Dan2004
06-04-2009, 10:58 PM
Guaranteeing Our Service Members the Right to Vote
By: Brian Faughnan (http://www.americanissuesproject.org/blogs/columns/search.aspx?u=2166)
In recent years the United States has experienced a series of elections contests that have prompted Members of Congress to consider how we protect the right to vote, and the integrity of the vote. Since the year 2000, we've seen questions about Florida's Butterfly Ballot, allegations of vote suppression in Ohio, questions about the decision of judges to extend hours at polls in St. Louis and elsewhere, questions about registration fraud and vote fraud in several states, and other problems. Congress and the FEC have looked into all of these problems to one degree or another. But despite all this attention to how we protect the right to vote, there's one clear and ongoing problem to which Congress has given short shrift: problems in military absentee ballots.
Among those who have studied the issue of military voting, there seems to be little disagreement that there is a problem. While there's no agreement as to precisely many how many members of the military are denied the right to vote, the number is significant. One recent estimate by the Congressional Research Service says that at least one-quarter of the absentee ballots requested by members of the Armed Services are not ultimately counted. And note that this figure does not consider the problem of servicemen and -women who are unable to file an official request for a ballot. Military retirees say that many are unaware that they have a right to request an absentee ballot, or are unable to gain access to a computer or telephone to do so.
The House Committee on Administration recently heard testimony from on the problems faces by our men and women in the military. Retired Gunnery Sergeant Jessie Jane Duff described the problem this way:
Due to language barriers and different technology services available, there isn't a flow of information from newspapers and television stations like most experience here in the states. The information is limited based upon various armed forces radio, television, and military newspapers. The reality is, information flows slowly to the majority of personnel. Many locations throughout the world don't have the technology that Americans take for granted in their Blackberry or iPhone.
The Marine Corps is an expeditionary force. Mail to overseas locations must go through a central Fleet Post Office address in San Francisco or New York before it is forwarded through the Military Postal System to the overseas location. When Marine Corps personnel are training, they are usually in austere conditions and train to reflect combat conditions. Everything is geared towards combat readiness and the Marines, along with other military personnel, focus strictly on that purpose. Field operations have limited services and mail is delayed even in non- combat environments.
Our access to voting information was minimal and due to the nature of our work, Internet and computer access was limited. We spent hours, weeks, and even months in field operations to support training. During training cycles, there wasn't a 9 to 5 day or a 40 hour work week. Deadlines often pass before personnel realize an election is right around the corner. Delays with overseas mail often prevent absentee ballots being received and returned to the states in time to meet the deadlines.
Even after a member of the Armed Services mails in his or her ballot, there's no assurance that it will ultimately be counted. That's because the counting of votes is ultimately the responsibility of local officials, under the direction of state officers and local judges. And the local law that governs the process rarely makes full allowance for mailed in military absentee ballots. Because the process can be inconsistent, overseas and military ballots are often subject to challenges. When a ballot arrives late for example, or fails to pass muster for some other reason, a court may be forced to decide whether to count the votes of servicemen and women who did their best to comply with the law, or to observe statutory requirements.
We owe it to our men and women in the military to fix this problem. Along these lines, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that a simple, straightforward, and effective bill has been introduced to do precisely that. It has even passed the Senate. The bad news is that it has not yet passed the House, and there are no assurances that it will any time soon.
The Military Voting Protection Act (MVP) has been introduced in the House and the Senate. It was introduced in the House by Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and it currently has 23 other bipartisan cosponsors. The primary Senate sponsor of the bill is Senator John Cornyn (R-TX); the Senate bill also has 12 other bipartisan cosponsors. The measure provides for the express shipping of their completed absentee ballots, with tracking of ballots while in transit. The aim of the bill is to ensure that the ballots of these troops overseas are delivered to the appropriate state election officials by the jurisdiction’s statutory deadline, while safeguarding voter privacy and ballot secrecy. The MVP Act actually passed the Senate on a voice vote last year - indicating that it was regarded as non-controversial. Nevertheless, the bill failed to pass the House. Congressional sources say that House leaders blocked the bill due to the opposition of unionized postal workers. Supporters are hopeful that the bill will sail through more smoothly this year, as the updated version does not rely on private express mail services, but instead requires that ballots be delivered via express mail within the US Postal Service.
Will the House and Senate at last get together, and ensure that the men and women who put their lives on the line for us have the most basic of democratic rights protected? Stay tuned.
