Lansing, Michigan, October 14, 2009 -- Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson and Macomb County Clerk Carmella Sabaugh, along with local clerks and veterans, testified today in favor of House Bill 5279 that will help ensure the votes of overseas military personnel can get home in time to be counted on Election Day.

In a national report this year, Michigan was listed as one of 16 states "no-time-to-vote" states that are failing to give overseas troops adequate time to return their ballots.

"Whenever I talk to civics groups or high school classes, I tell them that their vote matters, their vote makes a difference … and that's absolutely true - unless you are an American serving overseas," testified Johnson.  "These are men and women, away from their families and often risking their lives to protect our freedom. Michigan has to step up and make sure their right to vote - one of the cornerstones of democracy - is protected here at home."

The issue is largely overseas mailing delays. In July, Johnson, Sabaugh and Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett created OPERATION: OUR TROOPS COUNT to push for change. House Bill 5279, sponsored by state Rep. Vince Gregory (D-Southfield) would allow local city and township clerks to send absentee ballots to overseas voters electronically, which would cut mailing time, save postage and provide a secure system. Voters would then fill out the ballots and send them back home through traditional mail.

Johnson and Sabaugh testified Wedesday before the House Ethics and Elections Committee, which is expected to vote on House Bill 5279 on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The bill would then go for review by the full state House and then on to the state Senate.

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Laura Rios, who lives in Macomb County, testified that when she was stationed overseas, in places that included Iraq, that ballots would simply arrive too late to send back. "I can't tell you how many times that I would get my ballot the day it was due," said Rios. "They say 6,000 votes were missing? That was my vote. My vote can change taxes. My vote can change the president of the United States. Let my vote count."

"Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson, Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett and I believe we need to make sure those fighting for democracy can participate in it," said Sabaugh. "We can do it with existing technology while cutting taxpayer postage costs."

Doug Williams, legislative affairs chairman of the Michigan American Legion, representing 11 different veterans organizations in the state and some 274,000 Michigan veterans, said their group supports House Bill 5279. He said wherever troops are deployed, voting should be made as easy as possible for them.

"Our younger generation of citizens … has, on more than one occasion, implored us old timers to get up to speed or to catch up with the times and it's obvious this legislation is an attempt to do just that," Williams said. "With the speed of electronic communication that exists in our world today and the ability to provide security for messages sent and received, I am left to wonder why this was not done before now."

The Michigan Secretary of State's Office indicated support for the bill, with the understanding they would like to see several amendments. Nearly 30 other states allow absentee ballots to be sent by email to overseas voters. The SOS said of 21,299 military absentee ballots requested for the November 2008 election, only 15,401 were returned.

Local clerks testified about military ballots trickling in during the days and weeks after Election Day in November 2008 - too late to be counted.

"Your heart just wants to stop, sometimes you know these people and they don't know that their vote won't count," said Jan Roncelli, president of the Oakland County Clerks' Association and Bloomfield Township clerk. "We want a 100 percent return rate."

Gregory (D-Southfield), who sponsored by House Bill 5279, is a U.S. Marine veteran who served in Vietnam. Co-sponsors included State Representatives: Robert Jones; Woodrow Stanley; Ellen Cogen Lipton; Richard LeBlanc; Harold Haugh; Kate Ebli; Pam Byrnes; Tom Pearce; Bert Johnson; Roy Schmidt; Mike Huckleberry; Barb Byrum; Joan Bauer; Gino Polidori; Richard Hammel; Marc Corriveau; Gabe Leland; Vicki Barnett; Marty Knollenberg; Robert Dean; Jon Switalski;  Shanelle Jackson; Kathy Angerer; Andy Coulouris; Fred Miller; Lesia Liss; David Agema; Hugh Crawford; Tim Melton; Lisa Brown and  David Nathan.