)(B)).
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Protection Against Early Submission Refusal: States are prohibited from refusing to process registration or absentee ballot applications just because they were submitted before the first date that other types of applications are accepted (Section 3(a)(2)).
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Improved Information Accuracy: The Presidential designee will evaluate whether change of base packets provide timely and accurate voter registration information to service members transferred to new duty stations (Section 4).
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Exploration of Automatic Registration: The Secretary of Defense will study the feasibility of creating systems for automatic voter registration and automatic address updates for members of the uniformed services (Section 5(a)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Compliance Burdens for States: To receive grants, States must provide the Secretary with a description of existing processes, a plan to implement new requirements, and a detailed breakdown of costs (Section 2(a)(2)(B)).
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Limitation on Ballot Frequency for Paper Requests: For voters who request paper ballots, the requirement to provide ballots via the single application is limited to not fewer than the next two subsequent elections (Section 3(a)(1)(A)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Voting Access+8Improves Voting Rights+7
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Electoral Process+7
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Veterans+5Good For Union Workers+1
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Improves Veterans Benefits+2
- 7/21/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 4/22/2026
- Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, 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.
- Introduced in House
Eugene VindmanDemocrat · Virginia