Study: States’ overseas voting systems are flawed

Study: States’ overseas voting systems are flawed
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Wednesday, January 7, 2009

WASHINGTON — Overseas military voters from 16 states and the District of Columbia had little chance of successfully voting in the presidential election this year, according to a new study released Tuesday.

Researchers from The Pew Center on the States found that the slow pace of the postal services and the late mailing deadlines for absentee ballots made it nearly impossible for military voters in those 17 areas to have their ballot verified and counted.

"We’re failing in our responsibility to provide for military voters overseas," said David Becker, director of the Center’s Make Voting Work project. "While they’re serving America, our voting system is not serving them."

The average time for the process in those states was 66 days, and more than 80 days in states such as Georgia and Alabama, according to the report. Authors advocated faster delivery of ballots to those overseas voters, whether through better mail processing or use of fax and e-mail technology.

Three other states had only a one- or two-day margin of error for the paperwork’s travel though the mail, the report said. Six other states could process the ballots in time, but only if voters used potentially unsecure faxed or e-mailed ballots.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=59834