Many in U.S. military don't get time to vote: study

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Many U.S. troops serving overseas are effectively excluded from voting because they are not given enough time to cast absentee ballots, according to a report released on Tuesday.

Sixteen U.S. states and the District of Columbia do not send out their absentee ballots early enough to allow those serving in conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan to fill them out and return them before their voting deadline, the Pew Center on the States found.

Another six states force soldiers, sailors and marines to return their ballots by fax or e-mail to meet the deadline, risking the privacy and security of their vote.

And another three states only give service members five days to fill out their ballots, the study found.

Overall, 25 states -- including large states like New York, California and Texas -- make it difficult or impossible for those risking their lives for democracy to participate in it, the study found.

"Right now while these soldiers are serving America, America's voting system is not serving them," said Pew's David Becker in a conference call.

Many states don't take into account the slow pace of overseas mail and impose onerous burdens for those casting ballots. The entire process can take 88 days for an Alabama servicemember stationed in Afghanistan, but he is only given 65 days to get it done, Pew researcher Kil Huh said.

The Election Assistance Commission found that just one-third of the 1 million ballots distributed in the 2006 election to those serving overseas were cast or counted. Figures from the 2008 election are not available yet.

The nonprofit group said states should send out their blank ballots sooner, perhaps by e-mail, fax or other means that take less time than overseas mail, and allow them to be returned later.

States should also drop requirements that servicemembers get their ballots notarized, Pew said.

The states along with the District of Columbia that Pew said did not provide enough time to cast ballots are: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.

Residents of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii and Rhode Island must return their ballots by fax or e-mail to meet voting deadlines, the study found.

Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Vermont only give overseas servicemembers five days to fill out their ballots, the study found.

(Editing by David Wiessler)