Sen. Kane: Online Voting Option Aims to Get Military Voices Counted

Sen. Rob Kane (pictured) testifies on his online military voting measure last year.

Sen. Rob Kane on Mar. 17 testified in favor of a measure which would take Connecticut a step closer to allowing military personnel stationed out-of-state and overseas to access online voting over a secure website.

“The men and women who are serving our country face significant hurdles in trying to vote,” Sen. Kane told the Government Administration and Elections Committee. “Our state’s constitution guarantees the right to a secret ballot, which can be ensured through paper balloting or the other various methods our towns and cities currently use. Voting online and having that data transmitted back here to Connecticut could violate that secrecy, so this proposal would give our military voters the option to waive that constitutional right to ensure that their vote is counted.”

Sen. Kane told the panel that according to a survey by the Overseas Vote Foundation, more than one-fifth of military voters – 21.6% – did not receive their requested absentee ballots versus 17% for overseas civilians. Military voters were also more likely to report receiving their ballots too late than general overseas civilians – 4% to 2.6%.

“To address the unique voting challenges faced by our military personnel who are stationed overseas and out of state, we must think outside the box,” Sen. Kane said. “This resolution allows them the option of voting online. We want to ensure that their voices count.”