Military voter liaison a good move

No one has to to earn the right to vote in this country - casting a ballot is a right granted to every adult citizen, by default.

But if there is any population that has earned the right to make their voice heard in an election, it's the men and women who serve in our nation's armed forces.

Unfortunately, military personnel stationed far from home face greater obstacles than the rest of us when it comes to casting a ballot:

It can be difficult for military members and their families abroad to keep voter registrations up to date and navigate absentee ballot processes. County elections officials can have a hard time keeping up with enlisted voters' frequent moves.

That's why we support Linn County Auditor Joel Miller's efforts to increase voting among military personnel and Iowans living overseas. Miller's decision to hire a U.S. Navy veteran to serve as a military and overseas voter liaison was a good one.

Military personnel and civilians living overseas are eligible to vote in the county of their last registration. That means any Linn County voter who moves overseas still is eligible to vote as a Linn County resident.

County officials aren't sure how many such voters are out there. In 2012, they received 586 requests for absentee ballots from military and overseas voters in the 2012 presidential election. In 2010, 236 overseas ballots were sent from Linn County, but only 68 of them were returned.

Miller wants to dramatically increase those numbers in this upcoming midterm election. His goal is to see at least 300 votes returned from overseas - an ambitious and worthy goal.

Miller's not the only one who has noticed Iowa's high rates of unreturned absentee ballots from overseas.

Also last week, Iowa Secretary of State candidate Brad Anderson made military voting an election issue - calling for a number of changes he says would help increase the numbers of military and National Guard personnel who vote.

We're glad to see elections officials focusing attention on this issue.

Voting is a fundamental right and responsibility for all U.S. citizens, who should have easy access to the polls - regardless of whether they are located down the street or around the world.

For more information, contact the Linn County Auditor's Office at (319) 892-5300 or to email Elections.Military@linncounty.org.

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