[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 78 (Wednesday, May 20, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1211]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF THE ABSENTEE BALLOT TRACK, RECEIVE, AND CONFIRM (TRAC) 
                                  ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SUSAN A. DAVIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 20, 2009

  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce 
The Absentee Ballot Track, Receive and Confirm (TRAC) Act--a bill to 
assist states in establishing absentee ballot tracking systems.
  Many voters worry that they cannot determine whether their absentee 
ballots were actually sent out, received and counted.
  In most cases, the fears of one's mail-in ballot somehow being lost 
in the system are unfounded--but we all know the concern is still 
there. Our nation's voters deserve electoral procedures that are 
transparent and which strengthen their faith in democracy.
  Sometimes there is reason for concern. I have heard from people who 
simply did not receive a ballot they requested. There are various 
reasons for this from clerical errors to confusion over addresses.
  Other times, a problem occurs when an absentee ballot is rejected 
because a voter's signature has changed over time and the voter never 
knows the difference.
  The good news is that it is possible and practical to track mail 
ballots.
  Many elections offices are already tracking ballots with great 
success. In fact, in California it is law that all counties establish 
absentee ballot tracking systems and the systems are quite popular with 
voters and elections officials.
  In my home of San Diego County, CA, our registrar's online voter 
registration/absentee look-up feature received 98,000 hits before the 
2008 November election.
  Quite simply, the technology exists to allow voters to easily find 
out whether an elections office has sent out a ballot, whether a 
completed ballot has arrived back at the registrar's office, whether 
the registrar has counted the ballot, and if not, why not.
  Implementing ballot tracking systems will bring voters peace of mind 
and reduce the burden on elections offices which are often barraged 
with phone calls from voters trying to determine the status of their 
ballots.
  Moreover, the ability to check absentee status round the clock is a 
convenient service for voters, especially for military and overseas 
voters in various time zones.
  Not only is mail ballot tracking feasible and helpful, but it is also 
affordable.
  Setting up systems at an elections office can be as simple as 
redesigning a website and linking it to a back-up of a current database 
as San Mateo County, CA discovered when they created a tracking system 
for just $2000.
  Absentee tracking could even help elections offices save money in the 
long run as call volumes will likely go down and the strain on 
elections office staff declines.
  Mail ballot tracking is a win-win for voters and elections officials.
  We should follow the lead of the trailblazers who are already 
tracking mail ballots and encourage local jurisdictions to create 
tracking systems.
  The TRAC Act would allow the federal government to reimburse states 
for establishing tracking systems. However, I want to be clear that it 
would not require any state to set up a tracking system.
  I am proud to introduce this bill along with my fellow colleague from 
California, Mr. McCarthy and I ask my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle to join us in supporting this effort to strengthen the democratic 
process and give American voters the electoral certainty they deserve.

                          ____________________