Senate Bill 2556 Summary

• Requires absentee ballots to be placed in an unmarked envelope, which is then placed inside the outer envelope bearing the elector's certificate and affidavits to protect ballot secrecy.

• Modifies absentee ballot handling procedures for both standard voting systems and direct recording electronic voting systems to accommodate the two-envelope requirement.

• Specifies that unmarked envelopes containing ballots must remain sealed until counting begins, at which point election managers open them to process the ballots.

• Updates ballot application instructions, elector certificates, and attesting witness certificates to reflect the new unmarked envelope requirement and procedures.

• Requires the Attorney General to submit the act to the U.S. Department of Justice or U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for approval under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, with the act taking effect upon such approval.