"Official Asks More Time for Military Votes"

WASHINGTON - Thousands of votes from U.S. troops overseas could go uncounted again in November without emergency legislation extending deadlines for the ballots, a Chicago election official warned President Bush (news - web sites) in a letter Tuesday.

Nearly 30 percent of military voters who requested ballots in 2000 didn't get them in time to vote. Theresa M. Petrone, a Democratic member of Chicago's three-person Board of Election Commissioners, told Bush the problem could be solved if he proposed emergency legislation giving election officials up to 14 days after Election Day to collect and count ballots.

Deadlines vary, but most states, including Illinois, require that ballots be received by Election Day. Other states, including Ohio and Florida, count them for up to 10 or more days later, as long as they were signed by Election Day.

"Every election cycle, election authorities such as Chicago receive military absentee ballots days or even weeks after the deadline, thus disqualifying these votes from being included in the election tally," Petrone wrote. "With hundreds of thousands of military personnel serving overseas, the voting bloc obviously could determine the outcome of our next presidential election."

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040803/ap_on_el_ge/military_voting_1

But just enough to change a state's electoral votes, mind you.

Have a "postmarked by" deadline. If someone can't get there ass in gear to do it by then they deserve to lose out.

SCOTUS stopped the count in 2000, now we're suppose to extend it?

The Republicans like rules only if they are convenient, otherwise they bend, break and try to legislate them when it suits their plans, whether it be in Congress (Medicare vote) or the military, which has seen heavy campaigning by Bush* on military bases; something not afforded to Kerry. We also can't forget the one-sided Arm Forces radio that carries Rush Limbaugh with no liberal equal time.

Giving them a deadline to complete their vote does not disenfranchise anyone.

absentee ballots earlier to all overseas voters, military or not.

Then it's each voter's individual responsibility to fill out the ballot and get it mailed back in time.

Since absentee voters get to vote early, why should they be able to mail their ballots late ??? Give me a break.