We're Number 1, We're Number 1

Iowa Takes Over #1 Spot in Rankings. Can you guess which rankings? For everyone that ran to check the BCS ratings, sorry. That’s not what this is about. This is about something even more important, hard as that may seem. This is about how easy or hard it is for those from your state that are serving away from home in an overseas deployment to vote. Many of us just had elections. Were they able to get a ballot back in time or did the state’s rules and regulations slow things down to the point where it didn’t happen. A recent report from the nonpartisan, nonprofit Overseas Vote Foundation examined the rules governing absentee ballots in each state to determine the ease of voting for someone currently overseas but with a legal residence in the state being examined. A summary of the report is here with the full report here. So what’s the big deal? Well, according to data referenced in the report nearly 5,000,000 eligible American voters are overseas each time election day rolls around. If they wish to cast their vote, they are dependent on how big the barriers are to casting an absentee ballot from overseas given the problems of getting the ballot request in, receiving the blank ballot and getting the filled out ballot back to election headquarters. In some places it is nearly impossible. The report points out the five easiest states to cast that vote; Iowa, Colorado, New Mexico, South Carolina and Kansas. I live in Iowa so it is my turn to wave that foam finger in the air and chant “We’re Number 1.” It also lists the five hardest; Alabama, Wyoming, Arkansas, New York and Nevada. Read the report and find where your state lies in the mix. Another source for information is the Federal Voter Assistance Program. You can go there and walk through the process to see the rules and regulations for your state. If you look at several states you will find that the easiest are those that permit the blank ballot to be received by fax or e-mail and to return the completed ballot by fax for those in imminent danger zones. That’s the key, cutting down the delivery times. Remember your state sets the rules. Almost all state legislatures will begin their annual meeting shortly after January 1. Let’s make sure all our military deployed somewhere around the world have the opportunity to vote. People want to know what they can do. If you live in one of the harder states, work on this. Get your state to Number 1.