Congress is considering many bills to alter election laws this year. One of them, the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act, is likely to advance on October 8. The Act requires the states to mail absentee overseas ballots at least 45 days prior to any federal election. It is part of S.1390, the Defense Authorization Bill, and has already been passed by the Senate.
The House version of the Defense Authorization Bill does not include the Voter Empowerment Act, so a conference committee will decide whether the Voter Empowerment Act remains in the bill. That conference committee will be held on October 8. Most observers expect the conference committee to retain the election provision.
Assuming the bill is signed into law, it is almost a certainly that the states that now use September primaries for Congressional elections will be forced to move those primaries into August, or an earlier month.
Why not just register all members of the military as residents of the District of Columbia? Let ’em vote in DC elections only. Proposed exception: National Guard members not on active federal duty. They’re all federal employees. Why not register ALL federal employees to vote in DC only?
Or just have DC annex all the states. Voila! All problems solved.
Here’s a list of the states affected, and a discussion about how those moves away from September may make the states required to change consider moving their presidential primaries as well.