§20306. Prohibition of refusal of applications on grounds of early submission

A State may not refuse to accept or process, with respect to any election for Federal office, any otherwise valid voter registration application or absentee ballot application (including the postcard form prescribed under section 20301 of this title) submitted by an absent uniformed services voter during a year on the grounds that the voter submitted the application before the first date on which the State otherwise accepts or processes such applications for that year submitted by absentee voters who are not members of the uniformed services.

( Pub. L. 99–410, title I, §104, Aug. 28, 1986, 100 Stat. 926 ; Pub. L. 107–107, div. A, title XVI, §1606(b), Dec. 28, 2001, 115 Stat. 1279 ; Pub. L. 107–252, title VII, §§704, 706(a), Oct. 29, 2002, 116 Stat. 1724 , 1725; Pub. L. 111–84, div. A, title V, §585(a), (b)(2), Oct. 28, 2009, 123 Stat. 2331 .)

Editorial Notes

Codification

Section was formerly classified to section 1973ff–3 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

Amendments

2009-Pub. L. 111–84 substituted "Prohibition of refusal of applications on grounds of early submission" for "Use of single application for all subsequent elections" in section catchline, struck out subsecs. (a) to (d) which related, respectively, to provision of absentee ballot in subsequent elections after acceptance and processing of an official post card form, exception for voters changing registration, revision of official post card form, and construction of provisions with voter removal programs, and struck out subsec. (e) designation and heading before "A State".

2002-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 107–252, §704, substituted "through the next 2 regularly scheduled general elections for Federal office (including any runoff elections which may occur as a result of the outcome of such general elections), the State shall provide an absentee ballot to the voter for each such subsequent election" for "during that year, the State shall provide an absentee ballot to the voter for each subsequent election for Federal office held in the State during that year".

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 107–252, §706(a), added subsec. (e).

2001-Pub. L. 107–107 amended section catchline and text generally, substituting provisions relating to use of single application for all subsequent elections for provisions relating to recommendations to States to maximize access to polls by absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2002 Amendment

Pub. L. 107–252, title VII, §706(b), Oct. 29, 2002, 116 Stat. 1725 , provided that: "The amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall apply with respect to elections for Federal office that occur after January 1, 2004."