Absentee voting fix not enough — need comprehenive reform
Absentee voting fix not enough, advocates say – Army News, news from Iraq, – Army Times
A bill to improve overseas voting passed the House Administration Committee, but voting rights advocates say a more comprehensive fix is required.
According to the Army Times, the Military Voting Protection Act, HR 2393 introduced by Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) would establish an express mail collection system for sending cast ballots back to state election officials. The bill also:
- establishes a tracking system that would allow service members to find out whether their ballot had been delivered
- requires the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) to set a deadline for receiving absentee ballots of noon on the fourth day before federal elections, beginning with the November 2010 elections — if necessary, the deadline could be set earlier
- makes FVAP officials responsible for collecting ballots and delivering them to the states via express mail
- requires FVAP to submit a report to Congress after each general election on the effectiveness of the system
Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat, president of the Overseas Vote Foundation notes that sending the ballot back to the US is the last step in the absentee voting process and that:
The irresistible urge to focus on the last step of the process, the step that is held hostage by all others that precede it, is an unfortunate distraction if it is the only measure taken in the face of other very real remaining challenges. Speeding the return of the voted ballot won’t help much if the voter’s request for the ballot is late and if is/her ballot does not show up in time to be cast.
A comprehensive approach is necessary. Please contact your state’s Congressional delegation and make your voice heard on thios critical issue.
