Report: State systems for overseas voters vulnerable [USA Today]

Report: State systems for overseas voters vulnerable

A report on state voter systems evaluates each state on five criteria: 1) paper ballots or a paper record of electronic votes; 2) paper backup for electronic return of overseas ballots; 3) contingency plans at polling places if machines fail; 4) reconciliation of voter lists with vote/ballot totals; and 5) post-election audit of vote tallies. --->>> How the states rate

Full Report: http://www.commoncause.org/countingvotes2012
 

France intros online voting for overseas deputies

France intros online voting for overseas deputies

France is using online voting to enfranchise citizens living abroad, Le Monde reports. The system will enable users to vote for 11 deputies with international constituencies for the first time. Over 1 million French voters live outside the country. --->>>

Press Release: Microsoft Enables Online Voting For Overseas Citizens

Microsoft Enables Online Voting For Overseas Citizens

LiveBallot, based on Microsoft’s Windows Azure cloud computing system and developed by Democracy Live, allows voters who are overseas the chance to vote in a simple and easy way. The system has been in use since December for soldiers who are overseas, but will be used in the upcoming Florida primary. --->>>

Also see: Three States Roll Out Electronic Ballots
"One thing to remember: this isn’t Internet voting. The logins generally are based on a name and birth date (basically what’s in the voter registration database) and the voter only gets a ballot, not a vote. The vote itself still has to be mailed or faxed in, just as before. This obviates the need for really heavy security. (The security concerns are basically those of paper ballots at that point). Even so, it is a step in getting absentee ballots to people who are in places that getting mail is a problem."

Missouri: Researchers look into mobile, online voting

Researchers look into mobile, online voting

A team of Missouri researchers will use a $740,000 federal grant to study online voting systems by overseas military troops and absentee voters who are out of the country during elections.

The Department of Defense grant will fund research into internet-based and mobile phone voting applications. --->>>

Military, overseas voting tech to get boost from grants

Military, overseas voting tech to get boost from grants

Technology to make registering to vote and receiving ballots easier for U.S. service members and Americans living abroad will be getting support from federal government grants, Government Technology reports.

The first six Defense Department grants, part of the Electronic Absentee Systems for Elections program, were announced Nov. 3. The states of Virginia, Maryland and Ohio, as well as El Dorado and Santa Cruz counties in California and King County, Wash., are the first six recipients of the grants, worth more than $7 million. Government Technology reports that jurisdictions receiving the initial six grants serve 134,585 military and overseas voters.

The grant money will go toward the development of electronic systems that will allow service members and other Americans living abroad to cast their votes on time. According to a news release from the Federal Voting Assistance Program, this includes systems that allow for online voter registration, requests for absentee ballots, and delivery of blank ballots. The FVAP release adds that none of the money would go toward developing systems that actually transmit ballots electronically, except in the case of mock elections. --->>>

Military voting increased last year, report finds

Military voting increased last year, report finds

Buoyed by a new law that requires states to make absentee ballots more accessible to military personnel serving overseas, troops voted at a higher rate than the general population in last year’s midterm elections, according to a new report.

Overall, 46 percent of the military cast ballots, a 21 percent increase from the 2006 midterms and slightly higher than the 45.5 percent of the general population that voted last year, according to a report released Tuesday by the Federal Voting Assistance Program. --->>>

Philippines - Comelec execs to campaign abroad for absentee voting

Comelec execs to campaign abroad for absentee voting

MANILA, Philippines—Members of the Commission on Elections will embark on a “tour” of countries with many Filipinos to convince them to register as overseas absentee voters for the 2013 mid-term polls. --->>>

Helping veterans vote - Project to ease absentee process

Helping veterans vote - Project to ease absentee process

To make it easier for military members and other citizens stationed overseas to vote in state and federal elections, South Dakota is leading a joint venture with Nebraska, Iowa and North Dakota to develop an electronic absentee voting system.

South Dakota Secretary of State Jason Gant announced that the state received a grant of almost $1 million from the Federal Voting Assistance Program for the project. --->>>

Internet voting for overseas Filipinos?

Internet voting for overseas Filipinos?

Filipino expatriates from the United States, Australia and Jordan have apparently scored a key point in removing a legal impediment blamed for the low turnout in overseas absentee voting.

