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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 5, 2014 11:26 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Jim Marshall |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Military and Overseas Voters to Cast Absentee Ballots Electronically |
| In the near future, I will be introducing legislation to allow overseas military and non-military voters to cast their absentee ballots electronically. In the previous legislative session, the House unanimously voted in favor of SB 1255, which allows military and overseas voters to send and receive registration materials and absentee ballot applications electronically. SB 1255 was eventually signed into law by the Governor on October 24, 2012. While this was an important first step in ensuring that those serving our country in the military continue to be able to exercise their right to vote, I believe the General Assembly should make the absentee ballot process easier for military and overseas voters by allowing them to electronically submit a completed absentee ballot. Currently, 26 states allow military and overseas voters to return a voted absentee ballot electronically. Some states allow transmission of voted ballots through email and fax, while others require the ballot to be uploaded through a government website. Under my legislation, the Secretary of State is provided the discretion to determine which electronic method will be used to submit voted absentee ballots as long as the chosen method is secure and maintains the secrecy of the ballot. Thank you and I hope you will consider joining me in support of this legislation. |
Introduced as HB2139