At a news conference outside the State House on Wednesday, Secretary of State Beth Chapman said approval by the Legislature would make Alabama the first state in the nation to allow Internet voting for its deployed military personnel and other citizens serving overseas as missionaries or in U.S. embassies.
"This is a wonderful opportunity for Alabama to lead the nation in support of the rights of our service men and women around the world," Chapman said.
Riley told the crowd at the news conference, which included several elementary school students, that helping the troops is "one thing all of us can agree on."
"We've proven time and time again that when we stand together, Republicans and Democrats, and do what's right for the people of this state, it is amazing what we can accomplish," Riley said.
Senator Hinton Mitchem announced his support for the bill, which was unanimously approved last week by the Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee.
The proposal, introduced in the Senate by Senator Larry Dixon and in the House by Representative Duwayne Bridges, would establish a secure Web site permitting armed forces personnel and overseas citizens to apply for an absentee ballot and transmit their votes over the Internet. The House version of the bill has more than 40 co-sponsors.
Travis Whaley, an officer in the state Veterans of Foreign Wars, told the crowd his organization is behind the bill "100 percent."
General Mark Bowen of the Alabama National Guard said deployed units are assigned voting officers charged with helping troops vote, but the process often takes too long and some ballots are not received in time. "Electronic voting is the way to go," Bowen said.
