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To amend title 39, United States Code, to require mail-in ballots to use the Postal Service barcode service, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill amends the postal code to require that mail-in ballot envelopes used for Federal elections contain Postal Service barcodes that enable tracking of individual ballots. Ballot envelopes must also meet Postal Service design requirements for ballot envelopes, satisfy machineable letter requirements, and include the Official Election Mail Logo or a successor label. The bill requires the Postmaster General to provide election entities with information about how to comply with these requirements by June 1 of each year. The bill does not apply to Federal write-in absentee ballots under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. The requirements apply to Federal elections occurring in 2026 and all succeeding years.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. Mfume, Kweisi [D-MD-7] (D-MD)
33 cosponsors
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC)
- Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3] (D-AZ)
- Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2] (R-NE)
- Rep. Bishop, Sanford D. [D-GA-2] (D-GA)
- Rep. Budzinski, Nikki [D-IL-13] (D-IL)
- Rep. Ciscomani, Juan [R-AZ-6] (R-AZ)
- Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9] (D-NY)
- Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5] (D-MO)
- Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2] (D-MN)
- Rep. Deluzio, Christopher R. [D-PA-17] (D-PA)
- Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3] (D-PA)
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA)
- Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10] (D-FL)
- Rep. Garcia, Robert [D-CA-42] (D-CA)
- Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4] (D-GA)
- Rep. Latimer, George [D-NY-16] (D-NY)
- Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12] (D-PA)
- Rep. Lynch, Stephen F. [D-MA-8] (D-MA)
- Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2] (D-RI)
- Rep. McClain Delaney, April [D-MD-6] (D-MD)
- Rep. Min, Dave [D-CA-47] (D-CA)
- Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15] (D-CA)
- Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1] (D-ME)
- Rep. Scanlon, Mary Gay [D-PA-5] (D-PA)
- Rep. Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" [D-VA-3] (D-VA)
- Rep. Sessions, Pete [R-TX-17] (R-TX)
- Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12] (D-CA)
- Rep. Subramanyam, Suhas [D-VA-10] (D-VA)
- Rep. Sykes, Emilia Strong [D-OH-13] (D-OH)
- Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI)
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI)
- Rep. Tonko, Paul [D-NY-20] (D-NY)
- Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7] (D-VA)
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Kweisi Mfume’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- CAREER COMMUNICATIONS GROUP $8,300
- THE RLJ COMPANIES $6,600
- Y COMBINATOR $5,300
- CURIO WELLNESS $5,300
- KENNEDY KRIEGER INSTITUTE $4,500
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Kweisi Mfume → · Outside spending →
Actions (4)
- Feb 4, 2026 Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 43 - 1. · house
- Feb 4, 2026 Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held · house
- Jan 27, 2026 Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. · house
- Jan 27, 2026 Introduced in House
More bills on these subjects (8)
Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 27, 2026
Mr. Mfume (for himself, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Garcia of California, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Min, Mr. Bacon, Ms. Norton, Mr. Ciscomani, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Evans of Pennsylvania, Ms. Craig, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Budzinski, Mr. Deluzio, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Mr. Mullin, Mrs. Sykes, Ms. Ansari, Ms. Simon, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. Bishop, Mr. Frost, Mr. Subramanyam, and Mr. Latimer) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
A BILL
To amend title 39, United States Code, to require mail-in ballots to use the Postal Service barcode service, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Vote by Mail Tracking Act”.
SEC. 2. MAIL-IN BALLOTS AND POSTAL SERVICE BARCODE SERVICE.
(a) In General.—Title 39, United States Code, is amended by inserting after chapter 30 the following new chapter:
“CHAPTER 31—ELECTION MAIL
“Sec. “3101. Trackable election mail. “Sec. 3101. Trackable election mail
“(a) In General.—No entity of government shall furnish a ballot envelope for the purpose of being carried or delivered by mail unless such envelope—
“(1) contains a Postal Service barcode (or successive service or marking) that enables tracking of each individual ballot consistent with parameters that the Postal Service may promulgate by regulation;
“(2) satisfies requirements for ballot envelope design that the Postal Service may promulgate by regulation;
“(3) satisfies requirements for machineable letters that the Postal Service may promulgate by regulation; and
“(4) includes the Official Election Mail Logo (or any successor label that the Postal Service may establish for ballots).
“(b) Application.—Subsection (a) does not apply to a Federal write-in absentee ballot under section 103 of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (52 U.S.C. 20303).
“(c) Information.—Not later than June 1 of each calendar year, the Postmaster General shall provide, to the entities described in the matter preceding paragraph (1) of subsection (a), the information necessary to comply with the requirements of this subsection, including how to access Postal Service tools to assist in generating the barcode or successive marking required by subsection (a)(1).”.
(b) Clerical Amendment.—The table of chapters for part IV of title 39, United States Code, is amended by adding after the item relating to chapter 30 the following:
“31. Election Mail......................................... 3101”.
(c) Application.—The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply to any election for Federal office occurring in 2026 and any succeeding year. <all>
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