---
kind: "section"
citation: "52 U.S.C. § 20986"
title: "52"
title_heading: "Voting and Elections"
number: "20986"
heading: "Study and report on free absentee ballot postage"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/52/20986"
units:
  - "Subtitle II — Voting Assistance and Election Administration"
  - "Chapter 209 — Election Administration Improvement"
  - "Subchapter II — Commission"
  - "Part C — Studies and Other Activities To Promote Effective Administration of Federal Elections"
---

# §20986. Study and report on free absentee ballot postage

- (a) **Study on the establishment of a free absentee ballot postage program—**
  - (1) **In general—** The Commission, in consultation with the Postal Service, shall conduct a study on the feasibility and advisability of the establishment of a program under which the Postal Service shall waive or otherwise reduce the amount of postage applicable with respect to absentee ballots submitted by voters in general [elections](/usc/52/20502.md?p=1) for [Federal office](/usc/52/20310.md?p=3) (other than [balloting materials](/usc/52/20310.md?p=2) mailed under [section 3406 of title 39](/usc/39/3406.md)) that does not apply with respect to the postage required to send the absentee ballots to voters.
  - (2) **Public survey—** As part of the study conducted under [paragraph (1)](#a-1), the Commission shall conduct a survey of potential beneficiaries under the program described in such paragraph, including the [elderly](/usc/52/20107.md?p=2) and disabled, and shall take into account the results of such survey in determining the feasibility and advisability of establishing such a program.
- (b) **Report—**
  - (1) **Submission—** Not later than the date that is 1 year after October 29, 2002, the Commission shall submit to Congress a report on the study conducted under [subsection (a)(1)](#a-1) together with recommendations for such legislative and administrative action as the Commission determines appropriate.
  - (2) **Costs—** The report submitted under [paragraph (1)](#b-1) shall contain an estimate of the costs of establishing the program described in [subsection (a)(1)](#a-1).
  - (3) **Implementation—** The report submitted under [paragraph (1)](#b-1) shall contain an analysis of the feasibility of implementing the program described in [subsection (a)(1)](#a-1) with respect to the absentee ballots to be submitted in the general [election](/usc/52/20502.md?p=1) for [Federal office](/usc/52/20310.md?p=3) held in 2004.
  - (4) **Recommendations regarding the elderly and disabled—** The report submitted under [paragraph (1)](#b-1) shall—
    - (A) include recommendations on ways that program described in [subsection (a)(1)](#a-1) would target [elderly](/usc/52/20107.md?p=2) individuals and individuals with disabilities; and
    - (B) identify methods to increase the number of such individuals who vote in [elections](/usc/52/20502.md?p=1) for [Federal office](/usc/52/20310.md?p=3).
- (c) **Postal Service defined—** The term “Postal Service” means the United States Postal Service established under [section 201 of title 39](/usc/39/201.md).

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 107–252, title II, § 246, Oct. 29, 2002, 116 Stat. 1691.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Codification

Section was formerly classified to section 15386 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.