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1 Duke Chen, States That Require a Valid Reason for Absentee Voting 1 (2014)

handle is hein.scsl/vrabsv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Office of Legislative ~Research December 3, 2014 STATES THAT REQUIRE A VALID REASON FOR ABSENTEE VOTING By: Duke Chen, Associate Analyst QUESTION How many states require electors to provide a valid reason to vote by absentee ballot and what are the permissible reasons? SUMMARY All states have procedures under which certain electors may qualify to vote by absentee ballot in state elections. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), 27 states permit electors to cast an absentee ballot for any reason, while 20 require them to provide a valid reason for doing so. The remaining three, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington, conduct all-mail elections and automatically send a ballot to each elector. Of the 20 states requiring a valid reason, all allow absentee voting by electors who are unable to vote in person due to a physical disability. Additionally, the majority allow electors to vote absentee if they will be away from their town or precinct during all hours of voting or their religious beliefs prevent secular activity on election day. In addition, all states must comply with the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act of 1986 (UOCAVA)(P.L. 99-410), which requires U.S. states and territories to allow certain U.S. citizens to vote by absentee ballot in federal elections. Citizens covered by the requirements, and referred to in this report as UOCAVA voters, are (1) active duty members of the uniformed services, (2) their spouses or dependent family members living with them where they are stationed, and (3) U.S. citizens residing outside the country. The uniformed services are the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard, as well as the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps. December 3, 2014 Page 1 of 13 2014-R-0256 December 3, 2014 Page 1 of 13 2014-R-0256