VOTES Act of 2023

Voting Overseas Treated Equally for Servicemembers Act of 2023 or the VOTES Act of 2023

This bill expands the definitions of absent uniformed services voter and overseas voter for purposes of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). 

UOCAVA requires that states and jurisdictions allow certain groups of citizens to register and vote absentee in federal elections. Absent uniformed services voters under UOCAVA are primarily active duty service members who are away from their voting residence. These include members of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy. The current definition of absent uniformed services voter also includes (1) members of the merchant marine and commissioned officers of the U.S. Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and (2) spouses or dependents who also are absent from their voting residence due to the member's active duty or service.

This bill expands the definition of absent uniformed services voter to include (1) members on active service or inactive duty training who are absent from their voting residence, and (2) spouses or dependents who are absent from their voting residence due to the member's active service or inactive duty training.

The bill also expands the definition of overseas voter to include an absent uniformed services voter who, by reason of active service or inactive duty training, is absent from the United States on the date of the election involved.

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6242 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6242

  To amend the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act to 
 expand coverage of the definition of absent uniformed services voter, 
                            under such Act.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 6, 2023

  Mr. Frost introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                   Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act to 
 expand coverage of the definition of absent uniformed services voter, 
                            under such Act.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Voting Overseas Treated Equally for 
Servicemembers Act of 2023'' or the ``VOTES Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF THE COVERAGE OF THE DEFINITION OF ABSENT UNIFORMED 
              SERVICES VOTER UNDER THE UNIFORMED AND OVERSEAS CITIZENS 
              ABSENTEE VOTING ACT.

    (a) In General.--Section 107 of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens 
Absentee Voting Act (52 U.S.C. 20310) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (1)(A) by striking ``on active duty'' 
        and inserting ``on active duty, active service, or inactive 
        duty-training as defined, respectively, by section 101(d) of 
        title 10, United States Code,'';
            (2) in subparagraph (1)(A) by striking ``such active duty'' 
        and inserting ``such duty status'';
            (3) in subparagraph (1)(C) by striking ``active duty or 
        service'' and inserting ``active duty, active service, or 
        inactive duty-training''; and
            (4) in subparagraph (5)(A) by striking ``active duty or 
        service'' and inserting ``active duty, active service, or 
        inactive duty-training as defined, respectively, by section 
        101(d) of title 10, United States Code,''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to elections occurring after January 1, 2025.
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