Letter from Senator John Warner: This Fall, Help Our Brave Troops Vote

Of the millions who will head to the polls this November, who among them takes greater risks to protect our Constitutional voting rights than the military men and women serving the world over, often in harm’s way, to guarantee our freedom?

The 2004 Presidential election is the first in over three decades to take place while America is at war. As November 2 approaches, we owe it to our brave men and women serving overseas to do everything we can to ensure that they, too, can cast a ballot for the candidate of their choice. Although our laws guarantee every member of our armed forces the right to vote, our troops can use our help -- and especially the assistance of our state and local election officials – in making sure that they receive and return their ballots on time.

Overseas military voting can be complicated by long distances and difficult living conditions that occasionally test the limits of our military and civilian mail systems. And, unlike casting a ballot here at home, military absentee voting takes three distinct steps.

In order to vote, a military member deployed overseas must first request a ballot from his or her “home” community. Then, local election officials must send a ballot to the military voter in a timely manner. Finally, the serviceman or woman must return a completed ballot on time, usually by mail, to the proper election officials. This three-step process takes time, and delays that occur in transit can sometimes prevent a ballot from being received in time for the election. The military is working hard to assist our deployed troops in completing these steps, but we can all lend a hand.

Fortunately, there are a number of actions that our state and local election officials can take to facilitate this process. First, absentee ballots should be printed and mailed to service members requesting a ballot at the earliest possible date under state law. The law in many states determines the date on which election authorities may begin mailing absentee ballots. However, given that the election is less than a month away, Secretaries of State and other state election officials should ensure that absentee ballots are mailed to our troops as quickly as possible.

Second, the Department of Defense (DOD) has taken a number of steps to facilitate absentee voting. In July, officials at the U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Justice contacted the Secretaries of State in all 50 states, outlining various procedures, including fax and email, that are available to address absentee-ballot transit problems. Where allowed by law, using fax and email is a great way for servicemen and women to save time requesting and receiving their ballots.

One newly approved DOD option to facilitate military voting is the Interim Voting Assistance System (IVAS), which some states have approved for their military voters. With IVAS, a military voter deployed overseas can request and receive a ballot by email. The serviceman or woman then downloads and prints the ballot, marks it by hand, and returns it directly to the proper election official by regular mail.

Finally, we can each do our part, focusing on two simple steps. First, as our servicemen and women say, “get the word out” here at home. Contact the Secretary of State in your state capital, as well as your local election officials. Thank those who have made military voting a priority this year, and for taking all steps allowable under state law to facilitate the voting process. I have already contacted all 50 Secretaries of State, and have reached out to many local election officials, as well. You can also write a letter to your hometown paper, bringing maximum attention to getting out the military vote.

Second, get the word out to our servicemen overseas. If a member of your family is deployed outside the U.S., encourage him or her to request a ballot as soon as possible from unit officials. If you have no relatives serving overseas, perhaps you know a family that does. Contact your friends and encourage them to get the word to their loved ones. We can all play a part.

Of all the persons who are eligible to vote, members of our military who are away from home, risking life and limb in the cause of protecting our freedoms here in America, should be given every possible means of support and assistance. Our state and local election officials can play a vital role in helping to facilitate the voting of our men and women in the armed forces. Thank those officials who have made overseas military voting a priority, and contact our servicemen and women directly. Remind them to take steps now to ensure their voice will be heard this fall.

The writer is Virginia’s senior U.S. Senator, and Chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee.