Report: States make progress on absentee voting - Military News | News From Afghanistan, Iraq And Around The World - Military Times

Report: States make progress on absentee voting

Troops, their family members and overseas civilians likely will face fewer hurdles in voting by absentee ballot this year, according a new report by the Pew Center on the States.

States have made “significant progress” in responding to the mandates of the 2009 Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act, Pew officials stated in their report. In the two years since the law was enacted, 47 states and the District of Columbia have approved related laws, and many have gone beyond what the federal law requires.

“For far too long, those serving and protecting our democracy were unable to fully participate in elections back at home,” said David Becker, director of election initiatives at the Pew Center on the States, in a statement announcing the results. “Now, the vast majority of states have greatly improved the ability of millions of military personnel and civilians overseas to cast a ballot and ensure it counts.”

But he said more work remains, and Pew will continue to work with other organizations to strengthen the voter registration systems and access to voting information.

In their report, “Democracy from Afar: States Show Progress on Military and Overseas Voting,” Pew looked at four key reforms:

• Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia have state laws that meet or exceed the MOVE Act requirements that ballots be sent to military and overseas voters at least 45 days before an election. Another eight states changed their primary dates to accommodate these voters.

Alaska, California and West Virginia meet the law in practice, but they do not explicitly require it in state law. New York has been denied a waiver from the requirement for the 2012 election.

• All states and D.C. now allow electronic transmission of blank ballots to military and overseas voters, as required by the MOVE Act. Voters print out the ballots and fill them out.

• Forty-six states and D.C. do not require notary verification or witnessing of voted ballots. They have gone beyond the requirements of the MOVE Act, which mandates that states do not require notary verification of ballots.

• Thirty-four states have laws or rules that allow Federal Write-in Absentee Ballots to be used as a backup ballot for all elections, including state and local elections. Such provisions go beyond the MOVE Act requirement that states allow the FWAB for federal elections. In addition, 24 states allow for the simultaneous use of the FWAB for registration, ballot request, and/or a voted ballot.

Pew found that 29 states have enacted laws or rules providing for all of four major improvements: sending ballots at least 45 days before an election; allowing electronic transmission of blank ballots; not requiring notary verification or witnessing of ballot; and allowing the FWAB to be used in state and local elections.

Military and overseas voters requested fewer absentee ballots in 2010 than in 2008, and only about one-third of those voters filled out and returned their ballots, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Of those that made it back to local election officials, 7 percent were rejected for various reasons.

In its study, Pew examined state laws and administrative codes in conducting their research. They did not give credit to states that practice the measures but do not have them institutionalized in state law or code.