GAB, Romney campaign resolve overseas absentee voting lawsuit

MADISON -- The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board announced Wednesday, October 24th it has resolved a lawsuit filed last week by the Romney campaign regarding the late transmission of a small number of absentee ballots to military and permanent overseas electors.

Federal law requires military and permanent overseas voters to have at least 45 days to receive and return their ballot in time for it to be counted.

On October 18th, G.A. B. Director Kevin Kennedy issued an order extending the time for ballots to be returned in four municipalities that sent out ballots with less than 45 days of transit time. Following that action by G.A.B., the parties have filed a stipulated order dismissing the lawsuit.

The Government Accountability Board has been represented by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, which assisted in obtaining the dismissal of the case.

“Out of 4,400 military and overseas ballot requests on file before the deadline, only four ballots went out with less than 45 days of time for the voter to receive, mark and return the ballot. Of those four, two ballots have already been voted and returned. We will continue to work diligently with the clerks and voters to ensure those remaining ballots get returned on time and are counted," Kennedy said.

Last year, the State of Wisconsin changed its election laws and its Partisan Primary date from September to August to comply with the new federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act and ensure that these voters have enough time to get their ballots back home to be counted. Federal law requires a minimum of 45 days, and State law now requires 47 days.

As of October 22nd, Wisconsin’s military and permanent overseas voters had requested 6,807 absentee ballots, and 1,892 have been returned.

In addition to receiving ballots directly from clerks, many of the military and overseas voters received their ballots online through the G.A.B.’s new My Vote Wisconsin website (http://myvote.wi.gov), which was launched in September.

CLICK HERE for additional details on absentee voting via the GAB's website.