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| One-fourth of overseas votes go uncounted |
| 2009-05-14 |
| One out of every four ballots requested by military personnel and other Americans living overseas for the 2008 election may have gone uncounted, according to findings being released at a Senate hearing Wednesday. Sen. Charles Schumer, chairman of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, said the study, while providing only a snapshot of voting patterns, "is enough to show that the balloting process for service members is clearly in need of an overhaul." The committee, working with the Congressional Research Service, surveyed election offices in seven states with high numbers of military personnel: California, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington and West Virginia. It said that of 441,000 absentee ballots requested by eligible voters living abroad - mainly active-duty and reserve troops - more than 98,000 were "lost" ballots that were mailed out but never received by election officials. Taking into account 13,500 ballots that were rejected for such reasons as a missing signature or failure to notarize, one-quarter of those requesting a ballot were disenfranchised. The study found that an additional 11,000 ballots were returned as undeliverable. Schumer's office said that because a person living abroad must request the absentee ballot and show a clear intention to vote, voter negligence is not thought to be a major factor. Rather, the New York Democrat said in a statement, there is a chronic problem of military voters being sent a ballot without sufficient time to complete it and send it back. He cited estimates that a ballot can take up to 13 days to reach an overseas voter. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #11 Personally I think ballots should be split into two ballots. National and state. The national part of the ballot could be mailed in separately, would be simple scantron style, and would simply be President, and Senator/Congress from the state in question. Bills, initiatives and state positions could go on the second ballot. Every state should institute such a scheme to avoid long counts and embarrassment on the Florida scale. Absentee ballots would be an easy way to start. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2009-05-14 17:50 |
| #10 Not exactly what I meant, Sgt Mom, were you a registered anything? (I'm not) |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2009-05-14 17:28 |
| #9 RJ - there was no billet more safely in the rear with the gear, than mine as a USAF broadcaster - and I voted generally as an independent/libertarian/republican. My daughter, as a USMC field wireman felt that she ought to be totally apolitical, and did not vote at all as a matter of principle. Make of that what you will... |
| Posted by: Sgt. Mom 2009-05-14 17:05 |
| #8 I just had a horrible thought (And I hope I'm wrong) are republicans sent to the fighting and dems to "Safe" jobs(Mess cook, supply, etc). |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2009-05-14 14:53 |
| #7 I saw this story yesterday, sent the link to my inner circle, with the Subject; "Ya, no sh**" I live in Europe, and my ballot was thrown out in the last election. I haven't been as enraged as I was the day that I got notice that my ballot was being set aside, because some lawyer had raised an objection because I hadn't lived in the state of Missouri since 2000 (ergo, maybe I was voting somewhere else). They gave me options to prove my bonafides, but I just happened to be in ICU at the time (almost bled to death because of a internal hemorrhage last year), I couldn't contest it. Once I got notice of the contesting of the ballot, it was too late for snail-mail options. My state ended up swinging on 800 (counted) votes in the last election. Out of millions cast. If I can't exercise my rights as a citizen, and trust that the vote is a valid one, what's the fraking point? |
| Posted by: Mizzou Mafia 2009-05-14 11:40 |
| #6 I suspect you got the T-shirt as well GT. Here's a possible solution! Each Div, Bde, TF, Bn, has assiged Univ Voting Assistance Officers (UAVOs). Make that officer manifest Snuffies sealed ballot and envelope on a DA Form 200 and choggie the ballots and DA Form 200 over to an airfield and a USAF Defense Courier Service flight back to CONUS for appropriate onward movement, mailing, etc. Failing that, pouch it out through the US Embassy. Having the UVAO collect them up and mail them via priority US Postal is yet another option. Make someone sign for it! |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-05-14 11:34 |
| #5 "Ever take a look at the demographics of a US Army Postal Company?" Besoeker: I had the misfortune of an up close look-see after a bunch of Christmas items to be mailed were irretrievably lost, ie: never received on the other end. My inquiring mind wanted to know what had happened so the initially sweetly worded conversation with postal staff turned into "where in the ham slice did all that stuff go? Turns out it was just sitting under a mountain of other people's (probably "lost" stuff) in the corner. Demographic of workers: pregnant soldiers and soldiers who smoked weed on a daily basis and refused to shave. Not to point the finger at the pregnant soldiers who valiantly were still working and had problems with lifting heavy boxes. So here's a thought: don't assign pregnant women who can't lift heavy packages to a detail that requires heavy lifting. Oversight at the Postal Company was in short supply, as was available manpower. Basically, with a war going on, postal efficiency gets shuffled to the bottom of the pile of priorities, unfortunately. |
| Posted by: GirlThursday 2009-05-14 10:49 |
| #4 Rather, the New York Democrat said in a statement, there is a chronic problem of military voters being sent a ballot without sufficient time to complete it and send it back. And just what party consistently and deliberately challenges names, such as 'Green' candidates, and initiatives on the ballot to insure that a ballot in important and critical election isn't printed and distributed till the turn around is below the feasible return level? /rhetorical question Disenfranchising voters in the military was the very first act of the Gore campaign challenge in Florida in 2000. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-05-14 08:32 |
| #3 9mm: Ever take a look at the demographics of a US Army Postal Company? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-05-14 08:26 |
| #2 One-fourth of overseas votes go uncounted because overseas votes are majority Republican and poll workers are majority Democrat. |
| Posted by: Parabellum 2009-05-14 08:17 |
| #1 "Sen. Charles Schumer, chairman of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, said the study, while providing only a snapshot of voting patterns, "is enough to show that the balloting process for service members is clearly in need of an overhaul There. Fixed that for ya. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2009-05-14 05:53 |