The committee approved the bill with a bipartisan 34-5 vote, with several of the committee’s top Republicans endorsing the legislation.
“I actually like this bill,” Committee Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.) said. “That’s been a huge issue in a lot of elections over the past four years — that is, the envelopes carrying such ballots must include a barcode that can be read by Postal Service equipment.”
“This is an important step to ensure elections are conducted fairly. Another important benefit of this legislation is it will help protect the Postal Service from being blamed for election irregularities,” Comer added.
It remains unclear whether the legislation can pass through the House and Senate before the end of this session of Congress, and if not, whether it will be reintroduced and pass through a Republican-majority House starting in January.