1. Short Title This Act may be cited as the Vote By Mail Act of 2017 . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) An inequity of voting rights exists in the United States because voters in some States have the universal right to vote by mail while voters in other States do not. (2) Many voters often have work, family, or other commitments that make getting to polls and waiting in line on the date of an election difficult or impossible. Many citizens with disabilities are physically unable to vote due to long lines, inadequate parking, no curb cuts, steep ramps, and large crowds. In 2012, 30 percent of voters with disabilities had difficulty voting, and more than 5,000,000 voters waited more than an hour to vote. Under current State laws, many of these voters are not permitted to vote by mail. (3) Twenty-eight States currently allow universal absentee voting (also known as no-excuse absentee voting), which permits any voter to request a mail-in ballot without providing a reason for the request. No State which has implemented no-excuse absentee voting has repealed it. (4) Three States currently hold elections entirely by mail. Twenty-two States currently allow some elections to be conducted by mail, especially in large and rural jurisdictions where voting by mail is especially convenient. Polling stations in rural jurisdictions tend to have higher costs per voter, smaller staffs, and limited resources. Transportation is often a crucial barrier for rural voters. (5) Voting by mail gives voters more time to consider their choices, which is especially important as many ballots contain greater numbers of questions about complex issues than in the past due to the expanded use of the initiative and referendum process in many States. (6) Voting by mail is cost effective. After the State of Oregon adopted vote by mail for all voters in 1996, the cost to administer an election in the State dropped by nearly 30 percent over the next few elections, from $3.07 per voter to $2.21 per voter. After Colorado implemented