Ketron bill on troop voting headed to governor on The Murfreesboro Post

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Ketron bill on troop voting headed to governor

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Posted: Tuesday, March 2, 2010 9:29 am

Legislation sponsored by Senator Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro) and Representative Gerald McCormick (R-Chattanooga) that will make it easier for troops deployed overseas to vote is on its way to the governor for his signature before becoming law.

The bill, which has already passed the Senate, was approved by a vote of 96 to 0 in the House of Representatives on Monday night. According to the Pew Center on the States, about half of overseas voters fail to vote or to have their votes counted because of current voting rules.

“I am very pleased that this bill is on its way to becoming law,” said Senator Ketron. “It is outrageous to even think that only half the men and women who serve us ‘in harm’s way’ have their votes counted. This bill works to assure that all our servicemen and women have their votes counted.”

The bill, Senate Bill 2681, authorizes a county Election Commission to e-mail a ballot to each member of the armed forces, as well as citizens temporarily outside the United States, who are entitled to vote and who have submitted a valid application for a ballot. The move will expedite the process so the voter would have more time to make a decision and return their ballot on time. It will also require Tennessee to develop a database that voters overseas can use to see if their ballot has been received by their county election commission to help ensure that their votes are counted.

The legislation helps the state comply with the federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act, which took effect in October. That law requires the Department of the Army and Postal Service to expedite the return of ballots by using express mail, since they cannot be returned electronically due to election security concerns. To assist soldiers and citizens who are living outside the U.S. for work, school or other reasons, the Federal Voting Assistance Program has set up a website where service members can access valuable information and documents to expedite the voting process.

Tennessee had approximately 18,686 overseas voters who participated in the November 2008 election. Under the bill, the new law will take effect August 20, 2010.

“We need to do everything in our power to make it easier for our soldiers, who are defending our freedoms overseas, to have the opportunity to vote and to have that vote counted,” added Ketron. “That is what this legislation would accomplish.”

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Member Opinions:

By: jds7z_mtsu_s10 on 3/2/10
I am very happy to hear that they are working on Legislation to allow our service men and women to vote faster. I also think it is great that there will be a database so they know that their votes were counted. With this new legislation, it will make it easier and faster for our service men and women to vote, which I think is very important. The last thing they need to worry about is whether their vote was counted or not. Our service men and women are the ones overseas putting their lives on the line for our freedom, so they definitely deserve to have the right to vote. I do think though, that this legislation should have been passed a long time ago. Our service men and women are putting their lives on the lines for our freedom, but most of them do not vote. I think the one thing they should get to do is vote. I hope that once this legislation is passed in Tennessee, our federal government will catch on and maybe pass similar legislation in the near future. All of our soldiers serving overseas should be given the opportunity to vote and know that their vote counted.