MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Secretary of
State Beth Chapman announced today that Alabama’s military and overseas voters,
for the first time in history, will have a faster and more convenient way to
receive their absentee ballots for November’s federal elections through the use
of electronic transmission.
The state has signed a contract with
Scytl USA that will allow for the electronic transmission of ballots to
military and overseas voters only. This change, which Chapman has
strongly supported for years, is now required under a new federal law aimed at
reducing the amount of time it takes for military and overseas voters to
receive their absentee ballots for federal elections.
“This will ensure that members of
our military have more time to cast their ballots, send them back home and most
importantly, have them counted,” Chapman said.
Chapman has been a state
and national leader in ensuring that our military members have a more efficient
way to vote, including testifying before a congressional committee on the
issue. She also created and chaired Alabama’s Military and Overseas
Voting Task Force. “It is of the utmost importance that those who defend our
freedoms and our right to vote have their votes counted,” Chapman said.
Under the new law,
Alabama’s military voters will be able to receive their absentee ballots for
federal elections much more quickly via electronic means. “We will continue to
work to provide the most convenient voting methods possible for our men and
women in uniform. It is the least we can do for them,” Chapman concluded.
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