H.R. 10276: Ballots by Election Day Act

This bill would change federal election rules so that all ballots for federal offices must be received by election officials by the time polls close on Election Day in order to count. This applies to ballots in:

• General elections
• Primaries
• Runoff elections
• Special elections
• Absentee and mail-in ballots

Under the bill, a ballot that arrives after the polls close could not be accepted for counting by a state. In other words, it would set a nationwide cutoff based on when the ballot is received, not when it was mailed or postmarked.

Exception

The bill would not apply this deadline to ballots cast by:

• Absent uniformed services voters
• Overseas voters

These voters are covered under federal law for military and overseas absentee voting.

When it would take effect

The new rule would apply to federal elections held in 2027 and later.

What else it changes

The bill also makes related technical changes to the Help America Vote Act, including:

• Adding this new ballot-receipt rule to the list of provisions enforceable under federal law
• Updating section references and the law’s table of contents to reflect the new section

Relevant Companies

None found