Posted on 09/22/2004 1:57:37 PM PDT by Former Military Chick
The U.S. Defense Department said Tuesday that it's trying to find a way to permit American expatriates to connect to an absentee voting site that has been cordoned off because of the risk of hackers.
Internet users in large portions of the world have been blocked from connecting to the voting assistance Web site, which tells absentee voters how to cast ballots in the November election. The list of Internet providers that appear to be blocked includes British Telecom, Wanadoo, Telefonica and China Telecom.
"We're aware of the problem, and we're working on a solution," Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke said. "We hope to have a fix in place as soon as possible."
Krenke said that overseas Internet providers are blocked when U.S. government computers detect "any type of probing" coming from their network. She said that for now, U.S. voters can obtain the necessary forms directly from their state election officials or from a U.S. embassy.
The Web site in question is called the Federal Voting Assistance Program and is operated by the Pentagon. It provides information to expatriates and U.S. military members about how to register to vote and request absentee ballots, but does not permit actual online voting.
Wanadoo France, a large Internet provider, confirmed Tuesday that a "small number of the customers" are affected. The company said it has not received any information about the blacklist from the Pentagon and estimates the block has been in place for about 18 months.
A spokeswoman for Democrats Abroad said she was aware that customers of British Telecom and Wanadoo had been affected, and was unimpressed by the claim that the measure would prevent hacking. "I can't see the advantage of hacking the site," she said, explaining that voters still have to order, receive, sign and return their voting forms. "You're not going to change the voting" just by hacking the site.
The group has responded to the Defense Department blockade by creating a separate site, called OverseasVote2004.com, to handle absentee ballot requests.
Lending some urgency to the Pentagon's attempts to lift the restrictions is the fast-approaching Oct. 2 deadline for submitting absentee ballots in some states.
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September 21, 2004 Pentagon Blocks Access to Site for Overseas Voters By REUTERS
Filed at 4:08 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some Americans overseas are being denied access to a Pentagon-run Web site intended to make it easier for them to vote by absentee ballot due to security measures to thwart hackers, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
The Federal Voting Assistance Program's Web site offers U.S. military personnel and American civilians living abroad information about voting by absentee ballot in the Nov. 2 election, with links to state election sites.
But security steps put in place to halt hackers have instead blocked an unknown number of Americans overseas from accessing the site, www.fvap.gov, said Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, a Pentagon spokeswoman.
``The Federal Voting Assistance program is currently working on a solution to this problem, which we hope to implement as soon as possible to prevent any disenfranchisement of any overseas voter whether military or civilian,'' Krenke said.
About a half million U.S. troops are deployed overseas and roughly 6 million American civilians live abroad. The Federal Voting Assistance Program, part of the Pentagon, is the government agency responsible for helping them vote.
The Pentagon could not confirm figures from overseas voter advocates that people in at least two dozen countries have been blocked from the site.
Both Democrats and Republicans are concerned because deadlines are approaching for absentee ballots for voters overseas.
``We have to have a solution,'' said Joan Hills, co-chair of Republicans Abroad.
``The Pentagon decision, made in secret and without consultation or notification of groups promoting voter registration, represents gross bureaucratic negligence and indifference to the rights of American voters,'' said Diana Kerry, sister of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry who heads Americans Overseas for Kerry.
Krenke said the security measures were not intended to harm any party or candidate. ``We don't care who you vote for, just as long as you vote,'' she said.
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