Overseas military personnel often face significant challenges in participating in elections due to the slow pace of traditional mail systems, which can result in ballots missing crucial deadlines. While internet-based voting offers a faster alternative, it introduces serious risks to the integrity and privacy of the voting process. We introduce the MERGE protocol to address these issues by combining the speed of electronic ballot delivery with the reliability of paper returns. This protocol allows voters to submit an electronic record of their vote quickly while simultaneously mailing a paper ballot for verification. The electronic record can be used for preliminary results, but the paper ballot is used in a Risk Limiting Audit (RLA) if received in time, ensuring the integrity of the election. This approach extends the time window for ballot arrival without undermining the security and accuracy of the vote count.

翻译：海外军事人员常因传统邮政系统速度缓慢而面临参与选举的重大挑战，这可能导致选票错过关键截止日期。虽然基于互联网的投票提供了更快的替代方案，但它给投票过程的完整性和隐私性带来了严重风险。我们引入MERGE协议，通过将电子选票交付的速度与纸质选票返回的可靠性相结合来解决这些问题。该协议允许选民快速提交其投票的电子记录，同时邮寄纸质选票以供验证。电子记录可用于初步结果统计，但若纸质选票及时送达，则将在风险限制审计（RLA）中使用，以确保选举的完整性。这种方法在不损害计票安全性和准确性的前提下，延长了选票到达的时间窗口。