More than 170 people will be unable to vote in the December 17 poll because they will be away for educational, work or medical reasons, according to a survey conducted by two young activists, Danielle Lightbourn and Kelsey Pichery.Although the initiative was inspired by university students who would be unable to vote, it has become broader because of the feedback they’ve received. Ms Lightbourn said: “Through this process we have also become aware of others who will be unable to vote because they will be off Island at election time for reasons beyond their control, such as medical treatment and business commitments, etcetera.”One week ago the two young people began a Facebook page called Bermuda Election: Have Your Voice Heard, and started a campaign to encourage individuals who will not be able to vote in the election because they are overseas to fill in a survey that is linked to that page. To date, they’ve had more than 500 responses on their Facebook page as well as the survey responses, which asks for the respondent name, age, reasons for being abroad, and for the name of the university if that is the reason, and lastly that if the responder is attending university, what date it officially closes.Ms Lightbourn, who is 18, said in statement released this weekend: "Shortly after the election date was decided, it became apparent that a number of our peers would be unable to vote — many of them for the first time — because they would be taking exams at schools overseas.“This initiative began as a way of trying to determine how many Bermudian students may be affected in this way.”“With almost 500 responses and 172 surveys completed so far, as of November 16 at 6.39pm, we believe that this is statistically significant. This is a non-partisan initiative and these numbers represent potential votes for either party,” she said.The initiative was immediately popular with 240 people responding to the campaign within a day of its launch.The Progressive Labour Party weighed in on the subject this week with ruling party candidate David Burt, speaking at a party press conference at Alaska Hall, saying that an absentee ballot carries too much risk of electoral fraud. He was reported in The Royal Gazette as saying: “If you cannot guarantee that the person on the other end is the person casting the ballot, then it introduces an unacceptable level of fraudulence,” while adding that the Progressive Labour Party has a record of championing extensions of the franchise.The PLP in addition issued a statement last week saying that it was “examining the various options surrounding absentee balloting, ensuring that adequate protection is in place to maintain the validity and legitimacy of the electoral process”.The One Bermuda Alliance also commented on the subject last week, saying: “Now, with an election less than five weeks away and facing a protest from overseas students who will not be able to vote on December 17, we are told the matter is once again under review. It’s not good enough.” OBA leader Craig Cannonier said the OBA would extend the advance poll for people who are travelling, and also give absentee ballots to students living abroad if they are elected reflecting the OBA party platform which promises to “Overhaul the Parliamentary Elections Act, extend the advance poll, allow absentee ballots and make elections for a fixed term”.Ms Lightbourn hopes to go to university in the United Kingdom next year and is currently working to save money in order to go, while Kelsey Pichery, who is also 18, is at the University of Waterloo in Ontario in Canada. She will be unable to vote in the December 17 poll as her last examination is two days after the election, on December 19.She told The Royal Gazette last week: “It would mean so much to me to have online voting. I don’t come home until February. Finally, I have a chance to vote and put my opinion forward on how my country is run and I can’t.”Ms Lightbourn said this weekend: “We appreciate that it is impossible to select an election date that will accommodate all, however, this matter could easily be resolved by having absentee/online voting, a concept that appears to be agreeable to all local political entities, but has yet to be pursued. Unfortunately this is unlikely to be achieved before this election. We understand that the official deadline for the election was February 2013, and we are requesting that consideration be given to changing the date to better accommodate overseas students."A PLP spokesman said last night: "Whenever an election is called there are people who will be unable to participate for various reasons. During our tenure we have tried to hold elections during periods that would enable a maximum number of voters to participate. The introduction of absentee voting is one that requires serious consideration to ensure that a secure, fair and effective process is in place.The OBA did not respond to requests for comments on the numbers provided by Ms Lightbourn and Ms Pichery by press time.