November 02, 2008	Sunday	Ziqa'ad 3, 1429

WASHINGTON, Nov 1: An American immigrant couple living in India and seeking to vote in their first US election flew home to vote in person when their absentee ballots failed to arrive in time, US media reported on Saturday.

Susan Scott-Ker, a native of New Zealand, and her Moroccan-born husband moved to Bangalore for her work last year just months after they were sworn in as US citizens, and thought they had made all necessary arrangements to vote from afar in the Nov 4 presidential election, the New York Times reported.

But in early October they discovered that the Board of Elections in Manhattan, where they are registered to vote, required a separate application if they were to receive absentee ballots.

Scott-Ker said she followed the requirements “to the letter”, even providing an addressed envelope for the ballot to be sent back to India. But in the ensuing weeks no ballots arrived.

“We realized we’re not going to get to vote, and we were all geared up to do this,” Scott-Ker, 45, told the Times, describing how they considered enlisting a friend to get their ballots and courier them to India.—AFP