2000 U.S. Code
Title 42 - THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
CHAPTER 20 - ELECTIVE FRANCHISE
SUBCHAPTER I-G - REGISTRATION AND VOTING BY ABSENT UNIFORMED SERVICES VOTERS AND OVERSEAS VOTERS IN ELECTIONS FOR FEDERAL OFFICE
Sec. 1973ff - Federal responsibilities

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§1973ff. Federal responsibilities (a) Presidential designee

The President shall designate the head of an executive department to have primary responsibility for Federal functions under this subchapter.

(b) Duties of Presidential designee

The Presidential designee shall—

(1) consult State and local election officials in carrying out this subchapter;

(2) prescribe an official post card form, containing both an absentee voter registration application and an absentee ballot application, for use by the States as recommended in section 1973ff–3 of this title;

(3) carry out section 1973ff–2 of this title with respect to the Federal write-in absentee ballot for overseas voters in general elections for Federal office;

(4) prescribe a suggested design for absentee ballot mailing envelopes for use by the States as recommended in section 1973ff–3 of this title;

(5) compile and distribute (A) descriptive material on State absentee registration and voting procedures, and (B) to the extent practicable, facts relating to specific elections, including dates, offices involved, and the text of ballot questions; and

(6) not later than the end of each year after a Presidential election year, transmit to the President and the Congress a report on the effectiveness of assistance under this subchapter, including a statistical analysis of uniformed services voter participation, a general assessment of overseas nonmilitary participation, and a description of State-Federal cooperation.

(c) Duties of other Federal officials (1) In general

The head of each Government department, agency, or other entity shall, upon request of the Presidential designee, distribute balloting materials and otherwise cooperate in carrying out this subchapter.

(2) Administrator of General Services

As directed by the Presidential designee, the Administrator of General Services shall furnish official post card forms (prescribed under subsection (b) of this section) and Federal write-in absentee ballots (prescribed under section 1973ff–2 of this title).

(Pub. L. 99–410, title I, §101, Aug. 28, 1986, 100 Stat. 924; Pub. L. 105–277, div. G, title XXII, §2219(c), Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–817.)

Amendments

1998—Subsec. (b)(6). Pub. L. 105–277 substituted “of uniformed services voter participation, a general assessment of overseas nonmilitary participation,” for “of voter participation”.

Effective Date

Section 204 of Pub. L. 99–410 provided that: “The amendments and repeals made by this Act [see Short Title note below] shall apply with respect to elections taking place after December 31, 1987.”

Short Title

Section 1 of Pub. L. 99–410 provided that: “This Act [enacting this subchapter, sections 608 and 609 of Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure, and section 3406 of Title 39, Postal Service, amending sections 2401, 3627, and 3684 of Title 39, repealing subchapters I–D and I–E of this chapter, and enacting provisions set out as a note under this section] may be cited as the ‘Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act’.”

Ex. Ord. No. 12642. Designation of Secretary of Defense as Presidential Designee

Ex. Ord. No. 12642, June 8, 1988, 53 F.R. 21975, provided:

By virtue of the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, including section 101(a) of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (Public Law 99–410) (“the Act”) [42 U.S.C. 1973ff(a)], it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. The Secretary of Defense is hereby designated as the “Presidential designee” under Title I of the Act [42 U.S.C. 1973ff et seq.].

Sec. 2. In order to effectuate the purposes of the Act [see Short Title note above], the Secretary of Defense is hereby authorized to delegate any or all of the functions, responsibilities, powers, authority, or discretion devolving upon him in consequence of this Order to any person or persons within the Department of Defense.

Ronald Reagan.

Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in sections 1973ff–3, 1973ff–6 of this title.