AdamH Posted September 29, 2004 Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 Alright so I've been posting for months about trying to register to vote as a dual citizen. And although I was told by the US Embassy and the Federal Voter Assistance Program that I couldn't vote (never resided in the States) I ultimately did through www.overseasvote2004.com. I got my ballot last week, filled it in and mailed it back and sent an email to the people at that website to thanks them; had I not found their site it's doubtful that I'd have known I could vote. And I'm one person who did a considerable amount of work to find that out so I'm scared to think how many folks won't vote for some or all of the same reasons. So on Monday I got an email back saying thanks and could they pass my story on to a contact at the New York Times. He called and interviewed me yesterday morning for the story posted below. I was also photographed at Parliament Hill but I haven't had a chance to grab the hard copy yet to see if my mug is in there. September 29, 2004 ABSENTEE VOTES Hurdles Remain for American Voters Who Live Overseas By MICHAEL MOSS our years after overseas voting became a battleground in the presidential election in Florida, millions of civilians and soldiers living abroad still face a bewildering and unwieldy system of absentee balloting that could prevent their votes from being counted. Election officials concede that tens of thousands of Americans overseas might not get ballots in time to cast votes. Late primaries and legal wrangling caused election offices in at least 8 of the 15 swing states to fail to mail absentee ballots by Sept. 19, a cutoff date officials say is necessary to ensure that they can be returned on time, a survey by The New York Times shows. In Florida in 2000, late-arriving ballots became a divisive issue when some were counted and others were disqualified. The tardy ballots are just one of several setbacks or missteps that have affected the ability of the estimated 4.4 million eligible voters overseas to participate in the presidential election. Some have been unable to send their registrations to a Pentagon contractor's computers, which are clogged by thousands of voter forms. Others were denied access to a Web site designed to help Americans abroad vote. And many voters simply have had trouble navigating the rules and methods that determine how and when to register and vote and that vary by state. "I found it so convoluted I gave up," says Alex Campos, a management consultant in London who repeatedly tried to register using the Pentagon program, without success. To help speed the balloting process, federal officials activated a new system last week in which voters can obtain absentee ballots instantly through the Internet. But the Web site, myballot.mil, will be offered only to members of the military and their families, quickly raising concerns about fairness in a program that the Pentagon has been directed to run for civilians as well. In addition, 23 states have already declined to join the system for various reasons, including security, according to Pentagon and state officials. People on both sides vying for the overseas vote say the balloting system remains so flawed that some predict legal battles if these votes prove crucial to the outcome of the presidential race. "If it's a close election, one can expect a great deal of challenges given the confused state of this complex matrix of rules and regulations, and the lack of central leadership in their implementation," said Jim Brenner, the executive director of Americans Overseas for Kerry. In recent interviews, Pentagon officials defended their voting assistance effort and said the new Internet ballot retrieval system was only one item in a menu of services the program was using to help both military and civilian voters. "There is no favoritism," said Scott Wiedmann, the program's deputy director, adding that the new system must be limited to the military because the identities only of service members can be verified. Other efforts under way to help overseas voters include speeding mail delivery for people in the military and a special federal ballot that all voters can request if their regular ballot does not arrive from their state on time. But election volunteers working overseas say that many voters do not know the ballots exist, or if they do, do not know how to use them. Republicans and Democrats are pushing hard to solicit these voters after some assessments indicating that President Bush's support among the estimated 500,000 members of the military and their families overseas may have weakened. There is little direct polling of soldiers, but Peter D. Feaver, a sociology professor at Duke University, says surveys have shown that while most officers are staunchly Republican, the rank and file newest to the military has been more closely divided between the parties. "Kerry will do better in this group than Gore did,'' Mr. Feaver said, "but he will not reverse the Bush advantage." There is also little polling of the 3.9 million civilians abroad. But last month, a Zogby poll of Americans who had passports found that they supported John Kerry over Mr. Bush, 58 percent to 35 percent. The concern about states not getting their overseas ballots out in time surfaced most recently in a report this month by the newly formed United States Election Assistance Commission, which found that 18 states did not have systems in place to mail ballots at least 45 days before the election. A commissioner, Paul DeGregorio, said in an interview that states with late primaries did not have enough time to turn around and send out their ballots overseas. Of the eight swing states that missed the 45-day mailing mark, only three will accept ballots that arrive after Election Day. Overseas voters have until Nov. 10 to send their ballots to Florida, which experienced problems four years ago that prompted widespread calls for improvements to overseas balloting. In 2001, the General Accounting Office examined overseas voting and found numerous problems, from inadequate public education on the subject to late ballot mailings. In surveying small counties throughout the country, for example, the G.A.O., now the Government Accountability Office, found that 8.1 percent of the overseas votes had been thrown out mostly because they were late or not properly completed. In response, the Pentagon placed voting assistance officers in military units worldwide and retooled its general Web site for voting assistance to help more Americans navigate the labyrinth of local voting procedures that apply overseas. But some voters say the Web site remains difficult to use and that program workers have provided wrong information. Adam Hess, 26, a marketing coordinator in Ottawa, said he was told that he could not vote because he has never lived in the United States; he later learned that was not true since he received his citizenship through his American father. In recent weeks the federal effort has also been clouded by a series of missteps that appear to have affected mostly civilian voters. After blocking Internet systems in more than two dozen countries from gaining access to the general Web site, the Pentagon retreated last week and says it is trying to find a less encumbering way to protect against hackers. Two weeks ago, Americans in various countries complained to voting rights groups that they received only ringing or busy signals when they tried to fax voter registrations to the number provided by the Pentagon. "I come from Florida, and it's like, here we go again," said Timothy P. Mason, a telecommunications analyst in Britain who said he tried for two days before giving up. In an e-mail message to one of the voting groups, a Pentagon official said that military installations were tying up the lines by faxing in hundreds of registrations in single batches, and that efforts would be made to accommodate the volume. New questions have also arisen about the private contractor hired by the Pentagon to handle these faxes and unsealed completed ballots at its offices in Alexandria, Va. The company, Omega Technologies, was sued last year by Adams National Bank, which accused