Glitch in voting abroad: privacy

Election ballots could be safely distributed electronically to Americans abroad, but getting votes back securely could be difficult, a study says.

It is difficult to protect privacy while ensuring that an electronic ballot is from a registered voter and has not been changed en route, the National Institute of Standards and Technology said. Its study, requested by the Election Assistance Commission, examines the possibility of handling overseas voting via telephone, fax, e-mail and the Internet.