John, Is this legislation proposing that the deadline for absentee ballots
be until the opening of the polls, if voted by the individual BCA's?;

Or, is it stating that they must still request by 5PM the day before, but
may vote the next day before the polls open?

This sounds like they are still leaving it up to the individual Board's by
using may, which I agree with.  Every town's circumstances as to place
where voting occurs is different and their process for preparing must
coincide with the facility they will be using.

If someone complains about being able to vote in my town, I strongly
encourage them to vote absentee.  Once educated to this process, they can
use it to their convenience and they do.

My polls open at 10:00 am and I have very few people who come in before
that.  If they do, they come back during the polling hours.  I would have
no problem being able to offer them an absentee ballot at that point, but
would not like it restricted to a particular hour as I do not always get to
the polling place by 7 am.  I am between the office and the polling place
getting ready.  My BCA does not participate during the election day so I am
the sole person representing the BCA until that evening when they come to
count ballots.

Voting is a privilege as well as a right and I feel the law as it is now
allows them that privilege.

I have been here 15 years and when there is a heated issue or contest,
there is a heavy turn out.  When there is not, the voting is light.  It has
nothing to do with the accessibility.


If they subdivide the checklist it would probably help in the percentages.
You could keep the count differently.  As it is now, we all have inflated
checklists, because people are gone from town and probably voting
elsewhere, but have not been taken off our checklist because of this law or
not receiving the confirmation of reregistration from another entity.





At 12:27 PM 3/10/99 -0500, you wrote:
>        Legislation is being drafted reference to absentee ballots : (b)
>In a political subdivision in which the polls open later than seven a.m.
>voters may if the board of civil authority so votes, apply in person at
>the polling place for absentee ballots between the hours of seven a/m.
>and the time the polls open. In this case the presiding officer or
>designee shall furnish the ballots when a valid application for early
>voter absentee ballots is received. The applicant shall mark his or her
>ballots, seal them in the envelope, sign the certificate and return the
>ballots in the sealed envelope to the presiding officer or designee,
>without leaving the polling placed.
>                The board of civil authority may subdivide the checklist
>into lists of active and inactive voters.The list of inactive voters
>shall contain the names and addresses of voters who failed to respond to
>the notice sent pursuant to subdivision (d) (3) of section 2150 of this
>title, whose names have not been removed from the checklist. The names of
>the remaining voters shall be included in the list of active voters.
>        We need to know your feelings about these drafts as soon as
>possible .
>
>___________________________________________________________________
>You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
>Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html
>or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
>