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Title 52, Voting and ElectionsRelease 119-110

§20304 Procedures for Collection and Delivery of Marked Absentee Ballots of Absent Overseas Uniformed Services Voters

Title 52 › Subtitle II — Voting Assistance and Election Administration › CHAPTER 203 — REGISTRATION AND VOTING BY ABSENT UNIFORMED SERVICES VOTERS AND OVERSEAS VOTERS IN ELECTIONS FOR FEDERAL OFFICE › § 20304

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The person the President names must create rules to collect and send marked absentee ballots from absent overseas uniformed services voters in regular federal general elections. This covers state absentee ballots and the Federal write‑in absentee ballot under section 20303. The rules must get those ballots to the right election officials in time to be counted. The designee must work with the U.S. Postal Service and arrange expedited mail for ballots collected on or before the deadline and handed to USPS. The normal collection cutoff is noon local time on the seventh day before the election, but the designee can set an earlier cutoff for very remote places. Ballots go postage‑free under section 3406 of title 39 and must be postmarked with the mailing date. The designee must also tell likely absent overseas uniformed services voters how to use these collection and delivery rules. “Absent overseas uniformed services voter” means the overseas voter described in section 20310(5)(A). Money may be appropriated as needed to carry out these duties.

Full Legal Text

Title 52, §20304

Voting and Elections, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Establishment of procedures
The Presidential designee shall establish procedures for collecting marked absentee ballots of absent overseas uniformed services voters in regularly scheduled general elections for Federal office, including absentee ballots prepared by States and the Federal write-in absentee ballot prescribed under section 20303 of this title, and for delivering such marked absentee ballots to the appropriate election officials.
(b)Delivery to appropriate election officials
(1)In general
Under the procedures established under this section, the Presidential designee shall implement procedures that facilitate the delivery of marked absentee ballots of absent overseas uniformed services voters for regularly scheduled general elections for Federal office to the appropriate election officials, in accordance with this section, not later than the date by which an absentee ballot must be received in order to be counted in the election.
(2)Cooperation and coordination with the United States Postal Service
The Presidential designee shall carry out this section in cooperation and coordination with the United States Postal Service, and shall provide expedited mail delivery service for all such marked absentee ballots of absent uniformed services voters that are collected on or before the deadline described in paragraph (3) and then transferred to the United States Postal Service.
(3)Deadline described
(A)In general
Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the deadline described in this paragraph is noon (in the location in which the ballot is collected) on the seventh day preceding the date of the regularly scheduled general election for Federal office.
(B)Authority to establish alternative deadline for certain locations
If the Presidential designee determines that the deadline described in subparagraph (A) is not sufficient to ensure timely delivery of the ballot under paragraph (1) with respect to a particular location because of remoteness or other factors, the Presidential designee may establish as an alternative deadline for that location the latest date occurring prior to the deadline described in subparagraph (A) which is sufficient to provide timely delivery of the ballot under paragraph (1).
(4)No postage requirement
In accordance with section 3406 of title 39, such marked absentee ballots and other balloting materials shall be carried free of postage.
(5)Date of mailing
Such marked absentee ballots shall be postmarked with a record of the date on which the ballot is mailed.
(c)Outreach for absent overseas uniformed services voters on procedures
The Presidential designee shall take appropriate actions to inform individuals who are anticipated to be absent overseas uniformed services voters in a regularly scheduled general election for Federal office to which this section applies of the procedures for the collection and delivery of marked absentee ballots established pursuant to this section, including the manner in which such voters may utilize such procedures for the submittal of marked absentee ballots pursuant to this section.
(d)Absent overseas uniformed services voter defined
In this section, the term “absent overseas uniformed services voter” means an overseas voter described in section 20310(5)(A) of this title.
(e)Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Presidential designee such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was formerly classified to section 1973ff–2a of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section applicable with respect to the regularly scheduled general election for Federal office held in November 2010 and each succeeding election for Federal office, see section 580(f) of Pub. L. 111–84, set out as an

Effective Date

of 2009 Amendment note under section 20301 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

52 U.S.C. § 20304

Title 52, Voting and Elections

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110