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By: FEDweek StaffService members in hazardous duty zones or on rotational deployments would have an easier process by which to vote, under a bill now pending before the Senate. If passed, the Reducing Barriers to Military Voters Act would:
* Amend the Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act to establish an electronic voting system for these service members. The process would be subject to verification and have either an electronic or paper trail that could be audited.
* Require the Pentagon’s information office to develop a “secure plan” to enable voter registration, as well as procuring, completing and returning ballots.
* Give the Pentagon considerable leeway in determining the best path to move forward with implementation. The service would be tested among a small set of voters in the 2024 federal election, and would be expanded to include all such voters by 2026.
* Give each state the ability to opt into the process, thus ensuring proper coordination with officials in each state.
Sens. Tammy Duckworth, D.-Illinois, and John Cornyn, R.-Texas, sponsored the bill. A comparable measure, sponsored by Rep. Joe Wilson, R.-South Carolina, is pending before the House.
