Alex Padilla (D-CA)
Absentee and Mail Voter Protection Act
A Democratic bill with 38 Democratic cosponsors · See all 40 cosponsors
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and 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
The Absentee and Mail Voter Protection Act is designed to repeal Executive Order 14399. This bill strips the force and effect of that executive order and prohibits the use of federal funds to implement it or any similar orders. It specifically prevents federal agencies from creating national voter registration or citizenship databases for federal elections. The act also restricts the Department of Commerce and the United States Postal Service from regulating or determining voter eligibility for mail-in and absentee ballots. Additionally, it prohibits the Department of Justice from using funds to compel states to produce voter registration lists.
Yes· 3 of 9
- Scored +7
Does this leave more decisions to the states?
The bill returns authority over election administration and voter list management to the states.
- Scored +5
Does this protect the right to vote?
The bill repeals an executive order intended to create citizenship databases that could disenfranchise voters.
- Scored +5
Does this make casting a ballot easier in practice?
The bill prevents federal interference with the regulation and delivery of mail-in and absentee ballots.
The opposite
- Scored -3
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?
The bill restricts the sharing of statewide voter registration lists between federal agencies.
- Scored -2
Does this tighten control of the border?
The bill limits federal ability to use databases for citizenship verification which is often a component of border enforcement efforts.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Protection of Voting Rights: By repealing Executive Order 14399, the bill seeks to prevent the disenfranchisement of tens of millions of American voters (Section 2, Finding 12).
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Prevention of Unregulated Databases: The bill prohibits federal agencies from using funds to create national voter registration or citizenship databases, or using existing systems to compile citizenship lists for federal elections (Section 4, a).
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Security of Mail-In Voting: The act ensures that the Department of Commerce and the United States Postal Service cannot use federal funds to regulate mail-in and absentee ballots or determine voter eligibility via the mail (Section 4, b).
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Protection of State Voter Lists: The bill prevents the Department of Justice from using funds to bring civil actions against states to compel the production of statewide voter registration lists (Section 4, c).
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Limitation on Data Sharing: The bill restricts the sharing of statewide voter registration lists between federal agencies and prohibits data matching activities using such lists (Section 4, d).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Restriction of Federal Oversight: The bill prohibits federal funds from being used by the Department of Justice to bring or continue civil actions to compel the production of statewide voter registration lists under certain laws (Section 4, c).
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.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would Black Americans be better off under this? — Preventing the creation of citizenship databases helps mitigate potential disenfranchisement of minority voters. Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this? — The bill prevents the use of federal funds to build databases that target citizenship status for election purposes. Would immigrants be better off under this? — The bill restricts the creation of national citizenship databases used for election purposes. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — Securing mail-in voting access provides stability for voters who may rely on these methods due to economic constraints. Would people in cities be better off under this? — Protecting mail-in ballot accessibility benefits high-density urban populations that utilize these services.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this make casting a ballot easier in practice? — The bill prevents federal interference with the regulation and delivery of mail-in and absentee ballots. Does this protect the right to vote? — The bill repeals an executive order intended to create citizenship databases that could disenfranchise voters. Is this likely to lift people out of poverty? — Protecting voting access helps ensure political representation for marginalized groups often affected by poverty. Does this tighten control of the border? — The bill limits federal ability to use databases for citizenship verification which is often a component of border enforcement efforts.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this leave more decisions to the states? — The bill returns authority over election administration and voter list management to the states. Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The bill restricts the sharing of statewide voter registration lists between federal agencies.
- 4/22/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
- 40 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
Angela AlsobrooksDemocrat · Maryland
Tammy BaldwinDemocrat · Wisconsin
Michael BennetDemocrat · Colorado
Richard BlumenthalDemocrat · Connecticut
Cory BookerDemocrat · New Jersey
Lisa Blunt RochesterDemocrat · Delaware
Maria CantwellDemocrat · Washington
Christopher CoonsDemocrat · Delaware
Catherine Cortez MastoDemocrat · Nevada
Richard DurbinDemocrat · Illinois
Tammy DuckworthDemocrat · Illinois
Kirsten GillibrandDemocrat · New York
Ruben GallegoDemocrat · Arizona
John HickenlooperDemocrat · Colorado
Mazie HironoDemocrat · Hawaii
Martin HeinrichDemocrat · New Mexico
Amy KlobucharDemocrat · Minnesota
Mark KellyDemocrat · Arizona
Angus KingIndependent · Maine
Timothy KaineDemocrat · Virginia
Andy KimDemocrat · New Jersey
Ben LujánDemocrat · New Mexico
Edward MarkeyDemocrat · Massachusetts
Patty MurrayDemocrat · Washington
Christopher MurphyDemocrat · Connecticut
Jeff MerkleyDemocrat · Oregon
Gary PetersDemocrat · Michigan
John ReedDemocrat · Rhode Island
Jacky RosenDemocrat · Nevada
Bernie SandersIndependent · Vermont
Charles SchumerDemocrat · New York
Adam SchiffDemocrat · California
Jeanne ShaheenDemocrat · New Hampshire
Elissa SlotkinDemocrat · Michigan
Chris Van HollenDemocrat · Maryland
Ron WydenDemocrat · Oregon
Peter WelchDemocrat · Vermont
Sheldon WhitehouseDemocrat · Rhode Island
Mark WarnerDemocrat · Virginia
Elizabeth WarrenDemocrat · Massachusetts