The purpose of the proposed amendments to this rule which deals exclusively with the transmission of absentee ballots to overseas voters (military and other U.S. citizens residing abroad) focuses primarily in 4 major ways: 1. It provides procedures specifically allowing for the delivery and the return of absentee ballots by electronic mail. 2. It changes the requirement for delivering absentee ballots to require the ballots be sent 45 days in advance of the election, regardless of the election. 3. It reflects that overseas voters may designate the means by which they want their absentee ballot or other election materials to be delivered to them. 4. It clarifies the procedures relating to Department approved pilot programs for secure remote electronic transmission of absentee ballots. Most of these changes are proposed in response to the recently enacted Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act (Public law 111-84), subpart H of the Military Defense Authorization Act) which enhanced the rights of military voters and overseas voters to vote by electronic means.