Politics & Government

County Receives Voting Grant

The grant is designed to facilitate voting for military/overseas voters.

A consortium of 13 Florida counties, including Sarasota County, has been awarded a $1.6 million grant by the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) to enhance the absentee voting process for military and overseas citizens, a news release said.

The system, which will be designed to provide greater online access, will allow voters to request, receive and track their absentee ballots electronically. It will automate absentee requests and expedite ballot delivery, making the voting process for uniformed and overseas citizens more efficient and seamless.

Known as Electronic Absentee Systems for Elections (EASE), the project will speed up ballot delivery and is expected to increase ballot request and return rates of military and overseas voters, according to Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent.

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Members of the Our Mission: Your Vote consortium include Baker, Bay, Bradford, Clay, Duval, Escambia, Leon, Nassau, Okaloosa, Pinellas, Putnam, Sarasota, and Wakulla Counties—serving nearly every major military installation in Florida. The coalition will begin transmitting ballots electronically to absent military voters and those living overseas during the 2012 election cycle.


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