The Nation : New Absentee Ballot Due

The government plans a new kind of absentee ballot in hopes of getting more votes from 3.5 million eligible Americans who are outside the country every Election Day. Those Americans abroad make up a voting bloc larger than those of some of the 50 states. Under the current system, many Americans abroad receive ballots late or find the system too complicated. Under the government’s plan, a new federal absentee ballot would be available at military installations, embassies, consulates and other places in countries outside the United States. Americans could use them if the regular absentee ballots sent by their home states failed to reach them in time.