On October 23, by a 68-to-29 vote, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes far-reaching legislation to improve procedures for military and overseas voters. On October 28, the President signed the bill into law, and experts say there should be time to put new procedures in place for the 2010 election. Click here for a press release on the legislation from the Alliance for MIlitary and Overseas Voting Rights (AMOVR).
Among other provisions, MOVE:
- Allows military and overseas voters to request and receive election materials (registration forms, blank ballots, election information) electronically (halving the time needed by many voters to get their ballots back to be counted)
- Ensures that states send out ballots 45 days before the election so voters are sure to receive them in time
- Prohibits states from rejecting a marked ballot solely on the basis of a missing notary signature, paper size, and other restrictions.
The Conference report on the legislation was approved by the House on October 8 by a 281-to-146 vote, largely along party lines. In the Senate, 9 Republicans joined all but one of their Democratic colleagues in supporting the bill, with 3 not voting.
FAWCO can be proud of having played a part in passage of this bill, working with partner organizations in the Alliance for Military and Overseas Voting Rights (AMOVR). Many thanks to all those who called and wrote their legislators urging them to support MOVE – to those and others, one last message: while it makes great advances, the bill does not solve all of the problems we face when we try to vote. There is still time to plug some of the holes that remain (most importantly, removing postmark requirements for civilian voters); we will continue to post information on all legislative attempts to do just that!