it of failing to pay off a loan of more than $500,000. In court records the bank also said Omega improperly gained access to a Pentagon computer to reroute payments to the company's new lender. A lawyer for Omega, Daryle Jordan, denied wrongdoing by Omega and said it had countersued in contesting the debt claim. Pentagon officials said they were not aware of the litigation or another billing dispute, brought in 2002 by a Nashville resort. Omega settled the second dispute without admitting or denying accusations that it fabricated a Federal Express record. Mr. Jordan said Omega did not consider the litigation relevant to its Pentagon work. An effort by the Pentagon to create a broad Internet voting program collapsed in February after criticism by security experts that the system was prone to manipulation. Ten states so far have agreed to dispense ballots through the more limited service that the Pentagon is announcing this week, according to officials. Nearly half of the states now also allow voters to fax back their ballots to election officials, but the loss of privacy is causing concern among some soldiers. Scott Rafferty, a Democratic activist lawyer in California, said soldiers had contacted him to say they feared voting by fax. One, an Army sergeant in Germany who asked not to be identified for fear of retribution, explained his reservations. "Some places you have to hand it off to get it faxed because the machine is behind the counter, at the finance office or personnel support battalion," the sergeant said. "They should come up with a better, more surefire system." Alexis Rehrmann, Eric Schmitt and John Schwartz contributed reporting for this article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms.Huxtable Posted September 29, 2004 Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 Good for you Ahess. I am so proud of you. Not for being in the Times, but for making such an effort to voice your opinion. I only hope other American citizens will step up to the plate as well. Kudos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneMtn Posted September 29, 2004 Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 I second Ms. Huxtable's comments. That is great, Adam, that you went to all that trouble. I find it an unfortunate "coincidence" that it seems to be exactly those votes that are likely to hurt the current administration that seem likely to be excluded. It sounds strikingly familiar to the recent report that millions of poor, black American voters' registrations within the USA have also been disqualified for some technicalities. I applaud your effort, Adam, and I hope others will be as diligent and follow suit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamilton Posted September 29, 2004 Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 Groovy - that's one more vote for John Kerry!! (or, well, kind of... y'know how that funny College of Electors works down there... which I guess means that it's one more vote for a guy who's promised to vote for John Kerry!) (errr... I'm assuming, anyway!! ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatpatguy Posted September 29, 2004 Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 makes me kinda want to look into getting my own American Citizenship.. I wonder if I'm too old now.. of course I doubt I'll get it in time to vote.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatpatguy Posted September 29, 2004 Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 hey Ahess.. do you have any info as to whether or not the IRS will come after you if you vote? depending on what that says I could probably get my folks to vote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bokonon Posted September 29, 2004 Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 how many people on the board do strategic voting instead of just voting for who they actually want to win? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH Posted September 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 thatphatguy - I never looked into that aspect but am fairly sure there's no consequences involved. In my case I don't maintain anything in the states (work, property, debt) so there'd be nothing for them to pursue. Hamilton - as if you had to ask Bokonon - In this case the answer to both is yes. In other cases I vote strategically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meggo Posted September 29, 2004 Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 ahess - i'm wondering if i can do the same, maybe you came across this in your research... my mom is american, she grew up in the U.S. and moved to canada probably when she was 25-ish, when she and my dad got hitched. i know that if she had gotten the ball rolling when i was a kid, i'd have had dual no problem. now, i'm not sure. suggestions? i'd love to vote in this election if possible. [as would most, i imagine] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH Posted September 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 Check your PMs Meggo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimmyB Posted September 29, 2004 Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 Good for you ahess, All summer when I was in the USA I was trying to convince people to register to vote. I'm glad you can too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouche Posted September 29, 2004 Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 Ahess is 26 I had no idea! Cheers man, that is some savvy work on your part and an excellent example made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vermontdave Posted September 29, 2004 Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 Great job man. Every vote counts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 how many people on the board do strategic voting instead of just voting for who they actually want to win? one day you learn that sometimes voting against Hitler and the pain and suffering his rule will incur is more important than making a personal statement about who your ideal leader would be... Bush in the states, as well as the Conservatives in Canada, are anti-environment, anti-freedom, anti-peace and are only focused on making the rich richer, to them the poor and middle class are worthless except for buying the products their mutli-national friends force upon the masses in better, less turbulent times we vote for our hearts... following your heart is definately the right thing to do unless it could end up indirectly hurting millions of people (congrats ahess! good stuff!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggrtrhhrtgg Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 nice work :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneMtn Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 I agree with Paisley. Although I have actively worked and organized events with the sole focus being opposition to Paul Martin's complacency regarding American plans to weaponize space, out of pure terror of the "New Conservatives", I had to bite the bullet and vote Liberal. Sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do. (Given the choice, I'd be voting Action Party http://www.canadianactionparty.ca , who clearly rock, but have no chance any time soon.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 Thank you ahess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groove Fetish Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 so this was the fist year I decided to pursue using my dual citizenship to vote down south too. But I registered at one of the booths you find at concets. so I got the phone call and they said that they had to mail it to an address in the atates so I used my grandmothers address. Now I wish that I had known about this site as I guess I could have registered to get the ballot sent up here. So now I don't know what to do- the registration is down south and I guess I have to figure out exactly how I plan to vote now.I'd like to call the folks that run that site but I can't get the link to the overseasvote2004 site to work.Is the link wrong somehow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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