The Joint Congressional Committees on Foreign Affairs and Suffrage are now considering a substitute bill amending the Overseas Absentee Voting law, in order to do away with the requirement for Filipinos to submit an affidavit to return to the country 3 years after registration. --->>>

Official Pushes for Online Military Voting

Official Pushes for Online Military Voting

The director of the program that helps troops vote from overseas says a full embrace of Internet voting for servicemembers would help get more votes counted. --->>>

Russians abroad to vote via electronic devices

Russians abroad to vote via electronic devices

December 4 will see parliamentary elections in Russia. However, Russian citizens who are now living and working abroad will also have a possibility to vote.

On December 4, polling stations will open in all countries with which Russia has diplomatic relations. For the first time, they will be equipped with a technical novelty - electronic devices which will ease the procedure of voting and calculating the votes. --->>>

New Delhi urged to initiate online voting for expats: Gulf Times

New Delhi urged to initiate online voting for expats

Expatriate forum All India Cultural Congress (AICC) has appealed to the Indian federal government to initiate steps to make online voting in elections feasible for non-resident Indians.

At its sixth annual gathering held recently, the organisation said online voting, as is being efficiently introduced and managed by other countries, would help expatriates vote in their India’s general and provincial elections. --->>>

Non-resident Indians criticise voting change

Non-resident Indians criticise voting change:

Community leaders have described as unrealistic India's decision to permit non-resident Indians (NRIs) to vote in national elections, saying it was impractical to travel home to cast a ballot.

Acting on a long-standing demand by NRIs for voting rights, the Indian government said last week it had issued an official notification giving them the right to vote in the country's elections. The move did not include a provision for absentee ballots and any prospective voter would have to be at the polling station in person. --->>>

India : Govt. issues notification for NRI voting rights - The Hindu : News / National

The Hindu : News / National : Govt. issues notification for NRI voting rights: "A longstanding wish of millions of NRIs for voting rights in India has come true with the Centre issuing a notification to this effect to enable them to exercise their franchise.

Parliament had in the monsoon session passed the Representation of People (Amendment) Bill, 2010 to allow NRIs to vote in Indian elections and now government has issued a gazette notification in this regard.

“Gazette notification has been issued giving voting rights to Non-Resident Indians,” Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi told the Lok Sabha.

An estimated 11 million NRIs are living in various countries across the world. --->>>

See also: Punjab minister wants email ballot facility for NRI's

Hacking Into Washington’s Online Voting Experiment - NYTimes.com

Hacking Into Washington’s Online Voting Experiment - NYTimes.com:

Hackers infiltrated the District of Columbia’s online voting system last week. They changed all votes for mayor to Master Control Pro and elected HAL 9000 the council chairman. The blaring University of Michigan fight song played whenever a new ballot was successfully cast. --->>>

Alberta troops can't vote in civic election | Canada | News | Toronto Sun

Alberta troops can't vote in civic election | Canada | News | Toronto Sun:

They're supplied with the bullets and rifles to defend democracy, but not the ballots to take part in elections back home.

If anyone should be marking an 'X' on Oct.18, it's the hundreds of Alberta soldiers serving in Afghanistan, risking snipers and bombs to establish democracy for citizens of a former dictatorship.

People in that war-torn country can cast ballots because Canadian soldiers are there to protect their fragile democracy. But somehow, those wearing the Maple Leaf have no such privilege.

Alberta, with two weeks to go before voting day, has failed to offer municipal ballot provisions for soldiers serving around Kandahar and Kabul.

Simply put, Alberta's troops can't vote. --->>>

Online Voting For Military Serving Overseas | Foxnews.com

Online Voting For Military Serving Overseas | Foxnews.com:

What would happen if all of our active duty members of the military serving overseas could vote in local and national elections with the click of a button? --->>>

India: Overseas Internet Voting an Option - Gulf Times

Internet voting an option, says Ravi

The Election Commission will explore ways to implement a new law adopted by the parliament this week giving voting rights to non-resident Indians, a senior minister said yesterday.

“We have crossed a milestone by adopting the Representation of People (Amendment) Bill 2010. Now the Election Commission will look into ways to implement it effectively, including Internet voting,” Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said. --->>>

Board Announces New Timeline for Digital Vote-by-Mail Project for Overseas Voters | Business Wire

Board Announces New Timeline for Digital Vote-by-Mail Project for Overseas Voters | Business Wire:

“Digital Vote-by-Mail” - a software application that will allow overseas voters to receive their blank ballot digitally and, at their option, digitally return their marked ballot using a more secure method than e-mail or fax - will be tested in a mock election environment during the second half of September. --->>>

Military Absentee Voting Pilot Program Downed By Expensive Payout

Military Absentee Voting Pilot Program Downed By Expensive Payout:

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. --->>>