American Views Abroad

 
Disheartening news on voting from overseas: Most Overseas Ballots Not Cast or Counted at
www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/26/news/vote.php.

'A new federal survey has found that a scant one-third of the nearly one million absentee ballots requested for the US general election last year by overseas American civilians or active-duty service members were actually cast or counted, a result that one overseas voting advocate said felt like 'a dagger in the heart.' ....Laws vary from state to state and are applied unequally in local election offices. .....Just as state laws differ, so does handling of absentee ballots. Indiana and North Carolina reported that more than 40 percent of requested ballots were subsequently rejected; other states reported rejection rates of less than 3 percent.'

The article quotes Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat of the Overseas Vote Foundation: The single biggest motivator for a vote is that people think their vote will count. That's why this report is such a blow.'
- posted by Gloria @ 6:20 PM