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S 1397 116th Congress Senate Government Operations and Politics Administrative law and regulatory procedures Atmospheric science and weather Disaster relief and insurance Election Assistance Commission Elections, voting, political campaign regulation Natural disasters State and local government operations

A bill to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to provide for a national Federal write-in absentee ballot for domestic use.

Introduced: May 9, 2019 Introduced by: Klobuchar, Amy Democratic · Minnesota See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) 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
May 9, 2019
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
May 9, 2019
Introduced in Senate
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

This bill directs the Election Assistance Commission to create a national federal write-in absentee ballot that must be made available on the internet in a printable format.

States must permit certain individuals to use the ballot to cast a vote in any election for federal office. The individuals who qualify to use the ballot are those who

  • reside in an area where a state of emergency has been declared by the state due to a natural disaster,
  • expect to be absent from their jurisdiction on election day due to professional or volunteer service in response to a natural disaster or emergency,
  • expect to be hospitalized on election day, or
  • requested an absentee ballot but did not receive it in time for it to be counted in the election.
What's happening now May 9, 2019

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • S 3529 Related bill Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act of 2020
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Cosponsors 7
All 7 Democratic 6 Independent 1
D
Booker, Cory A.
New Jersey · Dec 4, 2019
 D
Blumenthal, Richard
Connecticut · Nov 19, 2019
 D
Smith, Tina
Minnesota · Nov 18, 2019
 D
Bennet, Michael F.
Colorado · May 9, 2019
 I
King, Angus S., Jr.
Maine · May 9, 2019
 D
Merkley, Jeff
Oregon · May 9, 2019
 D
Wyden, Ron
Oregon · May 9, 2019
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 1397: A bill to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to provide for a national Federal write-in absentee ballot for domestic use.. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-1397/
MLA
"S. 1397: A bill to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to provide for a national Federal write-in absentee ballot for domestic use.." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-1397/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 1397, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-1397/.
Markdown link
[S. 1397: A bill to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to provide for a national Federal write-in absentee ballot for domestic use.](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-1397/)
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