Americans living in Bermuda join millions of civilians and soldiers living abroad who face a bewildering and unwieldy system of absentee balloting that could prevent their votes from being counted.

An article in yesterday?s New York Times said that tens of thousands of overseas voters ?might not get ballots in time to cast votes?.

A spokesperson at the American Consulate General in Bermuda said that the ?procedures for voting overseas were complicated?.

She said all 50 states had different procedures for absentee ballots and ?that is part of what is complicated?.

However, she said ?procedures are in place for people who follow the procedures in sufficient time?.

?It is complicated. If people are just enquiring now, then it may be too late.?

She said that she received her absentee ballot form this week, but that she sent her form off two months ago.

The New York Times article said late primaries and legal wrangling caused election offices in eight of the 15 ?swing states? failed to mail absentee ballots by September 19, a cut-off date officials say is necessary to ensure they can be returned on time. There are an estimated four million eligible voters overseas.

A Zogby poll of all Americans who had passports found they supported Democrat John Kerry over US President George W. Bush by 58 percent to 35 percent.

Voters were unable to send their registrations to a Pentagon contractor?s computers, which are clogged by thousands of voter forms. Others were reportedly denied access to a website designed to help expatriate Americans vote.

The Government Accountability Office found that 8.1 percent of the overseas votes had been thrown out ?mostly because they were late or not properly completed?.

The US military may be able to vote online at myballot.mil but this offer is not open to civilians.

?If it?s a close election, one can expect a great deal of challenges given the confused state of this complex matrix of rules and regulations, and the lack of central leadership in their implementation,? The New York Times quoted Jim Brenner, Executive Director of the Americans Overseas Society as saying. But Scott Wiedmann, the Deputy Director of the new Internet voting system was reported as saying: ?There is no favouritism.?