H.R. 738 — Universal Right To Vote by Mail Act of 2025

This section sets forth 10 congressional findings supporting universal absentee (no-excuse) mail-in voting, including interstate inequities in voter access; barriers from work, family, or other commitments; prevalence in 36 states and D.C. with no reversals; benefits for voter deliberation, participation, poll wait times, and convenience; lack of elevated fraud risk; and privacy and cost issues with excuse or notary requirements.

This section establishes new section 303A of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) requiring states, for federal elections held in years beginning in 2026, to (1) prohibit additional conditions on mail voting eligibility beyond deadlines for requesting and returning ballots; (2) notify voters of signature discrepancies, missing signatures, or other defects (except untimely ballots) by the next business day via mail, phone, text, or email, with an opportunity to cure by the third day after the state's ballot receipt deadline; and (3) preserve authority for in-person voting at polling places on election day. It also amends HAVA section 401 to authorize the Attorney General to enforce the new requirements through civil actions (adding section 303A to the list of enforceable provisions) and updates HAVA's table of contents accordingly.