How many registered Maine residents who work overseas are losing out on their opportunity to vote?

I am an expat currently living in Egypt in a position that supports families of state department employees. In more than three years of living overseas, first in Amman, Jordan, and now Alexandria, I have not once been able to cast my vote, despite visiting my town halls, Topsham and now Farmingdale, before I leave and providing updated forwarding information.

(My daughter in Nairobi, Kenya, is able to vote this election since Topsham is now uses modern technology.)

Farmingdale diligently mailed me my ballot on Oct. 5. I received it on Oct. 31. The last day I could deliver it to the U.S. consulate here was Oct. 29, in order for it to be guaranteed to arrive home on time.

My friends here from Alaska, California, Washington, Colorado and various other states have voted via fax or via email. Why aren’t these consistent options in Maine or throughout every nook and cranny in the entire country?

Do our military and state department employees still have these same issues? Just how many voters who did their due diligence are being excluded?

Egypt is not the only overseas placement where snail mail takes too long. A variety of sources cite between 4 million and 6 million U.S. citizens living abroad.

How ironic that working in a country where people just voted for their very first time, some American citizens are denied their voting opportunity.

There is no excuse not to use the technology available today. Just when will the voting process be identical from wherever its citizens hail?

Elizabeth Karasopoulos, Farmingdale and Alexandria, Egypt