S. 1397: A bill to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to provide for a national Federal write-in absentee ballot for domestic use.

116th Congress · introduced 2019-05-09 · Government Operations and Politics · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2019-05-09 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
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

A bill to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to provide for a national Federal write-in absentee ballot for domestic use.

Plain summary

This bill directs the Election Assistance Commission to create a national federal write-in absentee ballot that must be made available on the internet in a printable format. States must permit certain individuals to use the ballot to cast a vote in any election for federal office. The individuals who qualify to use the ballot are those who reside in an area where a state of emergency has been declared by the state due to a natural disaster, expect to be absent from their jurisdiction on election day due to professional or volunteer service in response to a natural disaster or emergency, expect to be hospitalized on election day, or requested an absentee ballot but did not receive it in time for it to be counted in the election.

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

A bill to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to provide for a national Federal write-in absentee ballot for domestic use.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] · 10 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Angus S. King, Jr. (I-ME), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Michael F. Bennet (D-CO), Tina Smith (D-MN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory A. Booker (D-NJ)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] reported raising $2.5 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 (2)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Jurisdiction: The area or the matters a government or court has authority over.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116s1397.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/s>

Record fed-us-cong116-s1397 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116