§ 1566a — Voting Assistance: Voter Assistance Offices

(a) Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense under subsection (f), the Secretaries of the military departments shall designate offices on installations under their jurisdiction, or at such installations as the Secretary of the military department concerned shall determine are best located to provide access to voter assistance services for all covered individuals in a particular location, to provide absent uniformed services voters, particularly those individuals described in subsection (b), and their family members with the following: (1) (2) Information and assistance, if requested, including access to the Internet where practicable, to register to vote in an election for Federal office. (3) Information and assistance, if requested, including access to the Internet where practicable, to update the individual’s voter registration information, including instructions for absent uniformed services voters to change their address by submitting the official post card form prescribed under section 101 of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act to the appropriate State election official. (4) Information and assistance, if requested, to request an absentee ballot under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff et seq.).1 (b) The individuals described in this subsection are absent uniformed services voters who— (1) are undergoing a permanent change of duty station; (2) are deploying overseas for at least six months; (3) are returning from an overseas deployment of at least six months; or (4) otherwise request assistance related to voter registration. (c) The regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense under subsection (f) shall ensure, to the maximum extent practicable and consistent with military necessity, that the assistance provided under subsection (a) is provided to a covered individual described in subsection (b)— (1) if described in subsection (b)(1), as part of the administrative in-processing of the covered individual upon arrival at the new duty station of the covered individual; (2) if described in subsection (b)(2), as part of the administrative out-processing of the covered individual in preparation for deployment from the home duty station of the covered individual; (3) if described in subsection (b)(3), as part of the administrative in-processing of the covered individual upon return to the home duty station of the covered individual; or (4) if described in subsection (b)(4), at the time the covered individual requests such assistance. (d) The Secretary of each military department, or the Presidential designee, shall take appropriate actions to inform absent uniformed services voters of the assistance available under subsection (a), including— (1) the availability of information and voter registration assistance at offices designated under subsection (a); and (2) the time, location, and manner in which an absent uniformed services voter may utilize such assistance. (e) The Secretary of Defense may authorize the Secretaries of the military departments to designate offices on military installations as voter registration agencies under section 7(a)(2) of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1973gg–5(a)(2)) 1 for all purposes of such Act. Any office so designated shall discharge the requirements of this section, under the regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense under subsection (f). (1) The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations relating to the administration of the requirements of this section. The regulations shall be prescribed before the regularly scheduled general election for Federal office held in November 2010, and shall be implemented for such general election for Federal office and for each succeeding election for Federal office. (2) The Secretary of a military department shall provide the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives with notice of any decision by the Secretary to close a voter assistance office that was designated on an installation before the date of the enactment of this paragraph. The notice shall include the rational for the closure, the timing of the closure, the number of covered individuals supported by the office, and the plan for providing the assistance available under subsection (a) to covered individuals after the closure of the office. (g) In this section: (1) The term “absent uniformed services voter” has the meaning given that term in section 107(1) of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff–6(1)).1 (2) The term “Federal office” has the meaning given that term in section 107(3) of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff–6(3)).1 (3) The term “Presidential designee” means the official designated by the President under section 101(a) of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff(a)).1