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The source of this article is the Internation Herald Tribune: http://tinyurl.com/5afqz Expat voters face range of snags By Jennifer Joan Lee International Herald Tribune Saturday, October 23, 2004 PARIS With the U.S. presidential election only days away, overseas voters are facing a number of problems that are unusual and, in some cases, highly irregular, according to Americans abroad and election monitors in the United States. . These incidents have left absentees puzzling over how to vote. What to do, for example, if you get a ballot with Al Gore on the ticket instead of John Kerry, as one voter registered in Ohio did? What if you receive two ballots? And if you get a sample ballot instead of an official one, do you fill it out as if it is the real thing? . "There have been a fair number of irregularities because so many people have registered," said Mary Boyle, press secretary for Common Cause, a nonpartisan organization based in Washington that promotes fair elections. . "Election officials are overwhelmed and swamped in some places," she said. "There are 13,000 election jurisdictions in this country, and each jurisdiction has different rules and standards. Throw in a million new voters on top of that, and of course you're going to have problems." . Because the American voting system is controlled not by the federal government but by states, counties and municipalities, thousands of different kinds of ballots are in circulation right now. . One woman living in Paris, who did not wish to be identified because she feared it might invalidate her vote, said she had received two absentee ballots from Palm Beach County, Florida, where she is registered. The first arrived last week; she filled it out and mailed it back. This week, she received another one, identical to the first, with identical instructions, except it was larger and used harder paper. . "I find myself in the position now that if I vote again, my vote might be disqualified because I'm voting twice," she said. "But if I do not vote again, how do I know my first vote will be counted? I just don't know what to do." . Overseas voter organizations, such as Democrats Abroad and Republicans Abroad, say they have been overwhelmed with phone calls and e-mails from confused and frustrated expatriates who do not know what to do with the ballots they have received. . While all the anecdotes cannot be verified, there are repeated reports of civilians receiving ballots stamped "military," ballots missing names of parties or key candidates, ballots that come with no instructions or the wrong instructions, or ballots with the words "sample" or "mock-up." . In one incident, voters registered in Contra Costa County, California, received photocopied sample ballots. They were told to complete and mail them, and that when they were received by the county office, their responses would be hand-copied onto official ballots by voting officials. . Asked about this, Gwen Saxon, supervisor of voter registration for absentee ballots at the Contra Costa County Elections Department, confirmed that the sample ballots had been sent. . "We have to send them a sample ballot, because if we waited until the real ones were printed up, there's a chance the voter will not receive it," she said in a telephone interview. "Yes, one person transfers the information onto an official ballot, but there is also a second person to check that it is done right. We've been doing this for years." . "What we've seen are not simply various counties and registrars sending out incorrect ballots and so forth, but a simple lack of knowledge on how to deal with overseas civilian and uniformed voters," said Joe Smallhoover, international counsel for Democrats Abroad. "Sometimes there is an astounding lack of knowledge. We often see that they confuse rules for overseas voters with state rules, and that creates a real problem." . Smallhoover said that while the vast majority of overseas Americans has now received ballots that are in order, various counties around the country have yet to get it right. "So there is the potential disenfranchisement for uniformed and civilian voters around the world," he said. . A U.S. State Department official played down these concerns. . Considering the millions of American voters overseas, he said in a telephone interview, the government had received "very few complaints," most of them coming from "those who are not familiar with the voting process because they do not know how it operates." . The official, who asked not to be named, insisted that the federal government has done everything in its power to help overseas Americans vote. . "I have busted my gut to help overseas voters," he said. "But ultimately, the federal government has no control over this." He added, "It's a state issue. And you have to work with the system as it exists." . See more of the world that matters - click here for home delivery of the International Herald Tribune. < < Back to Start of Article PARIS With the U.S. presidential election only days away, overseas voters are facing a number of problems that are unusual and, in some cases, highly irregular, according to Americans abroad and election monitors in the United States. . These incidents have left absentees puzzling over how to vote. What to do, for example, if you get a ballot with Al Gore on the ticket instead of John Kerry, as one voter registered in Ohio did? What if you receive two ballots? And if you get a sample ballot instead of an official one, do you fill it out as if it is the real thing? . "There have been a fair number of irregularities because so many people have registered," said Mary Boyle, press secretary for Common Cause, a nonpartisan organization based in Washington that promotes fair elections. . "Election officials are overwhelmed and swamped in some places," she said. "There are 13,000 election jurisdictions in this country, and each jurisdiction has different rules and standards. Throw in a million new voters on top of that, and of course you're going to have problems." . Because the American voting system is controlled not by the federal government but by states, counties and municipalities, thousands of different kinds of ballots are in circulation right now. . One woman living in Paris, who did not wish to