Law Threatens Thousands of Military Votes
SPRINGFIELD -- An obscure state law and an ambiguous federal ballot form are combining to invalidate some of the thousands of absentee votes being cast this fall by Virginians overseas, most of them in the military.
October 24, 2008
Virginian-Pilot
State officials confirmed Thursday that they've instructed local registrars to set aside any vote submitted on a federally furnished write-in ballot unless the ballot includes both the name and address of the person who witnessed the vote. An advisory to registrars was distributed earlier this week, said Susan Pollard, a spokeswoman for the State Board of Elections.
Every absentee ballot requires the signature of a witness, who vouches for the identity of the voter. The witness address requirement is specified by Virginia law but not spelled out on the federal form.