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S. 3214 114th Congress Senate

Vote By Mail Act of 2016

Official title: A bill to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to allow all eligible voters to vote by mail in Federal elections, to amend the National Voter Registration A… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: A bill to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to allow all eligible voters to vote by mail in Federal elections, to amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to provide for automatic voter registration.

Introduced: July 14, 2016 Introduced by: Ron Wyden Democratic · Oregon See on congress.gov
Government Operations and Politics Elections, voting, political campaign regulationLicensing and registrationsMotor vehiclesPostal serviceState and local government operations
This bill died when the 114th Congress ended
It never became law before the 114th Congress (2015–2016) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jul 14, 2016
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S5165-5166)
Jul 14, 2016
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action July 14, 2016

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S5165-5166)

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Vote by Mail Act of 2017

This bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require states to allow voting in federal elections to be by mail without additional conditions or requirements, except a deadline for returning the ballot.

States must mail ballots to individuals registered to vote in a federal election not later than two weeks before the election. The U.S. Postal Service must carry ballots mailed by a state expeditiously and free of postage.

The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 is amended to authorize automatic voter registration of individuals through state motor vehicle authorities.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 3214: Vote By Mail Act of 2016. 114th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-3214/
MLA
"S. 3214: Vote By Mail Act of 2016." 114th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-3214/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 3214, 114th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-3214/.
Markdown link
[S. 3214: Vote By Mail Act of 2016](https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-3214/)
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