Doug MacGinnitie Urges General Assembly to Consider and Pass HB 665

Doug MacGinnitie, Republican candidate for Secretary of State, today asked members of the Georgia General Assembly to consider and pass HB 665 in the upcoming legislative session.

The bill, sponsored by Representative Mark Hamilton, would create a pilot program aimed at streamlining the absentee voting process for active duty military personnel serving our country overseas.

“Far too many of the young men and women defending our freedoms overseas do not have the ability to exercise one of the most basic rights of Americans: casting a ballot in elections,” said MacGinnitie. “As Secretary of State, one of my top priorities will be solving this problem.”

Research done by the Heritage Foundation in 2008 shows that 75-80% of military voters from across the United States were disenfranchised by their inability to request and return an absentee ballot within time limits as required by law.

MacGinnitie recently announced the formation of the Military Voting Advisory Committee (MVAC), a group of retired military leaders and technology experts, who are working on solutions to this problem. Gary Smith, Forsyth County resident and a member of the MVAC Committee, helped shape HB 665.

“I applaud Representative Hamilton’s effort in helping our servicemen and women vote. If there is any way our MVAC Committee can assist in perfecting the legislation, or including additional solutions, we are available to help,” said MacGinnitie.