Robitaille Questions Mollis on Military Ballots

Robitaille Questions Mollis on Military Ballots

Republican candidate for governor John Robitaille yesterday questioned why Secretary of State Ralph Mollis—a Democrat running for re-election—applied for a waiver from a federal law requiring that ballots be mailed out to overseas soldiers 45 days before an election.

“Given the circumstances regarding this issue, it is vital that the Secretary of State’s office go out of its way to count every ballot from our service members who are serving abroad,” Robitaille said. “They are deployed and risking their lives overseas to protect our rights and we owe it to them to return the favor.”

But Chris Barnett, a spokesman for the Secretary of State, said Mollis is confident that ballots will be mailed out by September 18, meeting the 45-day deadline for the general election.

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“The Robitaille campaign should not be using military voters to score cheap political points,” Barnett said. “The waiver is another tool to ensure that overseas voters can make their voices heard. Even though the primary is Sept. 14, we are confident that military ballots will be mailed overseas before the deadline.”