be identified because she feared it might invalidate her vote, said she had received two absentee ballots from Palm Beach County, Florida, where she is registered. The first arrived last week; she filled it out and mailed it back. This week, she received another one, identical to the first, with identical instructions, except it was larger and used harder paper. . "I find myself in the position now that if I vote again, my vote might be disqualified because I'm voting twice," she said. "But if I do not vote again, how do I know my first vote will be counted? I just don't know what to do." . Overseas voter organizations, such as Democrats Abroad and Republicans Abroad, say they have been overwhelmed with phone calls and e-mails from confused and frustrated expatriates who do not know what to do with the ballots they have received. . While all the anecdotes cannot be verified, there are repeated reports of civilians receiving ballots stamped "military," ballots missing names of parties or key candidates, ballots that come with no instructions or the wrong instructions, or ballots with the words "sample" or "mock-up." . In one incident, voters registered in Contra Costa County, California, received photocopied sample ballots. They were told to complete and mail them, and that when they were received by the county office, their responses would be hand-copied onto official ballots by voting officials. . Asked about this, Gwen Saxon, supervisor of voter registration for absentee ballots at the Contra Costa County Elections Department, confirmed that the sample ballots had been sent. . "We have to send them a sample ballot, because if we waited until the real ones were printed up, there's a chance the voter will not receive it," she said in a telephone interview. "Yes, one person transfers the information onto an official ballot, but there is also a second person to check that it is done right. We've been doing this for years." . "What we've seen are not simply various counties and registrars sending out incorrect ballots and so forth, but a simple lack of knowledge on how to deal with overseas civilian and uniformed voters," said Joe Smallhoover, international counsel for Democrats Abroad. "Sometimes there is an astounding lack of knowledge. We often see that they confuse rules for overseas voters with state rules, and that creates a real problem." . Smallhoover said that while the vast majority of overseas Americans has now received ballots that are in order, various counties around the country have yet to get it right. "So there is the potential disenfranchisement for uniformed and civilian voters around the world," he said. . A U.S. State Department official played down these concerns. . Considering the millions of American voters overseas, he said in a telephone interview, the government had received "very few complaints," most of them coming from "those who are not familiar with the voting process because they do not know how it operates." . The official, who asked not to be named, insisted that the federal government has done everything in its power to help overseas Americans vote. . "I have busted my gut to help overseas voters," he said. "But ultimately, the federal government has no control over this." He added, "It's a state issue. And you have to work with the system as it exists." .PARIS With the U.S. presidential election only days away, overseas voters are facing a number of problems that are unusual and, in some cases, highly irregular, according to Americans abroad and election monitors in the United States. . These incidents have left absentees puzzling over how to vote. What to do, for example, if you get a ballot with Al Gore on the ticket instead of John Kerry, as one voter registered in Ohio did? What if you receive two ballots? And if you get a sample ballot instead of an official one, do you fill it out as if it is the real thing? . "There have been a fair number of irregularities because so many people have registered," said Mary Boyle, press secretary for Common Cause, a nonpartisan organization based in Washington that promotes fair elections. . "Election officials are overwhelmed and swamped in some places," she said. "There are 13,000 election jurisdictions in this country, and each jurisdiction has different rules and standards. Throw in a million new voters on top of that, and of course you're going to have problems." . Because the American voting system is controlled not by the federal government but by states, counties and municipalities, thousands of different kinds of ballots are in circulation right now. . One woman living in Paris, who did not wish to be identified because she feared it might invalidate her vote, said she had received two absentee ballots from Palm Beach County, Florida, where she is registered. The first arrived last week; she filled it out and mailed it back. This week, she received another one, identical to the first, with identical instructions, except it was larger and used harder paper. . "I find myself in the position now that if I vote again, my vote might be disqualified because I'm voting twice," she said. "But if I do not vote again, how do I know my first vote will be counted? I just don't know what to do." . Overseas voter organizations, such as Democrats Abroad and Republicans Abroad, say they have been overwhelmed with phone calls and e-mails from confused and frustrated expatriates who do not know what to do with the ballots they have received. . While all the anecdotes cannot be verified, there are repeated reports of civilians receiving ballots stamped "military," ballots missing names of parties or key candidates, ballots that come with no instructions or the wrong instructions, or ballots with the words "sample" or "mock-up." . In one incident, voters registered in Contra Costa County, California, received photocopied sample ballots. They were told to complete and mail them, and that when they were received by the county office, their responses would be hand-copied onto official ballots by voting officials. . Asked about this, Gwen Saxon, supervisor of voter registration for absentee ballots at the Contra Costa County Elections Department, confirmed that the sample ballots had been sent. . "We have to send them a sample ballot, because if we waited until the real ones were printed