MI Clerks: Overseas military ballot-count needs fix

By AP

STERLING HEIGHTS, MI – Clerks from Michigan's three largest counties and a state legislator have proposed a plan they say would ensure the ballots of overseas state residents would be properly counted.

Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson said Thursday at a news conference in Sterling Heights that "Operation Our Troops Count" would fix Michigan's "broken" system.

Johnson says it now takes 57 days for the state to send and receive an overseas ballot. She says the plan set to be introduced by Democratic state Rep. Vincent Gregory of Southfield during the week of July 13 would pare that by 24 days.

Johnson says a national report lists Michigan as one of 16 states that failed to ensure that overseas troops had enough time to return their ballots in time to be counted on Election Day 2008.