BS: Votes uncounted

Subject: BS: Votes uncounted
From: GUEST,beardedbruce
Date: 13 May 09 - 07:25 AM

NOTE: This seems to be an ongoing problem, and not specific to this election. But efforts should be made to count ALL the votes, EVERY time.


Report: One-fourth of overseas votes go uncounted


May 13, 3:07 AM (ET)

By JIM ABRAMS

WASHINGTON (AP) - One out of every four ballots requested by military personnel and other Americans living overseas for the 2008 election may have gone uncounted, according to findings being released at a Senate hearing Wednesday.

Sen. Charles Schumer, chairman of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, said the study, while providing only a snapshot of voting patterns, "is enough to show that the balloting process for service members is clearly in need of an overhaul."

The committee, working with the Congressional Research Service, surveyed election offices in seven states with high numbers of military personnel: California, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington and West Virginia.

It said that of 441,000 absentee ballots requested by eligible voters living abroad - mainly active-duty and reserve troops - more than 98,000 were "lost" ballots that were mailed out but never received by election officials. Taking into account 13,500 ballots that were rejected for such reasons as a missing signature or failure to notarize, one-quarter of those requesting a ballot were disenfranchised.

The study found that an additional 11,000 ballots were returned as undeliverable.

Schumer's office said that because a person living abroad must request the absentee ballot and show a clear intention to vote, voter negligence is not thought to be a major factor.

Rather, the New York Democrat said in a statement, there is a chronic problem of military voters being sent a ballot without sufficient time to complete it and send it back. He cited estimates that a ballot can take up to 13 days to reach an overseas voter.

Among the states surveyed, California had 30,000 "lost" votes out of 103,000 ballots mailed out. An additional 3,000 ballots were returned as undeliverable and 4,000 were rejected.

The hearing was to take up possible problems in the Federal Voting Assistance Program, a Pentagon program that handles the election process for military personnel and other overseas voters.

Subject: RE: BS: Votes uncounted
From: Riginslinger
Date: 13 May 09 - 07:35 AM

It seems funny that Schumer would be taking this up, when it seems like the majority of the military votes woud go against his party. Still, something outght to be done about it. He's certainly right about that.

Subject: RE: BS: Votes uncounted
From: Jeri
Date: 13 May 09 - 08:38 AM

Thinking the military votes much differently from the general public is a mistake.

At the time this was posted, military donations to Obama's campaign were nearly six times greater than what the gave to McCain's. [USA Today article, 8-14-08

From personal observation, members supported all candidates, and we had some pretty good debates... or at least discussions. One office I was in, everybody who was talking about it said they were voting for Clinton. Folks in the certain fields tended to be a bit more liberal than those in others, just like the general public.

I do think all the votes should be counted though, if only because not doing so will discourage future voting.