Laurel Lee (R-FL)
Ballots by Election Day Act
A Republican bill with no cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill is called the Ballots by Election Day Act. It amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002. The bill requires all ballots for federal office to be received by the appropriate election official no later than the time polls close on election day. This rule applies to primary, runoff, special, and general elections. Ballots received after the polls close are considered untimely and cannot be accepted for tabulation by any State. There is an exception for ballots cast by absent uniformed services voters or overseas voters. The changes take effect for federal elections held in 2027 or any later year.
Yes
- Scored +5
Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together?
The bill explicitly exempts uniformed services voters from the new deadline.
- Scored +2
Does this give the federal government more power?
The bill establishes a federal requirement for ballot receipt deadlines.
- Scored +1
Does this make elections run better?
The bill creates a uniform federal deadline for the receipt of ballots.
The opposite· 3 of 4
- Scored -3
Does this protect the right to vote?
The strict deadline for ballot receipt may disenfranchise voters who rely on mail-in systems.
- Scored -3
Does this make casting a ballot easier in practice?
Mandating that ballots be received by Election Day rather than postmarked by then creates potential barriers to access.
- Scored -2
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
Strict receipt deadlines can disproportionately affect low-income voters with less reliable mail access.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
- Section 2, adding new Section 305(c): This provision explicitly excludes absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters from the strict election day receipt deadline. This is a positive outcome because it ensures these specific groups of citizens serving or living away from home maintain their voting protections under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Section 2, adding new Section 305(a) and Section 305(b): These provisions require all ballots, including absentee and mail-in ballots, to be received by the close of polls on election day and prohibit states from accepting any ballots received after that time. This could be a burden for individuals whose mail-in or absentee ballots are delayed through no fault of their own, resulting in their validly cast votes not being counted.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this make casting a ballot easier in practice? — Mandating that ballots be received by Election Day rather than postmarked by then creates potential barriers to access. Does this protect the right to vote? — The strict deadline for ballot receipt may disenfranchise voters who rely on mail-in systems.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together? — The bill explicitly exempts uniformed services voters from the new deadline. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — Strict receipt deadlines can disproportionately affect low-income voters with less reliable mail access.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this give the federal government more power? — The bill establishes a federal requirement for ballot receipt deadlines. Does this make elections run better? — The bill creates a uniform federal deadline for the receipt of ballots. Does this leave more decisions to the states? — The bill imposes a federal deadline on how states handle ballot receipt.
- 9/3/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
- Introduced in House
2 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.