Justice Dept. Sues Hawaii, Charges Absentee Ballots Were Mailed Late
The Justice Department sued the state of Hawaii on Tuesday, accusing officials there of waiting too long to mail out absentee ballots for the current election.
The suit in U.S. District Court in Honolulu seeks to move to Nov. 14 the deadline for returning the absentee ballots, which under state law are required to be returned by the close of polls on Election Day.
The Justice Department’s civil rights division alleges that absentee ballots were not mailed by Hawaiian authorities to American citizens living abroad until two to three weeks before Election Day.
Delivery of international mail takes 10 to 14 days each way, and military mail takes 30 to 35 days round trip, the U.S. Postal Service says.
Election officials in the state have received 652 requests for absentee ballots from civilians and military personnel.
Failure to mail the ballots earlier “will deprive a significant number of . . . citizens of an opportunity to vote in the 1986 federal general election in violation of the Overseas Citizens Voting Rights Act and the Federal Voting Assistance Act,” the suit said.
The Justice Department wants a federal judge to issue an injunction requiring the state to count ballots signed and dated or postmarked by Tuesday and received by Nov. 14.
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