GOP mail-in voting proposal could impact millions of Americans ahead of midterms

Republican Proposal Sets Election Day Deadline for Mail and Absentee Ballots

Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., plans to introduce legislation on Thursday requiring that absentee and mail-in ballots reach election officials by the close of Election Day. Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., is sponsoring a companion measure in the Senate.

Lee, who served as Florida secretary of state from 2019 to May 2022, said the change aligns with practices already in place in her state. “This is something that we’ve done in Florida for many years, and it’s a really effective way of making sure that elections stay organized and that we have timely election results,” she told Fox News Digital. She added that the measure would not restrict mail voting itself but would standardize the receipt deadline for states that permit it.

The bill follows an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in March 2025 that directed federal agencies to treat Election Day as the cutoff for receipt of mail ballots. If enacted, the legislation would apply nationwide to states that currently accept ballots received after Election Day, a practice that varies by jurisdiction.

Current state rules differ. Some states require ballots to be postmarked by Election Day and received within a set window afterward, while others enforce a strict Election Day receipt deadline. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission has reported that, in the 2024 general election, roughly 30 percent of ballots nationwide were cast by mail, though the share of ballots arriving after Election Day in states allowing later receipt ranged from under 1 percent to several percent depending on the state. No comprehensive national tally of post-Election Day ballots for 2024 has been published by federal authorities.

Lee stated that the proposal preserves existing mail-voting options chosen by states. “One thing that’s important to understand about this bill is that it doesn’t limit voting by mail. It simply says that for states who allow mail voting, ballots must be received by Election Day,” she said. “So it still keeps all of those options that states have chosen to implement on the table for them. It just creates a different deadline.”

A separate Trump administration order addressing mail-ballot procedures remains subject to litigation involving more than 20 states. That order directs the U.S. Postal Service and other agencies to verify proof of citizenship before delivering ballots and requires specific stationery for federal election mail. Supporters of the order have cited the need for uniform verification standards; opponents have argued the changes would complicate ballot delivery and counting.

Republican lawmakers in states with higher mail-voting usage have raised questions about altering deadlines ahead of the November midterms. Democratic officials and some state election administrators have expressed concern that shifting receipt rules could affect voters who rely on mail ballots, though specific statements from those officials were not included in initial coverage of the Lee-Moody legislation.

The measure would not alter early in-person voting or same-day registration procedures already set by individual states. Lee emphasized that voters would need clear information on deadlines, noting that the requirement mirrors the postmark standard many states already use.