Senator Kane: Bill Would Allow Online Voting for Connecticut’s Military Personnel
March 11, 2011
Sen. Kane testifies before the Government Administration and Elections Committee on March 11 on the online voting bill.
Sen. Rob Kane (R- Watertown) today testified in favor of a bill which would allow access to online voting for Connecticut’s military personnel stationed out of state.
Currently, members of Connecticut’s military can submit applications for absentee voting online, but cannot cast their ballot over a secure website.
The federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act (MOVE Act), amended in 2009, made sweeping changes in support of military and overseas voters, but did not include online voting.
“A secure online system would help to solve the problem of military absentee ballots which sometimes arrive too late to be counted in elections,” Senator Kane said. “Providing online voting for military personnel could help prevent the disfranchisement of those serving abroad and ensure that votes are properly counted.”
Kane said other states are moving in this direction.
In Arizona, the Secretary of State’s Military and Overseas Voting system will allow registered voters to apply for early ballots online and then submit their ballots electronically using a document scanner.
Last week, the Washington State Senate passed a similar bill requiring that armed forces members send in a scanned copy of their ballot and signature via e-mail.
The bill is before the Government Administration and Elections Committee.