§20308 — Title 52 Voting and Elections | U.S. Code

Summary

The person the President chooses must send reports to Congress by set deadlines about how the government helps military and overseas voters. Not later than 180 days after October 28, 2009, that person must report on the progress of the system to collect and deliver marked absentee ballots under section 20304 and the steps taken for the regularly scheduled general election for Federal office held in November 2010. The report must also evaluate the Department of Defense Voting Assistance Officer Program — saying if it is helping absent uniformed services voters, listing where it is failing, and giving a plan to replace or add programs if needed — and describe steps taken to start voter registration help under section 1566a of title 10. Then, not later than September 30 of each odd-numbered year, the designee must report on the prior year’s Federal elections. That report must assess activities under section 20305 (including the DoD Federal Voting Assistance Program), give separate assessments for absent uniformed services voters and for overseas voters who are not in the uniformed services, and describe state–federal cooperation. It must also describe use of voter registration help under section 1566a (naming programs by each military department and how many absent uniformed services voters used them) and report on use of the ballot collection/delivery procedures under section 20304, including how many marked absentee ballots were collected and delivered and how many were not delivered by the close of polls and why. In this law: “absent overseas uniformed services voter” means the voters defined in section 20304(d); “Presidential designee” means the person named under section 20301(a); and “relevant committees of Congress” are the Senate Committees on Appropriations, Armed Services, and Rules and Administration, and the House Committees on Appropriations, Armed Services, and House Administration.

Title 52, §20308

Voting and Elections — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Not later than 180 days after October 28, 2009, the Presidential designee shall submit to the relevant committees of Congress a report containing the following information:

(1)The status of the implementation of the procedures established for the collection and delivery of marked absentee ballots of absent overseas uniformed services voters under section 20304 of this title, and a detailed description of the specific steps taken towards such implementation for the regularly scheduled general election for Federal office held in November 2010.

(2)An assessment of the effectiveness of the Voting Assistance Officer Program of the Department of Defense, which shall include the following:

(A)A thorough and complete assessment of whether the Program, as configured and implemented as of October 28, 2009, is effectively assisting absent uniformed services voters in exercising their right to vote.

(B)An inventory and explanation of any areas of voter assistance in which the Program has failed to accomplish its stated objectives and effectively assist absent uniformed services voters in exercising their right to vote.

(C)As necessary, a detailed plan for the implementation of any new program to replace or supplement voter assistance activities required to be performed under this Act.

(3)A detailed description of the specific steps taken towards the implementation of voter registration assistance for absent uniformed services voters under section 1566a of title 10.

(b)Not later than September 30 of each odd-numbered year, the Presidential designee shall transmit to the President and to the relevant committees of Congress a report containing the following information with respect to the Federal elections held during the preceding calendar year:

(1)An assessment of the effectiveness of activities carried out under section 20305 of this title, including the activities and actions of the Federal Voting Assistance Program of the Department of Defense, a separate assessment of voter registration and participation by absent uniformed services voters, a separate assessment of voter registration and participation by overseas voters who are not members of the uniformed services, and a description of the cooperation between States and the Federal Government in carrying out such section.

(2)A description of the utilization of voter registration assistance under section 1566a of title 10, which shall include the following:

(A)A description of the specific programs implemented by each military department of the Armed Forces pursuant to such section.

(B)The number of absent uniformed services voters who utilized voter registration assistance provided under such section.

(3)A description of the utilization of the procedures for the collection and delivery of marked absentee ballots established pursuant to section 20304 of this title, which shall include the number of marked absentee ballots collected and delivered under such procedures and the number of such ballots which were not delivered by the time of the closing of the polls on the date of the election (and the reasons such ballots were not so delivered).

(c)In this section:

(1)The term “absent overseas uniformed services voter” has the meaning given such term in section 20304(d) of this title.

(2)The term “Presidential designee” means the Presidential designee under section 20301(a) of this title.

(3)The term “relevant committees of Congress” means—

(A)the Committees on Appropriations, Armed Services, and Rules and Administration of the Senate; and

(B)the Committees on Appropriations, Armed Services, and House Administration of the House of Representatives.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This Act, referred to in subsec. (a)(2)(C), is Pub. L. 99–410, Aug. 28, 1986, 100 Stat. 924, known as the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables. Codification Section was formerly classified to section 1973ff–4a of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

Amendments

2021—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 116–283, § 595(a), (b)(1), in heading, substituted “Biennial report” for “Annual report” and, in introductory provisions, substituted “September 30 of each odd-numbered year” for “March 31 of each year” and “the following information with respect to the Federal elections held during the preceding calendar year” for “the following information”. Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 116–283, § 595(b)(2), substituted “A description” for “In the case of a report submitted under this subsection in the year following a year in which a regularly scheduled general election for Federal office is held, a description”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Termination of Reporting RequirementsFor termination, effective Dec. 31, 2021, of provisions in subsec. (b) of this section requiring submittal of annual report to Congress, see section 1061 of Pub. L. 114–328, set out as a note under section 111 of Title 10, Armed Forces.

§20308 Reporting requirements