Brian Faughnan's Bio
Brian Faughnan is a contributor to RedState.com and the Weekly Standard blog. He has written columns for the D.C. Examiner, and has provided political commentary on National Public Radio, XM, SkyNews, and other media outlets. Mr. Faughnan is a 10-year veteran of Capitol Hill, and has worked as a lobbyist and a consultant. He resides in Virginia.
http://www.americanissuesproject.org/blogs/columns/archive/2009/05/29/guaranteeing-our-service-members-the-right-to-vote.aspx
By: Brian Faughnan (http://www.americanissuesproject.org/blogs/columns/search.aspx?u=2166)
In recent years the United States has experienced a series of elections contests that have prompted Members of Congress to consider how we protect the right to vote, and the integrity of the vote. Since the year 2000, we've seen questions about Florida's Butterfly Ballot, allegations of vote suppression in Ohio, questions about the decision of judges to extend hours at polls in St. Louis and elsewhere, questions about registration fraud and vote fraud in several states, and other problems. Congress and the FEC have looked into all of these problems to one degree or another. But despite all this attention to how we protect the right to vote, there's one clear and ongoing problem to which Congress has given short shrift: problems in military absentee ballots.
Among those who have studied the issue of military voting, there seems to be little disagreement that there is a problem. While there's no agreement as to precisely many how many members of the military are denied the right to vote, the number is significant. One recent estimate by the Congressional Research Service says that at least one-quarter of the absentee ballots requested by members of the Armed Services are not ultimately counted. And note that this figure does not consider the problem of servicemen and -women who are unable to file an official request for a ballot. Military retirees say that many are unaware that they have a right to request an absentee ballot, or are unable to gain access to a computer or telephone to do so.
The House Committee on Administration recently heard testimony from on the problems faces by our men and women in the military. Retired Gunnery Sergeant Jessie Jane Duff described the problem this way:
Due to language barriers and different technology services available, there isn't a flow of information from newspapers and television stations like most experience here in the states. The information is limited based upon various armed forces radio, television, and military newspapers. The reality is, information flows slowly to the majority of personnel. Many locations throughout the world don't have the technology that Americans take for granted in their Blackberry or iPhone.
The Marine Corps is an expeditionary force. Mail to overseas locations must go through a central Fleet Post Office address in San Francisco or New York before it is forwarded through the Military Postal System to the overseas location. When Marine Corps personnel are training, they are usually in austere conditions and train to reflect combat conditions. Everything is geared towards combat readiness and the Marines, along with other military personnel, focus strictly on that purpose. Field operations have limited services and mail is delayed even in non- combat environments.
Our access to voting information was minimal and due to the nature of our work, Internet and computer access was limited. We spent hours, weeks, and even months in field operations to support training. During training cycles, there wasn't a 9 to 5 day or a 40 hour work week. Deadlines often pass before personnel realize an election is right around the corner. Delays with overseas mail often prevent absentee ballots being received and returned to the states in time to meet the deadlines.
Even after a member of the Armed Services mails in his or her ballot, there's no assurance that it will ultimately be counted. That's because the counting of votes is ultimately the responsibility of local officials, under the direction of state officers and local judges. And the local law that governs the process rarely makes full allowance for mailed in military absentee ballots. Because the process can be inconsistent, overseas and military ballots are often subject to challenges. When a ballot arrives late for example, or fails to pass muster for some other reason, a court may be forced to decide whether to count the votes of servicemen and women who did their best to comply with the law, or to observe statutory requirements.
We owe it to our men and women in the military to fix this problem. Along these lines, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that a simple, straightforward, and effective bill has been introduced to do precisely that. It has even passed the Senate. The bad news is that it has not yet passed the House, and there are no assurances that it will any time soon.
The Military Voting Protection Act (MVP) has been introduced in the House and the Senate. It was introduced in the House by Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and it currently has 23 other bipartisan cosponsors. The primary Senate sponsor of the bill is Senator John Cornyn (R-TX); the Senate bill also has 12 other bipartisan cosponsors. The measure provides for the express shipping of their completed absentee ballots, with tracking of ballots while in transit. The aim of the bill is to ensure that the ballots of these troops overseas are delivered to the appropriate state election officials by the jurisdiction’s statutory deadline, while safeguarding voter privacy and ballot secrecy. The MVP Act actually passed the Senate on a voice vote last year - indicating that it was regarded as non-controversial. Nevertheless, the bill failed to pass the House. Congressional sources say that House leaders blocked the bill due to the opposition of unionized postal workers. Supporters are hopeful that the bill will sail through more smoothly this year, as the updated version does not rely on private express mail services, but instead requires that ballots be delivered via express mail within the US Postal Service.
Will the House and Senate at last get together, and ensure that the men and women who put their lives on the line for us have the most basic of democratic rights protected? Stay tuned.
Brian Faughnan's Bio
Brian Faughnan is a contributor to RedState.com and the Weekly Standard blog. He has written columns for the D.C. Examiner, and has provided political commentary on National Public Radio, XM, SkyNews, and other media outlets. Mr. Faughnan is a 10-year veteran of Capitol Hill, and has worked as a lobbyist and a consultant. He resides in Virginia.
http://www.americanissuesproject.org/blogs/columns/archive/2009/05/29/guaranteeing-our-service-members-the-right-to-vote.aspx