Polling soldiers

Wednesday, April 30, 2008 | 2:07 a.m.

A few American soldiers serving in Iraq and other areas overseas will have a chance to vote this year via e-mail.

The Associated Press and the Overseas Vote Foundation found that jurisdictions in 13 states have made arrangements to send troops ballots via e-mail this year and officials in seven states have said they will let troops cast their ballots via e-mail.

That is a major benefit for soldiers, who often have difficulty with traditional absentee ballots. Absentee ballots are often sent 30 to 45 days before an election. By the time the ballot catches up to a soldier overseas, there may not be enough time to get it back to meet voting deadlines.

The problem was highlighted in the 2000 election in Florida, in which many absentee ballots were tossed because they arrived after the deadline.

The e-mail option is a good answer for military members, who have ample Internet access. The problem, of course, is protecting against fraud.

Proponents of the plan say the military Internet system is secure and believe there should be the opportunity to use the technology. They note that two dozen states allow citizens overseas to fax ballots with a signed waiver acknowledging their privacy may be compromised.

Elections officials note that there is not yet a truly secure way to vote over the Internet. However, Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita, president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, said his state has no problems sending and receiving votes to troops overseas via e-mail. But he noted some election officials are “so scared of technology they want to be tied to a piece of paper.”

It is good that election officials are concerned about the security and integrity of the ballot, but with the technology in place, they should be able to figure a way to help troops in the field exercise a basic democratic right.