ESTABLISHMENT OF PROCEDURES FOR STATES TO TRANSMIT BLANK ABSENTEE BALLOTS BY MAIL AND ELECTRONICALLY TO ABSENT UNIFORMED SERVICES VOTERS AND OVERSEAS VOTERS.

SEC. 578. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROCEDURES FOR STATES TO TRANSMIT BLANK ABSENTEE BALLOTS BY MAIL AND ELECTRONICALLY TO ABSENT UNIFORMED SERVICES VOTERS AND OVERSEAS VOTERS.(a) In General.—Section 102 of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff–1), as amended by section 577, is amended—(1) in subsection (a)—(A) in paragraph (5), by striking “and” at the end;(B) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at the end and inserting “; and”; and(C) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:“(7) in addition to any other method of transmitting blank absentee ballots in the State, establish procedures for transmitting by mail and electronically blank absentee ballots to absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters with respect to general, special, primary, and runoff elections for Federal office in accordance with subsection (f).”; and(2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:“(f) Transmission of Blank Absentee Ballots by Mail and Electronically.—“(1) In general.—Each State shall establish procedures—“(A) to transmit blank absentee ballots by mail and electronically (in accordance with the preferred method of transmission designated by the absent uniformed services voter or overseas voter under subparagraph (B)) to absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters for an election for Federal office; and“(B) by which the absent uniformed services voter or overseas voter can designate whether the voter prefers that such blank absentee ballot be transmitted by mail or electronically.“(2) Transmission if no preference indicated.—In the case where an absent uniformed services voter or overseas voter does not designate a preference under paragraph (1)(B), the State shall transmit the ballot by any delivery method allowable in accordance with applicable State law, or if there is no applicable State law, by mail.“(3) Security and privacy protections.—“(A) Security protections.—To the extent practicable, States shall ensure that the procedures established under subsection (a)(7) protect the security and integrity of absentee ballots.“(B) Privacy protections.—To the extent practicable, the procedures established under subsection (a)(7) shall ensure that the privacy of the identity and other personal data of an absent uniformed services voter or overseas voter to whom a blank absentee ballot is transmitted under such subsection is protected throughout the process of such transmission.”.(b) Effective Date.—The amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to the regularly scheduled general election for Federal office held in November 2010 and each succeeding election for Federal office.123 STAT. 2322