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Every American's right to vote must be protected. And there's a special obligation to guarantee ballot access for Americans serving their country overseas.

"If we do not make it possible for the folks defending our democracy to participate in our democracy, what does that say? If you're risking your life to defend our democracy, we should bend over backward and spare no expense to make it possible to vote," state Rep. Grier Martin, D-Wake, said Tuesday.

Martin served with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan in 2002-2003. As a legislator, he's pushed for easier absentee ballot access for servicemen.

A bill approved this year directs election boards to send absentee ballots earlier and allows for their return up to three days after a primary or general election. It also asks the absentee voter to include the signature of only one witness instead of two, which was previously required.

The new law adds an emergency provision that authorizes the State Board of Elections to take exceptional action to allow voting if normal procedures aren't possible. This would cover a last-minute deployment just before an election, Martin said.

These are relatively small changes that can make the difference for some military personnel and other Americans abroad. More sweeping improvements are needed, too.

Guilford County Supervisor of Elections George Gilbert last week noted the cost of mailing absentee ballots overseas and the relatively low rate of return, especially for off-year municipal elections.

The expense can be justified, but using the mail to carry ballots across oceans is outdated. In fact, North Carolina law allows electronic transmission of ballots, and voting by e-mail should be put into regular practice as soon as possible.

"It amazed me when I was in Afghanistan how connected we are," Martin said. "The technology is there."

Gilbert anticipates greater use of e-mail and the Internet in the near future. "We're told by the Department of Defense that all military personnel have e-mail addresses," he said.

The State Board of Elections is getting closer to offering full electronic transmission of absentee ballots to overseas voters, Executive Director Gary Bartlett said Tuesday. Currently, ballots can be sent by e-mail, printed by the voter, filled out and returned by fax to the state board, which then distributes them to county boards.

There are still ballot security issues to work out, but Bartlett believes North Carolina can become a leader in election technology. Besides helping voters overseas, the same technology can improve ballot access for voters with disabilities, he said.

All Americans should be guaranteed reasonable access to polling places. New technologies should make that easier, wherever they are.

Americans serving overseas deserve every opportunity to vote. If not for the defenders of democracy, no one's rights would be secure for long.