[caryatid]

[Absentee voting in Louisiana] is incredibly simple – make a request, follow simple instructions to fill out, and mail in.

Thank you for the links. I agree that a well defined and proven system is in place for absentee voting in Louisiana. That system should be allowed to function as intended. The system provides for self-generated and self controlled voting.

Further involvement by anyone other than the absentee voter himself/herself presents potential problems.

If the present system is allowed to function as intended, there should be no problem. My objection, however, is to a move afoot to subvert the present system.

The desire to notify potential absentee voters must be suspect. Only if all voters are notified of their right to vote absentee will the proposal be just.

I defy anyone or any party to determine who may or may not be entitled to vote absentee in these circumstances. The problem arises from notifying only selected voters of their right to vote absentee.

Please explain to me the method by which absentee voters are to be notified. FEMA has refused to identify evacuees in their shelters on the grounds that it would violate their right to privacy.

There has been a totally non-functional U.S. Mail system in New Orleans. Mail has just disappeared into a black hole and is not being delivered reliably now. How does one notify voters and/or absentee voters in these circumstances? I know of one instance where a Change of Address was filed immediately after the Hurricane hit. This has resulted in -0- pieces of mail being delivered. Then, in an effort to overcome this difficulty, the Change of Address was canceled. Still there has been -0- mail delivered.

There are many unidentified persons in the morgue at St. Gabriel. And, we do not even know how many people are simply not accounted for. I, myself, know of one.

The laws you have cited and linked to anticipate that request/fill out/mail in of an absentee ballot will be accomplished by the voter himself/herself. The involvement of third parties in the procuring, delivery, completion and/or return of absentee ballots is not provided for. All of that is intended to be self-generated.

Unless answers to these questions, and analysis of all potential risks, are considered ... the present suggestion should be rigorously opposed.

[Ellesu]

Displaced Citizens Voter Protection Act of 2005 (Introduced in House)

HR 3734 IH


109th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 3734
To extend to individuals evacuated from their residences as a result of Hurricane Katrina the right to use the absentee balloting and registration procedures available to military and overseas voters under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, and for other purposes.


IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 13, 2005
Mr. DAVIS of Alabama introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration

---

A BILL
To extend to individuals evacuated from their residences as a result of Hurricane Katrina the right to use the absentee balloting and registration procedures available to military and overseas voters under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, and for other purposes.


Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Displaced Citizens Voter Protection Act of 2005'.

SEC. 2. APPLICABILITY OF PROTECTIONS FOR ABSENT MILITARY AND OVERSEAS VOTERS TO KATRINA EVACUEES.

(a) Right of Katrina Evacuees to Use Absentee Balloting and Registration Procedures Available to Military and Overseas Voters- In the case of any individual who is an eligible Hurricane Katrina evacuee--

(1) the individual shall be treated in the same manner as an absent uniformed services voter and overseas voter for purposes of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff et seq.), other than section 103(b)(1) (42 U.S.C. 1973ff-2(b)(1)); and

(2) the individual shall be deemed to be an individual who is entitled to vote by absentee ballot for purposes of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and the Help America Vote Act of 2002.

(b) Definition- For purposes of this section, the term `eligible Hurricane Katrina evacuee' means an individual--

(1) who certifies to the appropriate State election official that the individual is absent from the place of residence where the individual is otherwise qualified to vote as a result of evacuation from an area affected by Hurricane Katrina; and

(2) who provides the official with an affidavit stating that the individual intends to return to such place of residence after the election or elections involved.

(c) Effective Date- This section shall apply with respect to elections for Federal office held in calendar years 2006 through 2008.

SEC. 3. REQUIRING DESIGNATED VOTER REGISTRATION AGENCIES TO NOTIFY DISPLACED INDIVIDUALS OF AVAILABILITY OF PROTECTIONS.

Each motor vehicle authority in a State and each voter registration agency designated in a State under section 7(a) of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 shall take such steps as may be necessary to notify individuals to whom services are provided of the protections provided by section 2 and of the requirements for obtaining those protections, including the requirement to submit an affidavit stating that the individual intends to return to the place of residence where the individual is otherwise qualified to vote.