Bill > HR9484

This bill aims to improve procedures and requirements related to election mail. The key provisions are: 1. The United States Postal Service (USPS) must ensure that any ballot carried by the USPS is processed and cleared from postal facilities on the same day it is received, to the maximum extent practicable. 2. States and jurisdictions must provide return envelopes with intelligent mail barcodes for mailed ballots in federal elections, with some exceptions. 3. The USPS must indicate the date a ballot was mailed and that it was carried by the USPS on the ballot envelope. 4. States and local election officials must use specific markings to designate trays or sacks of official ballots for federal elections, and ensure the ballot service type identifier is visible if an intelligent mail barcode is used. 5. Election mail must be carried according to first-class mail service standards and completed absentee or mail-in ballots must be carried free of postage. 6. The USPS is prohibited from making operational changes that would restrict the prompt and reliable delivery of election mail during the 120-day period before a federal election. 7. The bill establishes a uniform deadline for the acceptance of mailed ballots, requiring them to be postmarked on or before election day and received within 7 days after the election. Additionally, the bill requires the USPS to consult with Indian Tribes annually on issues relating to the USPS that present barriers to voting for eligible voters living on Indian lands.

Government Affairs

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/9484/all-info