Absentee Ballots
Absentee ballots are used in every state to ensure that residents who cannot make it to the polls on Election Day are still able to vote. States set their own guidelines for eligibility and how to obtain an absentee ballot.  Many people who would not have voted otherwise have been able to cast a ballot because of absentee voting. Since 2004, absentee ballots have made up about 30% of all votes cast in presidential elections.

How states can improve absentee ballots:
  • Set uniform standards - Some states do not allow "no excuse" absentee voting. No American should be forced to tell their state why he or she needs an absentee ballot. Every citizen deserves the right to vote with no questions asked.
  • Send absentee ballots out on time - As was the case in Broward County, Florida, 58,000 absentee ballots were sent out late for the 2004 election. Many voters simply did not have the time to mark their ballot and send it in to be counted. Some voters on vacation actually flew home so they could vote on time, but many were still unable to vote. 


 

No longer barred from voting


By Katharine Mieszkowski
Published November 8th 2006 in Salon.com
Congratulations are due to 15,000 American citizens in Rhode Island, who yesterday couldn't have voted in the election if they'd wanted to, but now will have that right. Tuesday, voters in Rhode Island passed a constitutional amendment that restores voting rights to people who have been convicted of a felony, and who are now out of prison, but still on probation or parole. It was a close race with the referendum passing with just 51.5 percent of the vote. Of course, those who will benefit from the amendment couldn't weigh in on it at the polls.

In many states, former felons aren't allowed to vote, even after they're out of prison. The passing of the Rhode Island referendum represents the first time in U.S. history that voters have elected to expand the voting rights of the formerly incarcerated at the polls. "We've often been told that the public is tough on crime, and is not receptive to the needs of people in prison. I think that this is a statement from the voters of Rhode Island that they view voting and community integration, as an important component of public safety," said Marc Mauer, executive director of the Sentencing Project, a nonprofit advocacy group. "This makes sense both from the point of democratic participation and encouraging people leaving prison to become connected with positive institutions in the community."