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Military hustles so troops can vote

May-24-2004 » Filed Under: General Military

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By Guy Taylor, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Military officials are hustling to ensure that troops deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere abroad know their widely varying state rules on absentee ballots, the result of the Pentagon's abandoning plans to have them vote via the Internet.

With deadlines and procedures varying considerably depending on the home state of a given soldier, sailor, airman or Marine, the process is more complicated than it sounds.

For example, a soldier from Alabama must have his ballot in the hands of that state's election officials by 5 p.m. on the day prior to the election, while another from Washington state has until 15 days after the election, as long as his ballot is postmarked by Election Day.

"It varies from state to state the way that it's done," said Maj. Sandra Burr, a Pentagon spokeswoman who said that military officials are trying to make it possible for some troops to fax their ballots directly to election officials in their home states with the goal of bypassing mail service altogether.


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