Universal Right To Vote by Mail Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6]
Introduced
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.
Show full summary
- 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.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Nationwide right to vote by mail
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 Vote Act enforcement list so federal remedies could be used. The mail-voting limits would apply to Federal elections held in years beginning with 2026.
Fix your mailed ballot problems
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 signature mismatches, you could cure in person, by phone, or electronically. For missing signatures, you would provide the signature on a State-prescribed form. If you fix it in time, your ballot must be counted. This cure rule would not apply if your ballot missed the State's deadline. These rules would apply to Federal elections held in years beginning with 2026.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6]
OR • D
Cosponsors
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 1/24/2025
Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5]
MO • D
Sponsored 1/24/2025
Rep. Vargas, Juan [D-CA-52]
CA • D
Sponsored 1/24/2025
Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6]
MI • D
Sponsored 1/24/2025
Mullin
CA • D
Sponsored 1/24/2025
Johnson (GA)
GA • D
Sponsored 1/24/2025
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
MI • D
Sponsored 1/24/2025
Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2]
WI • D
Sponsored 1/24/2025
Rep. Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2]
AL • D
Sponsored 2/10/2025
Scott, David
GA • D
Sponsored 2/13/2025
Rep. Dexter, Maxine [D-OR-3]
OR • D
Sponsored 2/21/2025
Carson
IN • D
Sponsored 8/26/2025
Simon
CA • D
Sponsored 8/26/2025
Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3]
PA • D
Sponsored 9/3/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov