WHEREAS, the importance of assuring the franchise to active military and overseas voters is understood universally; and

WHEREAS, developments in technology and voting procedures merit close scrutiny to take advantage of new processes that may be of benefit to active military and overseas voters wishing to vote absentee; and

WHEREAS, the State Board of Elections has primary responsibility to assure the legality and purity of elections and to provide the franchise to all voters, particularly those voters absent from the Commonwealth and serving their country; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the State Board of Elections be requested to develop and implement secure procedures for active military and overseas voters to cast timely absentee ballots. The Board may consider and evaluate new technology for the casting of absentee ballots and the option of returning absentee ballots directly to the State Board.

The State Board of Elections shall submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary and report of its progress in meeting the request of this resolution no later than the first day of the 2011 Regular Session of the General Assembly. The executive summary and report shall be submitted for publication as a report document as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.