California Assembly Unanimously Passes Ranked Ballots for Overseas Voters

by Paul Fidalgo // Published May 15, 2009
You're out of the country, experiencing the world in all its rich diversity. You're missing Election Day back home, but you're going to be able to vote by mail. No problem, right? You have all the time in the world to fill out your ballot and mail it back to states so it can be counted. But what if after everyone has voted, there's no majority winner, and they have to hold a runoff? There's no time for you to be mailed a whole new ballot and have it sent back home again! You're out of the loop! What to do? The California Assembly on Thursday got the ball rolling on a solution to the potential disenfranchisement of overseas voters when runoffs ensue, as they voted unanimously to send ranked voting ballots along with standard single-choice ballots to voters on foreign soil. If the bill (AB 308) becomes law, California's overseas voters will be able to rank their preferences on the ranked choice voting ballot in case the first round of voting leads to a runoff election. This way, their preferences will be taken into account when their stateside fellow Californians go to the polls a second time. Here's the Ballot Access News writeupbackgammon free casino money free craps game play free black jack craps video poker strategy play black jack online how to win video poker casino game online uk best casino online casino secure online gambling jackpot casino online casino black jack learn to play craps how to win at video poker craps online blackjack casino game online casino betting free on line video poker casino games no download casino online gambling casino play free casino slots video poker machine bonus video poker free on line slots double bonus video poker free video poker games free casinos roulette online craps rules free on line casino rules of craps online casino free money blackjack 21 internet casino how to play craps free casino game download fortunelounge online casino free casino download free casino card game free roulette game free casino play no deposit free money casino internet casino online of the bill's passage, and the Californians for Electoral Reform Action Page for AB 308.

Comments currently closed for California Assembly Unanimously Passes Ranked Ballots for Overseas Voters

  • As has been reported here numerous times, California will not be the first state to adopt this common-sense use of ranked ballots. The others are Louisiana, Arkansas, South Carolina and Illinois (which now gives municipalities the local option). See FairVote's Include Every Voter project for more on this. As Paul himself reported on this page a couple of days ago, a new report being publicized by Senator Schumer of New York shows that the problem this bill addresses is very real. Schumer's numbers are not an abberation. Studies by other organizations after the 2004 and 2006 elections also came up with 20 to 25% rates of disenfranchisement.

    Posted by Bob Richard, 2009-05-17 16:16:20 (4 years ago)