electionline Weekly

In Focus This Week

More than one in five military and overseas voters disenfranchised in 2008
New report explains challenges, offers solutions

By Kat Zambon

According to a new report by the Overseas Vote Foundation (OVF), 22 percent of voters covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) did not receive their ballots for the 2008 general election.

“The results of the survey demonstrate that America is still not doing enough to alleviate problems that interfere with overseas and military voting,” Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat, OVF president and CEO said in a press release.

Late ballot receipt is one of the most significant problems UOCAVA voters faced. Of voters who received their ballots, 39 percent received them after mid-October, making it difficult for to return their ballots in time to be counted.

The number one reason that local election officials rejected ballots from UOCAVA voters is missed deadlines, followed by incomplete forms and missing signatures. 

Despite OVF’s September launch of a tool to help voters complete the federal write-in absentee ballot (FWAB), less than half of UOCAVA voters are aware the FWAB is the ballot of last resort for voters who don’t receive their ballot in time to cast it and return it to election officials. OVF’s FWAB tool was developed with support from the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Dzieduszycka-Suinat said the OVF Web sites for military voters, younger voters, and a low-bandwidth version of the site, as well as their homepage, had almost 4.75 million visitors in 2008.

Seven states – Alabama, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, Vermont and West Virginia – took advantage of OVF’s state-hosted systems concept so voters could use OVF’s voter services from a Web site customized to the state in which they vote. Web sites by the League of Women Voters, Rock the Vote, the Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas, Exxon Mobil as well as both the Obama and McCain campaigns also directed voters to OVF.

More than 24,000 voters from 186 countries casting ballots in all 50 states as well as over 1,000 election officials responded to the survey. But Toby Moore, project director at RTI International (which assisted in design and analysis), said at a press event that they need to work towards getting a more representative sample as military voters were still under-represented in the survey.

Policy changes proposed
The 2008 OVF report was unique in that it marked the first time that OVF made policy recommendations and  endorsed legislation currently being drafted on the issue by the Uniform Law Commission (ULC). The commission provides states with non-partisan draft legislation to bring clarity to different areas of state law.

“Whatever comes out of the Uniform Law Commission and their work, we want it to happen,” Dzieduszycka-Suinat said. According to the report, the ULC will meet again to continue its work on this issue in February and March.

OVF also recommended changing the FWAB so voters can use it to register to vote and request ballots. While several states already allow this, OVF endorsed it for all states as well as implementing online ballot request and delivery to shorten the amount of time UOCAVA voters need.

Additionally the report stated that any federal legislation that moves the country to a system of universal voter registration should cover all UOCAVA voters, including American citizens who have never lived in the United States, which currently varies from state to state.

“I think there’s a real possibility that sometime this year … there’s going to be a change,” Benjamin Chevat, chief of staff for Rep. Carolynn Maloney, D-N.Y. said. “Mrs. Maloney is very optimistic that we’re going to get some things done that should have been done.”

Options for electronic transmission considered
In their survey responses, voters complained about problems with the mail and expressed frustration at the lack of electronic options for voting materials. Completed ballots were held up in customs, blank ballots were ruined in the rain, and one voter who attempted to fax his ballot was prevented from doing so because the fax number didn’t work. 

Almost 400 voters who had problems registering to vote reported that they thought they had submitted their registration online or didn’t mail their original voter registration form. Of those who did not receive ballots, 23.8 percent submitted ballots requests by email and 21.5 percent submitted ballot requests by fax.

“In effect it is twice the work and therefore we are not actively encouraging” electronic methods, Katie Blinn, Washington State Secretary of State assistant elections director said. “Our state still requires that the signed form arrive by the deadline, regardless of the earlier electronic transmission, and for voters this practice can be misleading.”

Despite the current challenges, many remain optimistic that electronic transmission can simplify the process for UOCAVA voters. Bryan O’Leary, National Defense Committee senior fellow said that the Defense Department put together a system for military voters to vote online in 2006, adding that it could save elections offices money because they wouldn’t have to pay postage.

Dzieduszycka-Suinat said election officials should at least consider transmitting blank ballots electronically.

“We have evidence that shows it’s not dangerous to send a blank ballot online,” she said. “This process has to be so easy that someone who has never done it before can do it the first time perfectly.”