According to a report released by the Overseas Voter Foundation, access to ballots by people who wanted to vote while living overseas improved dramatically. These people received their ballot with enough time to return it in about half the time in 2008 but in about two-thirds of the cases in 2010.
The study said electronic transmission of blank ballots by all 50 states helped increase access. Unfortunately, using electronic means to request a ballot did not always work. Of the 18% of voters requesting a ballot who did not receive one, 22% requested the ballot electronically (either by email or fax), while just 16% who used traditional mail did not receive a ballot.
All of this comes in the wake of the federal 2009 Military and Overseas Vote Empowerment. The study found the act had a positive impact.
Among other things, the study recommends giving additional support to local election officials “regarding the implementation of new technology measures including online ballot request, blank ballot delivery, and ballot tracking.”
