Armed forces voting system -- not very good now, and prospects cloudy for the future
The New York Times reports: Over the last six years, the Defense Department has spent more than $30 million trying to find an efficient way for American soldiers and civilians living abroad to vote in elections back home.
But the traditional paper ballot system for overseas voters — the one the Pentagon is trying to improve — has also had problems for years.
Typically, voters mail paper forms back and forth across continents as they try to register to vote, request a ballot and then return the ballot before the polls close. But the forms are often lost or delayed in the mail.
Voters often wait until the last moment or get confused because rules and deadlines vary state to state. Poor planning, legal challenges or technical problems often lead local election officials to send ballots abroad too late.
As a result, anywhere from a quarter to half of overseas voters fail in their attempt to vote, say voting experts at the National Defense Committee and the Overseas Vote Foundation. -- Casting Ballot From Abroad Is No Sure Bet