Military Absentee Voting 'Primary' Concern for Federal Voting Assistance Program
Military
Absentee Voting 'Primary' Concern for Federal Voting Assistance Program
Fri, 18 Jan 2008 15:09:00
-0600
Ahead of the November general election, FVAP, which fosters voting
participation by uniformed and U.S. citizens abroad, is assisting eligible
absentee voters who wish to cast ballots in their states' primary election.
Military Absentee Voting 'Primary' Concern for Federal Voting Assistance
Program
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18, 2008 - For the Federal Voting Assistance Program,
getting deployed troops and their families engaged in the current election
season is a primary goal.
During an interview
yesterday, Brunelli said registering to vote is a simple process. "Absentee
voters fill out a federal postcard application form to request a ballot, send it
into their local election official where the voter is legally authorized to
vote," she said. The ballot will be sent to the voter, who then votes on the
ballot and sends it back to the local election office.
Paper copies of
the application form are available at military installations, embassies and
consulates and from organizations of overseas citizens. Electronic forms are
posted online at the Federal Voting Assistance Program Web site,
www.fvap.gov/pubs/onlinefwab.html.
Citizens using this form should vote
and submit it immediately using regular mail or, where allowed by state law, by
fax or e-mail, to their local election officials. The FVAP's Integrated Voting
Alternative Site at www.fvap.gov/ivas/fvap_state_menu.html shows citizens if fax
or e-mail alternatives are permitted in their home state.
Voting
assistance officers are stationed at military installations abroad to help FVAP
implement its program initiatives. Equipped with state-by-state voting
assistance guides, the officers are available to assist servicemembers in
navigating the registration process and election procedures, and inform voters
of relevant deadlines, Brunelli noted.
FVAP carries out the
responsibilities of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act,
which protects the voting rights of active-duty military members, Merchant
Marines, eligible family members and citizens residing outside the United
States.
Members of the U.S. armed forces traditionally represent an
active component of overall voting-age Americans. The total voting participation
rate among servicemembers was 79 percent in 2004, compared to the 64 percent
rate of the general public, according to figures published by FVAP.
In a
memorandum to military secretaries and top commanders sent Nov. 26, 2007,
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates underscored the importance of extending voting
rights to servicemembers at home and abroad.
"With the calendar of
primary elections beginning early and stretching through September, 2008," Gates
said, "it is important that the department and the services be prepared to carry
out the voting assistance mission to inform and educate U.S. citizens of the
right to vote, foster voting participation, and protect the integrity of the
electoral process.
"Voting is a both a right and a responsibility of
citizens in our country," Gates continued. "(Leaders of the armed services must)
do everything we can to encourage participation and ensure that our
servicemembers and families are able to exercise their right to vote and have
that vote counted."
Related Sites:
Federal Voting Assistance Program
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