In its special session, the Connecticut Legislature passed a bill (p. 47) to provide faster absentee ballots and more convenient procedures for military and overseas voters, in compliance with the Federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act.
We have been critical of the MOVE Act for one of its provisions but not its intent. The MOVE Act included a provision for piloting Internet, fax, and email return of ballots which is risky to the very democracy our soldiers are dedicated to preserving. As we said last November:
While we support our troops and their commitment to democracy, we do not support the MOVE Act in its current form. We object to one provision of the Act passed by the Senate, passed by the House, and signed by the President. Like the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), the MOVE Act is well intended, aimed a solving a real problem, yet has unintended consequences.
The problem of military and overseas voting has several good solutions that have been used in some states and localities and have been effective. The MOVE Act incorporates many of those good solutions. Yet, it also authorizes pilots of electronic submission of actual votes electronically. As of this time there is no known proven method for the security and secrecy of electronic submission of ballots, no proven method of auding such votes, and the bill contains no mandate for the evaluation of pilots for security and secrecy.
Worse, many states are jumping on that bandwagon with risky and often expensive, unproven solutions claiming that the MOVE Act requires such.
Along with Secretary Bysiewicz, we applaud the Legislature’s prudent choice to avoid risky Internet, fax, and email voting schemes.
See: <All posts related to the MOVE Act>
