Legislation enabling overseas military personnel to receive absentee ballots electronically has earned Chattanooga Rep. Gerald McCormick special recognition.
At a meeting Monday of the Hamilton County Pachyderm Club, Secretary of State Tré Haggert presented Rep. McCormick, R-Chattanooga, with the National Secretaries of State Medallion Award for his work on the legislation.
"This legislation extends voter outreach and makes sure that no one is disenfranchised," Mr. Haggert said.
Rep. McCormick is the third person this year to receive the Medallion Award, said Mr. Haggert. He said Rep. McCormick earned the award because "he did his homework and is very passionate about making sure everyone has a chance to vote."
Rep. McCormick said that, for those serving overseas, the new law will "cut down on the number of days that it will take for them to get their ballot, rather than having to wait for it to come through the military mail system."
With the new system, Tennessee's overseas military personnel can "print out their ballots and get them back in time for their vote to count, which has been a problem in the past," he said.
According to a study done by the PEW Charitable Trust, Tennessee has been one of the nation's weakest states when it comes to returning absentee ballots from overseas, said Rep. McCormick. That study called his attention to the fact that military personnel serving overseas are often unable to submit ballots in enough time for their votes to count, he said.
"It is sad that they are all over there fighting and not able to vote" said County Commissioner Bill Hullander at the meeting. "It's great that they can get their votes in this way."
Rep. McCormick first brought the bill forward to a House subcommittee in 2009 where it failed on partisan lines, said Mark Goins, coordinator of elections for the Department of State.
But with the federal government's Military and Overseas Voters Empowerment act implemented in 2009, and Rep. McCormick's interaction with veterans of both parties, he was able to bring the bill forward again this year, Mr. Goins said. The bill was passed into law in the spring and will be in effect for this November's election, he said.
The other two recipients of this year's Medallion Award were Ann Toplovich, executive director of the Tennessee Historical Society for her work on Tennessee History Day, and to Frances Darnell of the Tennessee Library Association for her advocacy work with local libraries, Mr. Haggert said.
Continue reading by following this link to a related story:
Article: Bill easing overseas soldiers' voting goes to Bredesen