- Jun 19, 2009
- 42,406
- 16,782
- 2,290
Inept Democrat controlled State governments, could be. A direct attempt by Democrat controlled States to suppress the military vote, mmm . I don't know but it's fishy and an insult to our military, don't ya think
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Military voting advocates fear American troops stationed and fighting overseas may again get the short end of the stick on Election Day.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced last week that several states -- most notably New York and Illinois -- failed to get ballots to troops deployed overseas at least 45 days before Tuesday's election as required by federal law.
"There are laws in place to make sure ballots get to our servicemembers in time, and they just didn't," said Eric Eversole, executive director of the Military Voter Protection Project. "It just doesn't seem to be a priority in some communities, and we don't have anyone watching or standing up to make sure our servicemembers have time to vote."
The 45-day deadline was enacted as part of the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act passed by Congress last year to protect the voting rights of servicemembers, their families and other overseas citizens.
According to a study published in November by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, 480,757 ballots were transmitted to military voters during the 2008 election. Of those, 320,950 were returned, and 309,629 were counted, according to the study.
Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, who also is the president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, said a year may not have been enough time for some states to overhaul existing elections law.
"I'm glad that people are concerned about this issue because for a long time, they weren't," Dunlap said. "The biggest challenge in this case, is how do you get a ballot in the hands of someone who is in a rifle company in the mountains of Afghanistan and get it back?"
Eversole said it is up to federal, state and local officials to figure that out.
"You have people over there fighting for our rights ... and they have had their voices silenced," Eversole said. "It's important that we find a solution so that these voters do not continue to be disenfranchised."
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Military voting advocates fear American troops stationed and fighting overseas may again get the short end of the stick on Election Day.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced last week that several states -- most notably New York and Illinois -- failed to get ballots to troops deployed overseas at least 45 days before Tuesday's election as required by federal law.
"There are laws in place to make sure ballots get to our servicemembers in time, and they just didn't," said Eric Eversole, executive director of the Military Voter Protection Project. "It just doesn't seem to be a priority in some communities, and we don't have anyone watching or standing up to make sure our servicemembers have time to vote."
The 45-day deadline was enacted as part of the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act passed by Congress last year to protect the voting rights of servicemembers, their families and other overseas citizens.
According to a study published in November by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, 480,757 ballots were transmitted to military voters during the 2008 election. Of those, 320,950 were returned, and 309,629 were counted, according to the study.
Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, who also is the president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, said a year may not have been enough time for some states to overhaul existing elections law.
"I'm glad that people are concerned about this issue because for a long time, they weren't," Dunlap said. "The biggest challenge in this case, is how do you get a ballot in the hands of someone who is in a rifle company in the mountains of Afghanistan and get it back?"
Eversole said it is up to federal, state and local officials to figure that out.
"You have people over there fighting for our rights ... and they have had their voices silenced," Eversole said. "It's important that we find a solution so that these voters do not continue to be disenfranchised."
