BRADY ISSUES STATEMENT ON ABSENTEE VOTING HEARING

Washington, DC (October 16, 2007):  Committee on House Administration Chairman Robert A. Brady issued a statement on today's Subcommittee Hearing on Absentee Voting.

"I would like to commend Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren as she leads the Committee on House Administration's Election Subcommittee in exploring issues surrounding absentee voting and voting by mail.

Under our system of government, Americans express their views and opinions on the direction and future of our nation through their vote.  From electing representatives, to expressing views on important referendums and spending plans, the American voting public depends upon our voting system to ensure that their voices are heard.  As elected representatives, we have a duty to ensure that our voting system encourages participation by the widest possible group of eligible voters.  Potential barriers to participation must be eliminated and new and innovative strategies must be incorporated to ensure that our system addresses the needs of our constituents.

Additionally, absentee voting systems are currently the only mechanism available to members of our Armed Forces serving across the globe.  They risk their lives every day to ensure our nation's safety and security and should be afforded every possible opportunity to participate in the system of government they are defending.

I support the Subcommittee's exploration of no-excuse absentee voting, early voting programs and vote-by-mail systems.  These initiatives have been shown to increase voter turnout and participation, specifically in voter demographics that have been previously under-represented, such as women, the elderly and voters in rural areas.  While these solutions are not without "downsides", they are representative of an important movement towards more response, user-friendly voting systems.  States and municipalities that currently use these systems have reported impressive positive feedback from their voter populations.  They have implemented programs to minimize the potential for system abuse and to ensure that ballots are accurately distributed to constituents and then correctly counted, providing a further safeguard against election fraud. 

I join my colleagues in supporting new thinking and strategies that broaden and expand opportunities for our constituents to cast their votes, and to do so with confidence that they will be accurately counted. The ongoing efforts of the Subcommittee in exploring these and other initiatives will continue to ensure that the public maintains the highest possible degree of trust in its elected officials and system of government."

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