Expatriate U.S. Voters Finding It Easier to Receive Ballots (DOJ lax on MOVE Act)

NY Times ^ | February 12, 2011 | Brian Knowlton

[jazusamo]

WASHINGTON — As the effect of a new law protecting the rights of overseas U.S. voters is felt, those voters are reporting an easier time in requesting and receiving ballots. But a very substantial number of their ballots still went uncounted in the 2010 midterm elections, according to a private foundation.

“There was definitely an indication from the voters themselves that there was improvement,” Claire M. Smith, research director for the Overseas Vote Foundation, said Thursday in explaining the group’s findings. “One voter said, ‘For the first time in 34 years, I got my ballot on time.”’

Improved procedures received a major impetus with the 2009 passage of the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act. Among other things, the law requires states to transmit requested absentee ballots to overseas voters no later than 45 days before a federal election, unless the state requests and is granted a waiver, with Defense Department approval.

Partly as a result, all 50 states last year provided for the electronic transmission of blank ballots to voters, mainly via e-mail or online download.

The foundation asked for input from people on its mailing list or from those who reached its Web site on their own. The group is self-selected, meaning the findings are not scientific, but they can still provide a snapshot of the views of the 5,000 politically active expatriates who participated in 2008 and 2010.

[jazusamo]

Perez makes this sound fine but when a third or more military and overseas voters are disenfranchized it's not fine.

Related article:

Data in: Military voters WERE disenfranchised in 2010

[texmexis best]

I have the perfect solution for the problems of getting military votes to the right on time:

Call in Fedex and UPS. Tell then this: “We need to get our votes to the correct places on time, every time. Design it, execute it and send the bill to the DOD”.

You then will have a system that is good, cheap and fast.

Possibly next day delivery from most areas of operations.

This is so easy, I should run for Congress.

[jazusamo]

If you can fix it like that it’d be great but you got to get the Obama/Holder DOJ to follow our laws. I’ll donate to your campaign and would vote for you if I lived there. :-)