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August 25, 2010
Armed insurgents provide more than enough for our fighting men and women overseas to worry about, but this fall’s jam-packed election calendar is also ambushing them.
Ten states, Washington, D.C., and the Virgin Islands are all seeking waivers exempting them from complying with the new law — the Move Act — that requires all states to mail absentee ballots to overseas military voters 45 days before Election Day.
“The waiver process is kind of recognition, probably, that 2010 was going to be a transition year, that some states would have to do things like move their electoral calendar, which is not easy,” said Chip Levengood of the Overseas Vote Foundation.
In Delaware, for example, primary day, Sept. 14, 47 days before Election Day, leaving not enough time for officials in Washington to certify a winner, print ballots and ship them to Mazar-I-Sharif fast enough to comply with the new law.
“It’s been very clear that some of these states were not going to be in compliance with the Move Act a long time ago,” said Eric Eversole, executive director of the Military Voter Protection Project. “And the Department of Justice, each step of the way, has simply not taken the actions to ensure that the Move Act would be implemented in each of the 50 states.”
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who co-authored the Move Act, wrote Attorney General Eric Holder last month to complain that a top Justice Department official had called the law “fairly general” with some provisions “an open question.”
“If a state is not in compliance with the statute,” Cornyn wrote Holder, “there is little room for ‘dialogue’ or negotiation, and (the department’s) Voting (Rights) Section should take immediate steps to enforce the law.”
An assistant attorney general fired back four days later, writing to Cornyn, “The department (is) forming a team of attorneys to monitor state compliance with the act’s requirements.”
Read full article HERE……
The TEN STATES IN QUESTION:
Hawaii, New York, Delaware, Alaska, Maryland, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Colorado
THEN ADD Washington,D.C. and the Virgin Islands.
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NOT ENOUGH TIME TO ACT YOU SAY?
LETS Review here……..
EXCLUSIVE: DOJ Accused of Stalling on MOVE Act for Voters in Military
July 28, 2010
The Department of Justice is ignoring a new law aimed at protecting the right of American soldiers to vote, according to two former DOJ attorneys who say states are being encouraged to use waivers to bypass the new federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act.
The MOVE Act, enacted last October (2009), ensures that servicemen and women serving overseas have ample time to get in their absentee ballots. The result of the DOJ’s alleged inaction in enforcing the act, say Eric Eversole and J. Christian Adams — both former litigation attorneys for the DOJ’s Voting Section — could be that thousands of soldiers’ ballots will arrive too late to be counted.
“It is an absolute shame that the section appears to be spending more time finding ways to avoid the MOVE Act, rather than finding ways to ensure that military voters will have their votes counted,” said Eversole, director of the Military Voter Protection Project, a new organization devoted to ensuring military voting rights. “The Voting Section seems to have forgotten that it has an obligation to enforce federal law, not to find and raise arguments for states to avoid these laws.”
Continue reading here……
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**ADD ANOTHER ISSUE with MILITARY VOTING:**
EXCLUSIVE: Military Absentee Voting Pilot Program Downed By Expensive Payout
August 26, 2010
Military voters from at least six states will be unable to participate fully in a Defense Department pilot program — substantially reducing their opportunity to vote in November — because a private election software company is dragging its feet and demanding exorbitant fees to supply states with their own voting data, some state officials participating in the program tell FoxNews.com.
On Monday, one state — Nebraska — backed out of the program entirely.
But the company, Nebraska-based ES&S, says it is a business and deserves compensation for its services. And it says time constraints — not the company — have caused the program to stall.
The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP), the Defense Department agency charged with helping military and overseas civilians vote, last year announced the Electronic Voting Support Wizard pilot program, which aims to improve and expedite the delivery of absentee ballots to military servicemen and women who have historically had problems with snail mail delivery or with getting a hold of their ballots due to frequent relocation.
In March, the Defense Department asked vendors that specialize in electronic voting systems to propose a plan for developing and delivering online ballots down to the precinct level — meaning that a military member could log on in Afghanistan and be directed to his or her exact local, county, state and federal election ballots to expedite voting.
Continue reading here……
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I was not a fan of George W. Bush…..HOWEVER he obviously LOVES those that serve in our military.
1. Visits wounded at the Ft. Hood shooting incident.
2. Welcomes home military returning from service overseas and DFW.
3. And YESTERDAY, August 25th this:
OGUNQUIT, Maine – Former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura surprised participants in the third annual “Run for the Fallen” Sunday.
Dozens of runners took part in the event to remember the 65 servicemen and women from Maine who have died overseas since 2001.
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When the run ended, people gathered at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth for a lobster bake. They were surprised with a visit from former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura. They wanted to thank the runners and organizers for this tribute to the fallen.
The Bushes spoke with the families of the servicemen and women who were on hand.
LINK
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The MOVE ACT was enacted in October 2009……..YET as of August 25, 2010, the TEN STATES, Washington,D.C. and the Virgin Islands STILL THINK they need waivers in order to comply with the LAW?
Collusion going on here?
Complicity in lack of VOTING RIGHTS for the military who defend our freedoms everyday?
Disenfranchised voters personified!
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America: ”HAD ENOUGH” YET?
November 2010 is coming…..the ONLY thing the Progressives FEAR is the BALLOT BOX.
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NOT RACIST.
NOT VIOLENT.
JUST NO LONGER SILENT.