up, there's a chance the voter will not receive it," she said in a telephone interview. "Yes, one person transfers the information onto an official ballot, but there is also a second person to check that it is done right. We've been doing this for years." . "What we've seen are not simply various counties and registrars sending out incorrect ballots and so forth, but a simple lack of knowledge on how to deal with overseas civilian and uniformed voters," said Joe Smallhoover, international counsel for Democrats Abroad. "Sometimes there is an astounding lack of knowledge. We often see that they confuse rules for overseas voters with state rules, and that creates a real problem." . Smallhoover said that while the vast majority of overseas Americans has now received ballots that are in order, various counties around the country have yet to get it right. "So there is the potential disenfranchisement for uniformed and civilian voters around the world," he said. . A U.S. State Department official played down these concerns. . Considering the millions of American voters overseas, he said in a telephone interview, the government had received "very few complaints," most of them coming from "those who are not familiar with the voting process because they do not know how it operates." . The official, who asked not to be named, insisted that the federal government has done everything in its power to help overseas Americans vote. . "I have busted my gut to help overseas voters," he said. "But ultimately, the federal government has no control over this." He added, "It's a state issue. And you have to work with the system as it exists." .PARIS With the U.S. presidential election only days away, overseas voters are facing a number of problems that are unusual and, in some cases, highly irregular, according to Americans abroad and election monitors in the United States. . These incidents have left absentees puzzling over how to vote. What to do, for example, if you get a ballot with Al Gore on the ticket instead of John Kerry, as one voter registered in Ohio did? What if you receive two ballots? And if you get a sample ballot instead of an official one, do you fill it out as if it is the real thing? . "There have been a fair number of irregularities because so many people have registered," said Mary Boyle, press secretary for Common Cause, a nonpartisan organization based in Washington that promotes fair elections. . "Election officials are overwhelmed and swamped in some places," she said. "There are 13,000 election jurisdictions in this country, and each jurisdiction has different rules and standards. Throw in a million new voters on top of that, and of course you're going to have problems." . Because the American voting system is controlled not by the federal government but by states, counties and municipalities, thousands of different kinds of ballots are in circulation right now. . One woman living in Paris, who did not wish to be identified because she feared it might invalidate her vote, said she had received two absentee ballots from Palm Beach County, Florida, where she is registered. The first arrived last week; she filled it out and mailed it back. This week, she received another one, identical to the first, with identical instructions, except it was larger and used harder paper. . "I find myself in the position now that if I vote again, my vote might be disqualified because I'm voting twice," she said. "But if I do not vote again, how do I know my first vote will be counted? I just don't know what to do." . Overseas voter organizations, such as Democrats Abroad and Republicans Abroad, say they have been overwhelmed with phone calls and e-mails from confused and frustrated expatriates who do not know what to do with the ballots they have received. . While all the anecdotes cannot be verified, there are repeated reports of civilians receiving ballots stamped "military," ballots missing names of parties or key candidates, ballots that come with no instructions or the wrong instructions, or ballots with the words "sample" or "mock-up." . In one incident, voters registered in Contra Costa County, California, received photocopied sample ballots. They were told to complete and mail them, and that when they were received by the county office, their responses would be hand-copied onto official ballots by voting officials. . Asked about this, Gwen Saxon, supervisor of voter registration for absentee ballots at the Contra Costa County Elections Department, confirmed that the sample ballots had been sent. . "We have to send them a sample ballot, because if we waited until the real ones were printed up, there's a chance the voter will not receive it," she said in a telephone interview. "Yes, one person transfers the information onto an official ballot, but there is also a second person to check that it is done right. We've been doing this for years." . "What we've seen are not simply various counties and registrars sending out incorrect ballots and so forth, but a simple lack of knowledge on how to deal with overseas civilian and uniformed voters," said Joe Smallhoover, international counsel for Democrats Abroad. "Sometimes there is an astounding lack of knowledge. We often see that they confuse rules for overseas voters with state rules, and that creates a real problem." . Smallhoover said that while the vast majority of overseas Americans has now received ballots that are in order, various counties around the country have yet to get it right. "So there is the potential disenfranchisement for uniformed and civilian voters around the world," he said. . A U.S. State Department official played down these concerns. . Considering the millions of American voters overseas, he said in a telephone interview, the government had received "very few complaints," most of them coming from "those who are not familiar with the voting process because they do not know how it operates." . The official, who asked not to be named, insisted that the federal government has done everything in its power to help overseas Americans vote. . "I have busted my gut to help overseas voters," he said. "But ultimately, the federal government has no control over this." He added, "It's a state issue. And you have to work with the system as it exists." . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn