Ballots by Election Day Act
Sponsored By: Senator Lankford, James [R-OK]
Introduced
Summary
Uniform federal deadline for the receipt of mail-in and absentee ballots would require ballots in federal elections to be received by the time polls close on election day to be counted.
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- Voters and households: Mail-in and absentee ballots for federal contests must arrive by polls close to count. Ballots received after polls close may not be tabulated.
- Absent uniformed services and overseas voters: The bill expressly excepts voters covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. It also says states may keep laws that require those ballots to arrive by the date of the election.
- States and election officials: The new receipt deadline would be added to the Help America Vote Act enforcement provisions and applies to federal elections held in 2027 and later. The provision creates no new federal funding.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
New federal deadline for mail ballots
This bill would require absentee and mail ballots in federal elections to be received by the time polls close on election day to be counted. For general federal elections, the deadline would align with the time polls close under 2 U.S.C. 7. The rule would not apply to absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters as defined in 52 U.S.C. 20310, and it would not preempt state laws that already require those voters' ballots to be received by election day. The provision would take effect for federal elections held in 2027 and later, and the bill would make the new deadline enforceable under HAVA Section 401.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Lankford, James [R-OK]
OK • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT]
UT • R
Sponsored 8/6/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov