State Board of Elections
Contacts:
Cameron P. Quinn
Internet:
www.sbe.state.va.us
Jean R. Jensen
For Immediate Release: September 6, 2002
Phone: 804-786-6551 or
800-552-9745
RICHMOND: Governor Mark Warner today directed the State Board of Elections (SBE) to make absentee voting easier for Virginians serving on active duty overseas with the military. In response, SBE has declared a voting emergency under authority granted in the Code of Virginia (Section 24.2-713). The emergency procedures allow qualified Virginia voters who are on active duty, serving outside the continental United States (the 48 states and the District of Columbia), to request that their absentee ballot be sent to them by e-mail, or, in limited circumstances, by facsimile. The emergency includes military voters serving aboard ships or submarines at sea, and applies to all Virginia localities.
The State Board will also allow these procedures to be expanded to all other voters covered under the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) in a pilot program. Localities will have to "opt into" this pilot program. UOCAVA covers other Virginia voters residing overseas, military voters on active duty within the continental United States, and spouses or dependents residing with the military member (whether in the US or abroad). If a locality does not participate in the pilot, its ballots would be sent to the voter by mail, as usual, for these additional voters.
There has been concern for decades that the military, particularly those serving far from home, have the same election opportunities as all other Americans. Last fall Virginia piloted a small, but successful program sending the blank ballot to military voters by use of e-mail. This fall’s emergency procedures and pilot program build on that success. After September 11, 2001, as the number of overseas active personnel duty increased, concern increased to try to minimize the problems that might prevent a qualified military voter from voting. Several other states and their localities are planning similar programs.
Said Secretary Cameron Quinn, “The biggest obstacle for military and overseas absentee voters is the time necessary to (1) transmit the initial application for an absentee ballot, (2) transmit to the voter the blank ballot, and (3) transmit the ballot back to the elections office. This can easily take more than a month!” Secretary Quinn, herself the daughter of a U.S. Navy Captain, and who has lived overseas, is very aware of the problems experienced by military and overseas voters.
Added Jean Jensen, Deputy Secretary; “The ballot transmission process is complicated for the military by infrequent mail transmissions at some military posts (including ships and submarines at sea). And it often is complicated for other overseas voters due to the state of many countries’ postal services.” Jensen added, “ It is important for us to find a way to make voting easier, particularly for our combat military and others serving their country overseas. At the same time we need to ensure that the procedures minimize the potential for fraud, which is always more of a danger when people vote absentee. We feel the procedures we have set up will do both.”
Virginia has already reduced the ballot transmission time for all absentee voters. State law permits qualified absentee voters to apply for an absentee ballot by facsimile, or by scanning and attaching to e-mail the signed absentee ballot application.
Mail requests for absentee ballots for this November's election must be received by the local election office no later than 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on Thursday, October 31 for absent voters permanently registered in Virginia. In-person absentee voters have until Saturday, November 2 to vote at their local elections office. Requests for registration and absentee ballots from other overseas voters, who no longer have a Virginia place of abode, must be received by Monday, October 7, at 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, which is also when voter registration closes. Voted ballots must be received by Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, and may be returned by mail, or by any commercial delivery service (such as Federal Express, DHL or UPS).
Secretary Quinn wrapped up by saying; "We would encourage Virginia voters away from home to apply early to vote absentee. In these difficult times, we don't know when mail service might be disrupted. Our citizens in uniform are protecting democracy and our most basic rights. Many other Virginians overseas work in critical roles supporting our military, our government or our American values. We want them to know that the Commonwealth is working to make sure that their voting rights are protected, and their votes are counted."
Virginia voters may find more information on this program, check on the status of their voter registration, or check on the status of their absentee ballot application on the Internet at the SBE website, www.sbe.state.va.us.
