FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Contact: Spence Jackson, (573) 751-4951

Blunt Announces New Voting Option for Missouri Military Personnel

JEFFERSON CITY - Secretary of State Matt Blunt today announced that Missourians serving in designated combat locations overseas will have the option of having their ballots scanned and e-mailed to the United States Department of Defense (USDoD) who will in turn fax them to the military voter's local election official.

In June, Blunt announced that Missouri voters serving in designated combat locations could fax their ballots directly to their local election officials if they wished. Blunt sought this change to state law in a comprehensive election reform bill he supported through the General Assembly in 2002. Missouri State Representative and Missouri National Guard Combat Engineer Jim Avery told Blunt's office that while few units overseas had access to fax machines, most had access to computer equipment that could scan a paper ballot and enable the soldier to e-mail it back to the United States.

Blunt sought clarification from the USDoD and was informed by leaders in the department that the ballots would be transmitted over secure military lines and faxed directly to Missouri's local election officials. Today's announcement comes one day after the secretary of state's office was supposed to certify the results of the Aug. 3 primary election. A lawsuit and restraining order filed and obtained by the leaders of the Missouri Democratic Party have placed certification of the election on hold. This action will likely delay the printing of ballots at the local level and their delivery to absentee voters.

Absentee balloting for the November election is scheduled to begin on Sept. 21, but the judge overseeing the lawsuit filed by the Missouri Democratic Party has yet to schedule a hearing. Party bosses are challenging the state's interpretation of the provisional balloting process, which has already been deemed compliant by both federal and state judges and does not conflict with the federal Help America Vote Act. The party has admitted that the approximately 827 provisional ballots in question will not affect the election results but moved forward with their request to prevent the August election from being certified knowing that thousands of military and other absentee voters could be impacted by their actions.

Blunt said he's hopeful that the judge will rule on the case soon so that military or other absentee ballots are not sacrificed to partisan political posturing. He also praised Senator Kit Bond's efforts to urge the DoD to step up its efforts to get the ballots in and out of hostile combat areas like Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I am pleased to offer this additional voting option to our men and women in uniform but I am troubled by the attempts to complicate this process by people who should be directing their time and resources on encouraging, not suppressing absentee voting," Blunt said. "I hope all of Missouri's local election officials will work diligently to respond as quickly as possible to absentee ballot requests made by all voters but particularly those who are defending our nation overseas. Simplifying the voting process for these heroes is the least we can do in honor of the sacrifices they are making in defense of our freedoms."

Despite some recent press reports to the contrary, the Missouri secretary of state's office does not print, distribute or count ballots of any kind. That responsibility rests solely with Missouri's 116 local election officials. Military servicemen and women still have the option of mailing their voted absentee ballots to their local election official themselves. Neither the faxed ballot option nor the e-mailed ballot to the DoD is mandated by law. They are merely options for the soldiers to consider.

Blunt is Missouri's chief election official. He previously served as an officer in the United States Navy and in addition to other responsibilities, he served as the Voting Officer on the USS JACK WILLIAMS (FFG-24). Thus, Blunt has special insight into the barriers to voting imposed on members of the military.

In October 2001, Blunt became the first statewide elected official in Missouri to be called into active military duty, serving six months in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the nation's response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

A list of the service areas designated by Blunt and a fax cover sheet for military service personnel interested in taking advantage of this option are available on Blunt's Internet site, www.sos.mo.gov or by calling the Elections Division of the secretary of state's office at 1-800-NOW-VOTE.

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