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These States Allow Online Voting for Citizens. Does Yours?

These States Allow Online Voting for Citizens. Does Yours?

Elections come around every two to four years in the United States and despite the lengthy campaigning and voter outreach that our politicians put us through to ensure they get our votes, most states have very few options outside of in person voting or absentee ballots that are usually mailed in.

With advancements in technology our lives have become easy when it comes to doing a lot of our daily activities. This has led to a lot of conversation around online voting for our national and state elections with many being for and even more being against the idea.

The Argument

Proponents emphasize the convenience, and accessibility for those who are overseas, have disabilities, or serve in the armed forces and are deployed so that their votes can be counted. Theres also the argument that results will be easier since the votes are tabulated in real time over an online portal and no counting is required.

Opponents emphasize security concerns, citing long-standing research done by universities and cybersecurity experts and a recent interagency assessment that points to online voting carrying risk of compromise.

 

that's not to say that we don't currently have online voting available to our citizens. we actually do! But the definition may not be what you had in mind when you ask about online voting.

Online voting takes on a different definition when it comes to national or state elections in the united states and it is allowed in more states than you would think.

What is online voting?

 

Online voting for an election refers to electronically receiving and returning your ballots via email, fax, or an online portal.

Since all states allow you to receive the ballot electronically, it comes down to which state allow electronic ballot return. and your options defer depending on the state and whether you qualify for the program. here are the details:

Who Can Vote Online?

Electronic delivery of a blank ballot:

The Military and Overseas Voters Act (MOVE) passed in 2009, requires states to enable the electronic delivery of blank ballots to voters who fall under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) via email, fax or an online delivery system. Each state has provided their delivery methods along with deadlines available on the Voter Assistance Guide.

Thirteen states have so far extended electronic ballot return options to voters with disabilities who may have unique challenges when it comes to voting in person or by mail.

 

Electronic Return of Voted Absentee Ballot:

The States were not required to provide a method for electronic ballot return under the MOVE Act and mail is the primary method of ballot return in most states and continues to be the only method for 19 of our states.

 

Electronic Voting By State

Thirty-one states, Washington, D.C., and the Virgin Islands currently allow online voting for certain voters who are typically military and their family members, anyone else living overseas, and voters with disabilities.

The table below was created through research and information gathered from The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and is the most up-to-date data on which states allow online voting and who is eligible.

State

Email

Fax (phone

or internet)

Online Portal

Who Can Use Electronic Voting

Alabama

Ala. Code1975 § 17-11-45

           

UOCAVA voters

Alaska

AS § 15.20.066

         

UOCAVA voters

Arizona

A.R.S. § 16-543

            

         

           

UOCAVA voters

California

West's Ann.Cal.Elec.Code § 3106

         

UOCAVA voters, only if overseas or activated within six days of the election

Colorado

C.R.S.A. § 1-5-706, § 1-7.5-115, § 1-8.3-113, 8 CCR 1505-1:16

             

         

           

UOCAVA voters

Voters with disabilities

Note: In some instances, Colorado allows voters experiencing a personal emergency or natural disaster to use electronic ballot return.

Delaware

15 Del.C. § 5525, § 5503

             

         

UOCAVA voters

Voters with disabilities

District of Columbia

             

         

UOCAVA voters

Florida

West's F.S.A. § 101.697

         

UOCAVA voters, if living outside the U.S.

Hawaii

HRS § 15-5

             

         

UOCAVA voters

Voters with disabilities

Note: In some instances, voters who request an absentee/mail ballot and do not receive it within five days of an election may return a ballot electronically.

Indiana

IC 3-11-4-6

             

         

UOCAVA voters

Voters with disabilities

Iowa

N/A

             

         

UOCAVA voters, only if located in a hostile fire area or overseas as a uniformed service member

Kansas

K.S.A. 25-1216

             

         

UOCAVA voters-

Louisiana

LSA-R.S. 18:1308(A)(h)(i)

              

only UOCAVA voters, and only
during a declared emergency

         

UOCAVA voters

Absentee voters, including voters with disabilities, only if the request is made at the time of application

Maine

21-A M.R.S.A. § 783, § 809-A

             

       

UOCAVA voters only

UOCAVA voters

Voters with disabilities

Massachusetts

M.G.L.A. 54 § 95

             

UOCAVA voters only

         

UOCAVA voters only

         

Voters with disabilities only

UOCAVA voters

Voters with disabilities

Mississippi

Miss. Code Ann. § 23-15-699

             

         

UOCAVA voters

Missouri

V.A.M.S. 115.916

             

         

          

UOCAVA voters, only if serving or living in a hostile fire area

Montana

MCA 13-21-106

             

         

UOCAVA voters

Nebraska

N/A

             

         

UOCAVA voters, only with prior approval

Nevada

N.R.S. 293D.200, 293.269951

             

         

UOCAVA voters

Voters with disabilities

Tribal voters who live on a colony or reservation

New Jersey

N.J.S.A. 19:59-10

             

         

UOCAVA voters, who must also send a hard copy of the ballot via postal mail

New Mexico

N. M. S. A. 1978, § 1-6B-8

             

         

UOCAVA voters

North Carolina

N.C.G.S.A. § 163-258.10

             

UOCAVA voters only

         

UOCAVA voters only

         

UOCAVA voters

Voters with disabilities

North Dakota

NDCC, 16.1-07-24

NDCC, 16.1-07-08 (3)"

              

UOCAVA voters

Voters with disabilities

Oklahoma

26 Ok.St.Ann. § 14-145

UOCAVA voters

Oregon

O.R.S. § 253.690

(in two counties only)

UOCAVA voters

Rhode Island

Gen.Laws1956, § 17-20-6.1, 17-20-9

Only if the ballot
was requested via fax

UOCAVA voters

Voters with disabilities

South Carolina

Code 1976 § 7-15-690

UOCAVA voters

Texas

Election Advisory No. 2022-03

UOCAVA voters, only if serving or living in a hostile fire area

Utah

U.C.A. 1953 § 20A-16-404, § 20A-3a-201, § 20A-6-103

UOCAVA voters only

(in two counties only)

UOCAVA voters

Voters with disabilities

Virgin Islands

18 V.I.C. § 665

UOCAVA voters

Washington

West's RCWA 29A.40.091

UOCAVA voters

West Virginia

W. Va. Code, § 3-3-1(c), § 3-3-5

UOCAVA voters only

UOCAVA voters only

UOCAVA voters

Voters with disabilities

Qualified first responders

 

AdobeStock_180823785 (2)

The Future of Online Voting in US

Despite our nation's capabilities to allow select voters to return their ballots electronically, the idea of online voting for most major elections does not sit well still with most citizens.

About 39% of Americans say they would choose to vote from their desktop or mobile device if possible, with the bulk of those in favor of online voting being under 30 years old.

While times are certainly changing to make our election and voting process more accessible, many experts believe the potential security threats of an online voting system outweigh the benefits of increased voter turnout.

What's next?

There will likely be more experimenting with online voting and registration options over the next few elections as both major political parties look to increase our dismal average election turnout.

As early as 2000, the Arizona Democratic Party began offering online voting as an incentive for registered members, and the Utah GOP has done the same as recently as 2016.

There is a very slim likelihood that online voting in all 50 states will be an option in time for the next next election, but more and more states are considering online solutions for voter turnout.

 

 


 

Do you need online election portal for your absentee, deployed or disabled voters? eBallot has online voting solutions to assist with virtually any kind of voting event and voter database. Check out our platform's capabilities to see how it can align with your organizations needs.

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