When Ballot Access Goes AWOL

[babylonsister]

When Ballot Access Goes AWOL
Submitted by Chip on Sun, 2008-08-17 09:19.

ChicagoTribune.com


As U.S. troops fight for the rights of others to vote, are they losing their own? Our fighting men and women routinely have a lower voting rate than their civilian counterparts. They often have more urgent matters than completing absentee ballots. Still, the strikingly low participation rate has members of Congress wondering whether ballot access has gone missing in action and how to rescue it.

Only 5.5 percent of eligible military and civilian Americans overseas voted in the 2006 midterm election, says the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. A big reason for the feeble turnout: red tape ensnaring GI Joe and GI Jane.

To cast votes, they have to register, request ballots, wait for the ballots to arrive, complete them correctly and return them to the appropriate election offices in time to meet their states' deadlines. For soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan, normal U.S. mail takes an average of 18 days in each direction.

A report last fall from the commission found that 119,000 military personnel overseas requested ballots in 2006, but the votes of only 57,000 were counted. About 10 percent of the ballots submitted were rejected because they arrived late or contained errors.

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http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/35556

[tbyg52]

1. K&R. Disgraceful. nt

[kster]

2. K&R.nt

[barbtries]

3. they should make it possible

for service people to vote where they are either online or by paper ballot. it wouldn't be that hard. my guess is they have a good idea how deployed troops would vote and they don't wanna go there.