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S. 1415: Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act

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S. 1415: Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act

111th Congress · introduced 2009-07-08 · Government Operations and Politics · Latest: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 114.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2009-07-08 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 114. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act

Plain summary

Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act - Amends the Uniformed and Overseas Citizen Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) to require states to establish procedures for: (1) absentee uniform services voters and overseas voters to request and, states to send, federal election voter registration applications and absentee ballot applications by mail, electronically, and by facsimile; (2) transmittal of blank absentee ballots by mail, online, and by facsimile to absentee uniformed services voters and overseas voters; and (3) ensuring absentee uniformed services voters and overseas voters have time to vote. Directs the presidential designee to establish procedures for: (1) collecting marked absentee ballots of absentee overseas uniformed services voters in regularly scheduled federal general elections; and (2) delivering them to the appropriate state election officials. Authorizes the use of federal write-in absentee ballots in general, special, and runoff elections for federal office, and promotion and expansion of use of such ballots as a back-up measure. Prohibits refusal to accept otherwise valid voter registration and absentee ballot applications, marked absentee ballots, and federal write-ins absentee ballots for failure to meet technical requirements. Directs the presidential designee to develop standards for training, supporting, and emphasizing Voting Assistance Officers under the Federal Voting Assistance Program of the Department of Defense (DOD): (1) for all members of the uniformed services; and (2) on all installations and facilities of the uniformed services in the United States and overseas. Requires each state and the Secretary of Defense jointly to develop and implement procedures for persons to apply to register to vote at DOD pay, personnel, and identification offices. Requires the presidential designee to develop standards for states to report data on the number of absentee ballots transmitted and received and for storage of the data. Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require: (1) a state to use a requirements payment made using certain funds only to meet specified UOCAVA requirements; and (2) the state plan to describe how the state will use such requirements payment to meet UOCAVA requirements. Directs the presidential designee to establish one or more pilot programs to test the feasibility of new election technology for the benefit of absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters claiming UOCAVA rights.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] · 60 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA), Mark R. Warner (D-VA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Roger F. Wicker (R-MS), James E. Risch (R-ID), John Thune (R-SD), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mike Crapo (R-ID)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] reported raising $1.2 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)
Appropriation
Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong111-s1415 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong111 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong111