washington, d.c. – today, senator rick scott introduced the verifiable, ordered, & the Timely Election Results (Voters) Act to establish uniform standards for vote-by-mail systems across the country and ensure the timely and efficient counting of ballots, with important safeguards to prevent fraud.
Currently, absentee voting by mail in federal elections is governed by a patchwork of state laws, with varying timelines for requesting, returning, and receiving mail-in ballots. As states pursue the expanded use of mail-in ballots, the voter’s law will ensure the security, reliability, and orderly conduct of federal elections. the bill also creates a deadline for state election officials to count and report election results to avoid prolonged uncertainty in the outcome of a federal election.
Senator Rick Scott said, “Voting is fundamental to our democracy and is a sacred right that we must protect and cherish. I always say that we need 100% participation and 0% fraud in our elections. florida has absentee voting and it works fine. But standards for voting by mail vary widely across the country, leading to confusion and mistrust of the system. we need national standards to ensure voters decide election results, not the courts. we cannot wait weeks or months for the results of this election or any other election in our future, a scenario made even more likely by the Democrats’ push to change laws late in the game and remove standards that protect against fraud. The voter bill will create uniform standards for voting by mail, provide important protections against fraud, and ensure we have a timely federal election result. we need to pass this bill now to ensure calm and safe elections.”
verifiable information, ordered and & timely electoral results law (voters):
- establishes uniform standards for voting by mail in federal elections
- defines timelines for requesting and returning vote-by-mail ballots
- mail – ballots must be requested at least 21 days before a federal election
- mail-in ballots must be returned and received by the close of polls on Election Day
- applications for ballots by mail must allow the local election official to confirm the applicant’s identity, voter registration, and address of record
- ballots by mail must include a certification that the voter:
- is the person to whom the ballot was mailed and
- will not attempt to vote in person after voting by mail
- requires polling places to report the total number of in-person and mail-in ballots received one hour after polls close to identify the total universe of votes to be counted in the election
- requires all eligible ballots to be counted and reported within 24 hours of the close of polls on Election Day to promote certainty in the outcome of a federal election
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- defines timelines for requesting and returning vote-by-mail ballots