# 119-hr-738: Universal Right To Vote by Mail Act of 2025

119-hr-738, Universal Right To Vote by Mail Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6] (D-OR); status introduced (as of 2026-09-02).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-738
- As of: 2026-09-02
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-738
- Congress: 119
- Title: Universal Right To Vote by Mail Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-01-24
- Sponsor: Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6] (D-OR)
- Cosponsors: 18
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-02

## Summary

This bill guarantees the **universal ability to vote by mail** for anyone eligible to cast a Federal vote. It bars states from adding extra eligibility hurdles beyond deadlines to request and return ballots and creates a mandatory notice-and-cure process for defective mail ballots. - Families, workers, and seniors get more flexibility to vote by mail instead of in person. It aligns Federal rules with the no-excuse absentee option already used in 36 states and D.C. - If a mailed ballot has a signature mismatch, a missing signature, or another defect, officials must notify the voter quickly and give a 3-day window after the State's ballot-receipt deadline to fix it. - States and local election offices can still run polling places on Election Day, but they cannot add extra eligibility conditions beyond request and return deadlines. Officials must notify voters by mail, phone, text, or email and accept State-prescribed cure forms, with compliance required for Federal elections beginning in 2026.

## Cosponsors (18)

- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5] (D-MO), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vargas, Juan [D-CA-52] (D-CA), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6] (D-MI), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15] (D-CA), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4] (D-GA), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] (D-WI), 2025-01-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2] (D-AL), 2025-02-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Scott, David [D-GA-13] (D-GA), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Dexter, Maxine [D-OR-3] (D-OR), 2025-02-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN), 2025-08-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12] (D-CA), 2025-08-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3] (D-PA), 2025-09-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Adams, Alma S. [D-NC-12] (D-NC), 2026-06-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1] (D-MO), 2026-07-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6] (D-MA), 2026-08-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mejia, Analilia [D-NJ-11] (D-NJ), 2026-08-31T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Nationwide right to vote by mail: benefit, high. This bill would bar States from adding extra rules that stop eligible people from voting by mail in Federal elections. States could still set deadlines to request and return ballots. The bill would say States may still run polling places on Election Day. It would add these rules to the Help America…
- Fix your mailed ballot problems: benefit, low. This bill would require officials to try to contact you by mail, phone, text, and email by the next business day if your mailed ballot has a missing signature, mismatch, or other fixable defect. You would have until the third day after your State's ballot-receipt deadline to fix the problem. For si…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-738 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/738)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5390)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-738 (as of 2026-09-02).