Vote By Mail Act would allow everyone to vote by mail in federal elections (and extend automatic registration at the DMV) GovTrack.us Follow Nov 2, 2016 · 3 min read

At least 22 states allow their citizens to vote by mail, and three of them even vote entirely by mail: Colorado, Washington, and Oregon. The Vote By Mail Act, H.R. 5819 and S. 3214, would allow all eligible voters in all 50 states to do so.

The legislation was Introduced in the House by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR3) and in the Senate by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), both from Oregon, which has run its elections by mail for 16 years. In these federal legislators’ eyes, the states’ experiment worked.

What the bill does

The legislation has a few major provisions. One would require every state to allow their citizens to vote by mail in federal elections. (They could maintain their vote-by-mail restrictions for state elections, such as those for governor.) All registered voters would receive their ballots by mail several weeks before Election Day.

It would also update the existing “motor voter law” enacted under President Bill Clinton, which requires state governments to offer voter registration opportunities for anybody applying for or renewing a driver’s license. But under that 1995 law, the burden was on the would-be voter to actually complete the process. The Vote By Mail Act would shift that burden to the government, by automatically registering DMV visitors to vote unless they opt out within 21 days.

What supporters say

Supporters argue the legislation would help counteract the rush of state voter restrictions enacted in the past few years, would help people avoid long lines in person at the polls which in the most extreme cases can be several hours, and would extend nationwide what Oregon and a few other states have done, which many believe has proven successful.

“Instead of making it harder to vote, as far too many states across the country have done, we should make it easier — just like in Oregon. Automatic registration combined with vote-by-mail eliminates the absurd obstacle courses that face would-be voters in too many states, and instead makes the process easy and convenient, just as it should be,” Senate cosponsor Merkley said in a press release. “Every American already submits the information that’s needed to register to vote when they sign up for a driver’s license at the DMV.”

What opponents say

Opponents — mostly Republicans — publicly argue that voting by mail allows potential for election fraud, and more quietly worry that it could improve access for voters.

An NBC News report detailed some of the concerns: “At a polling place, someone who bribed voters would have no way to verify that the bribe worked. A person who bribes mail voters could watch as they mark ballots or even mark ballots for them. [Some] question whether forces beyond voters’ control — smudges that disqualify ballots and breakdowns in keeping track of ballots, for example — will disallow votes.”

Odds of passage

The House bill has attracted two Democratic cosponsors, Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI1) and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR1), and has not yet received a vote in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The Senate bill has attracted one Democratic cosponsor, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and has not yet received a vote in the Senate Rules and Administration Committee. (Neither bill has Republican cosponsors.)

As Election Day approaches in a few days, GovTrack Insider is running a series spotlighting bills introduced in Congress that deal with elections and campaigns.

This article was written by GovTrack Insider staff writer Jesse Rifkin.