and neither should we. MCM
From John Gideon, writing in response to the article about our soldiers overseas not having enough time to vote: Mark, It needs to be made clear that the Pew report does NOT support casting ballots via the Internet. In fact, the Pew report mentions, and quotes, a GAO report: "Allowing military voters overseas to return their ballots electronically helps ensure they have time to vote-but it also raises questions about the voters' privacy and the security of the ballots as well as access to the technology. As the GAO noted in a 2007 report, while alternatives such as electronic and Internet voting 'may expedite the absentee voting process, they are more vulnerable to privacy and security compromises than the conventional methods now in use. Electronic and Internet voting require safeguards to limit such vulnerabilities and prevent compromises to votes from intentional actions or inadvertent errors. However, available safeguards may not adequately reduce the risks of compromise.'" [GAO Report 07-774, "Action Plans Needed to Fully Address Challenges in Electronic Absentee Voting Initiatives for Military and Overseas Citizens," June 2007, p. 30.] The Florida Internet project mentioned in the article actually required the county to fly voting machines, all supplies and election officials to the three locations in order to make the project work. Then, after all of the expense for travel, only slightly over 60 voters used the system. And that system was actually run by a Spanish corporation, with all votes gathered in Barcelona before being transmitted to the county. Is this what we want? I don't think so. The report discusses other options that make much more sense. Mark Crispin Miller wrote: >Many US troops abroad not given time to vote >Study Finds Not Enough Time to Vote for Many Overseas Military Personnel > >Friday 09 January 2009 > ><http://www.southernstudies.org/2009/01/voting-rights-study-finds-not-enough-time-to-vote-for-many-overseas-military-personnel.html>by: > >Desiree Evans, Facing South > > > >A new report from the Pew Center found that in sixteen states the >voting rights of US troops serving overseas is significantly >curtailed because they are not given enough time to vote. (Photo: US >Air Force) > ><http://www.truthout.org/011509VA>http://www.truthout.org/011509VA > > > Many U.S. troops serving overseas are effectively excluded from >voting because they are not given enough time to cast absentee >ballots, according to a study released this week by the ><http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/>Pew Center on the States. > > The study, >"<http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/uploadedFiles/NTTV_Report_Web.pdf>No >Time to Vote: Challenges Facing America's Overseas Military Voters," >found that one-third of all U.S. states do not provide enough time >to vote for military personnel stationed overseas and as many as >half of all states need to improve their absentee voting process to >ensure that the votes of servicemen and women abroad will be >counted. The study found that only one-third of the estimated one >million ballots distributed to military and overseas voters in 2006 >were actually cast or counted. Information on the 2008 general >election is not yet available. > > The report found that 16 states, plus the District of Columbia, >do not provide enough time to vote for military personnel stationed >overseas, sending out absentee ballots after the date necessary for >military voters to meet all required deadlines. The states are >Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, >Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota, >Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. > > Facing South reported on the problems with military voting >during the 2008 election in the ><http://www.southernstudies.org/2008/11/voting-rights-doj-takes-mccains-place-in-va-military-ballot-lawsuit.html>case > >of Virginia. A federal judge ><http://www.southernstudies.org/2008/12/virginias-late-overseas-military-ballots-broke-the-law-court-rules.html>ruled > >last month that the Virginia State Board of Elections violated >federal law by allowing absentee ballots to be mailed to overseas >military members too late for them to return them in time for their >votes to count. > > Although overall the South does pretty well, Alabama is the >state with the slowest vote time in the nation; it takes 88 days to >cast an overseas military vote. According to the report, Alabama >requires three mailings: first, from a soldier requesting a ballot, >again when the state sends it, and once more to send in the ballot. > > Even though Alabama currently needs the longest time among >states to send and receive ballots time, Facing South ><http://www.southernstudies.org/2008/12/voting-rights-alabama-seeks-to-give-overseas-military-an-easier-way-to-vote.html>reported > >last month that Alabama Secretary of State Beth Chapman is pushing >for a bill that would allow military personnel and others living >overseas to cast ballots online, thus making voting much easier for >overseas military personnel. Chapman was inspired by a military >Internet voting pilot program used in Florida, which during the 2008 >election allowed voters in three locations overseas to cast their >votes via the web. > > The Pew study recommends four policy options that would help >improve the voting process for military overseas voters: > >* Expanding the use of the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot, a >back-up measure for military voters who do not receive their state >ballots in time; > >* Allowing election materials to be transmitted electronically; > >* Ensuring a minimum of 45 days to allow ballots to travel between >voters and election offices; and, > >* Eliminating a requirement that military voters have their >completed ballots notarized before returning them. > > > > >> -- John Gideon Co-Executive Director VotersUnite.Org <http://www.votersunite.org>www.votersunite.org "To encourage citizen ownership of transparent, participatory democracy." 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