FedEx offers discount express service for US overseas ballots
FedEx Express is partnering with the voter registration charity Overseas Vote Foundation to provide special shipping rates for expatriate Americans to send in their votes for next month’s Presidential elections. With a close battle being seen between President Obama and his challenger Mitt Romney ahead of the 6th November poll, absentee ballots are seen as crucial.
US voters in 94 countries around the world, including 51 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, as well as 14 countries in Asia and 28 countries in Latin America, can access the discounted express delivery service for their voting.
Votes sent through the service must be dispatched by 31 October, 2012.
FedEx said about 3.5m non-military American citizens currently live abroad. Citizens send in their votes to local election officials in their home state.
The Memphis-based integrator has been working with the OVF group on the “Express Your Vote” initiative since the last US Presidential elections in 2008, when it shipped more than 10,000 ballots.
The company said the initiative provides voters with online shipping rates, web-based shipping label creation, tracking capabilities and full proof of delivery.
Votes cast through the service can be tracked through the OVF website.
“Peace of mind”
Raj Subramaniam, senior vice president of marketing at FedEx, said the express service offered “peace of mind” to US citizens overseas that their votes will count.
“Because mail delivery is unreliable in some parts of the world, Americans voting from overseas need assurance their ballots will arrive back in the US by the required state deadlines,” he said.
“If those ballots are late, they’re not counted in the presidential election.”
The OVF, which was founded in 2005, works to assist with the registration and voting of uniformed and overseas US citizens in federal elections.
Susan Szieduszycka-Suinat, president and CEO of the nonprofit, said: “Thanks to this unique relationship, FedEx and OVF can offer Americans abroad the speed and reliability they need to make sure their votes get counted.”
Szieduszycka-Suinat added that the FedEx Express service would support the security of the balloting process and the audit trail.
“A paper trail is essential for audits and recounts,” she said.
US citizens based abroad have a number of options for sending in their votes, including the conventional postal service, dropping off at a US embassy or consulate, or express couriers including FedEx, DHL or UPS.
Some US states are beginning to offer voting by fax, email or Internet.
