Tag Archives: early voting

Ballots abroad streamline election process

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U.S. troops serving overseas and Americans abroad should have an easier time voting in November.

“If you’re a voter today in the military or overseas, you’re in such a better position to vote successfully than ever in history before” said Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat, president and CEO of the Overseas Vote Foundation.

The federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act of 2009 requires ballots to be sent 45 days before elections, allows for blank ballots to be sent electronically, eliminates notary requirements and makes an emergency ballot easily available.

A January 2009 Pew Center report found that only about a third of military and overseas ballots counted because these groups received ballots too late to return them in time.

Despite the changes, the voting process isn’t perfect for military and overseas voters, Dzieduszycka-Suinat said.

People in remote locations, especially without computer access, might have trouble, she said. Plus, the act does not apply to state and local elections.

“We’re taking baby steps,” Dzieduszycka-Suinat said. “We’re not at the endpoint for any of this.”

By Sarah Jane Capper, News21

Note: This item corrects an error. In some instances witnesses are required for U.S. voters abroad.  A notary is no longer needed, but some states still require a witness, according to @WeVoteAbroad, a project of the the Union of Overseas Voters.

Florida prepares for fewer early voting hours

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Florida’s early, in-person voting period will almost certainly shrink this fall. Prior to 2011, when the Republican Legislature altered state voting laws, county election officials were required to allow early voting for a minimum 14 days, which totaled 96 hours, including limited weekend hours.

Beginning this year counties have the option of matching those 96 hours, but the Legislature lowered the minimum requirement to eight days. The law, sponsored by Rep. Dennis Baxley, a Republican from Ocala, Fla., also eliminated voting on the Sunday before the election. African-American churches traditionally reserved that day for “Souls to the Polls” campaigns.

In his first interview since the end of litigation over the law, Baxley said that eliminating the Sunday hours was all about timing.
“It seems like we had too tight a squeeze there (before Tuesday),” he said. “You had to count the early votes and be all set up in the counties for a general election in two days.”

His rationale does not sit well with Rodney Long, a retired Democratic politician in northern Florida’s Alachua County.

“If you tell me that there’s a problem with that Sunday, there should be some evidence. There’s 67 people in Florida who could provide it. (Lawmakers) did not receive any testimony from the 67 county officials about Sunday processing. Everyone’s voting electronically – no more chads, no delays,” Long said.

Long’s Gainesville-based group, the African American Accountability Alliance, will work with church and political leaders to mobilize early voting for alternative days, he said.

By Ethan Magoc, News21