Senators aim to enhance voting rights for military

(AP) Senators aim to enhance voting rights for military
By BRADLEY KLAPPER
Associated Press
WASHINGTON
Two senators want to improve the opportunity to vote for hundreds of thousands of American military personnel abroad. They would penalize states that are too slow in sending out absentee ballots.

Ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, say they will seek to eliminate waivers for states that fail to mail ballots overseas 45 days before an election. States that miss the deadline would be required to use express mail to get the ballots to service members.

The senators say the changes aim to improve a 2010 law designed to address widespread deficiencies with absentee balloting. A congressional report estimated that 25 percent of ballots cast by military and other overseas voters in the 2008 presidential election went uncounted.

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