The state of New York is being sued by the Justice Department for missing the deadline to send out election ballots to US troops and citizens overseas, which is required as part of the new overseas voting laws. The Justice Department has just settled a similar case in New Mexico.
The actions comes as the countdown to election day is less than three weeks away, and the Obama administration is urged to closely monitor the absentee ballots by Republican attorneys.
The laws, called the 2009 MOVE act, requires that states send out absentee ballots at least 45 days prior to election day to US troops abroad, as well as government workers and citizens of the US living abroad who want to vote.
The deadline this year was September 18, however the Defense Department allowed New York an extended deadline of October 1 because the primaries were only four days before the national deadline. However several boroughs missed the deadline, which forced the Justice Department to file suit, as well as requesting an extension to count the ballots once returned.
"The Obama administration must act swiftly to guarantee that every service member receives his or her ballot in time to vote," said Republican National Lawyers Association chairman David Norcross.
The Justice Department is also set to sue Guam, and has already settled with five states as well as the District of Columbia as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands for breaching the law. Sources say that more states may be on the list.
