By BLAKE AUED
Athens Banner-Herald
February 08, 2010
Secretary of State Brian Kemp is backing two bills recently introduced in the state legislature that would make it easier for soldiers serving overseas and other Americans living abroad to vote.
One bill, sponsored by state Rep. John Meadows, R-Calhoun, would give Americans overseas more time to request absentee ballots. Another, sponsored by state Rep. Mark Hamilton, R-Cumming, would let them cast their ballots electronically.
"For folks that are fighting and dying for our freedom, we need to make sure everyone who wants to vote can," said Kemp, an Athens resident.
The Meadows bill, House Bill 1073, would allow Americans abroad to request absentee ballots 45 days before an election. It would give people more opportunity to vote in runoffs, Kemp said.
Mailing a ballot overseas in time to fill it out and send it back in the four weeks between an election and a runoff can be challenging, he said.
The Hamilton bill, House Bill 665, would start a pilot program to allow soldiers overseas to vote electronically via a secure network set up by the U.S. Department of Defense, ensuring their ballots arrive in time to be counted.
A similar pilot program in Florida worked well, Kemp said. The bill doesn't provide any funding, but Kemp said he hopes a nonprofit or corporate foundation will agree to fund it in Georgia.
About 200,000 Georgians - soldiers, civilian contractors, their families and others - are living abroad, Kemp said.
Kemp's Republican primary opponent, Sandy Springs City Councilman Doug MacGinnitie, has a
Web site called www.helpheroesvote.com devoted to speeding up the voting process for overseas military personnel.
Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Monday, February 08, 2010
blake.aued@onlineathens.com
http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/020810/gen_559934115.shtml
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