Absentee Voting Program Kicks Into High Gear (Every Military Vote Counts!)

American Forces Press Service - Defense Link-US DOD ^ | Aug. 14, 2002 | Jim Garamone

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Absentee Voting Program Kicks Into High Gear

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2002 -- If you think your vote doesn't count, just ask George W. Bush and Al Gore.

With the 2002 general election fast approaching Nov. 5, Federal Voting Assistance Program officials are sponsoring Armed Forces Voters Week, Sept. 1-7. The week is designed for military installations worldwide to highlight voting issues.

"The objective is to create awareness of the electoral process and to motivate military members to participate in the upcoming general election," said Polli Brunelli, federal voting program director. "We want to encourage our military members, their dependents, our federal employees overseas and our overseas citizens to be aware of the elections and to exercise their right to vote."

She noted that the 2002 elections cover a third of the U.S. Senate, the entire U.S. House of Representatives, 37 governors and hundreds of local races. "These are lawmakers who will effect policies that govern our way of life," she said.

The states govern the voting rules for their residents. The FVAP works with state officials to ease absentee ballot processes. For example, Brunelli said, the program asked the states to allow service members deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom to receive voting materials by facsimile machines and to fax in completed ballots.

The agency urges military personnel to contact installation voting assistance officers to learn about what they must do to vote in 2002. All units with more than 25 people also have voting assistance officers.

U.S. citizens residing overseas can visit embassies and consulates and get the same information.

The program launched an education process to teach voting assistance officers what they need to know to help service members. Worldwide, the office sponsored more than 100 workshops, Brunelli said.

She said her office has met with state leaders to ensure that all absentee ballots are in on time, properly filled out and counted.

"We're working on postal issues as well," Brunelli said. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz signed a memo to the military postal service to ensure that all voting materials are postmarked and cancelled for all deployed vessels and personnel. Further, military postal service employees will look for voting materials to ensure they are moved expeditiously.

For more information on Armed Forces Voting Week or absentee voting, point your Web browser to www.fvap.gov.

[jwalsh07]

VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!!!!!!!!!

Remember Mogadishu, Khobar Towers, the USS Cole!!!!!

[Ciexyz]

All units with more than 25 people have voting assistance officers. Excellent idea to safeguard the voting rights of military personnel and their families.

[Vidalia]

The Gore/Daley "screw the Military vote" attempt of 2000 is reaping the seeds of hell to pay for attempting to tell the military to go to hell.

Daschle, Gephardt, etc., don't have a clue about what is happening across the broad-band broad lands of this great country.

Their little excursions to visit their herds of Lilliputians are a farce...

[T. Jefferson]

There should be voting booths at every US military base
in the world. Use your uniform as your ID if necessary.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Daschle, Gephardt, etc., don't have a clue about what is happening across the broad-band broad lands of this great country.

Who'd of thunk it listening to the news? Thanks for the info. (^: We stand on the shoulders of giants.

Does anyone know whether a thread can be posted at more than one forum, eg. "Campaign 2002"?

[Vidalia]

You may post anywhere on Free Republic as fast as your fingers may find the keys on your keyboard.

That was and is still the idea behind JimRob's successful internet adventure in exploring the truths and exposing the lies of any and every political party.

[lowbridge]

"We're working on postal issues as well," Brunelli said. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz signed a memo to the military postal service to ensure that all voting materials are postmarked and cancelled for all deployed vessels and personnel. Further, military postal service employees will look for voting materials to ensure they are moved expeditiously.

This is the end result of the Gore team trying to throw out military ballots. From now on, the military will keep a closer eye on their votes, making sure they reach their intended destination, counted, and such. Democrats wont get a second chance to throw out military ballots ever again.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Lol, thanks, Vidalia. I was wanting to punch one button and add the thread to "VetsCoR", etc...mission accomplished, I think. (^:

[JulieRNR21]

FYI.....Excellent News Bump!

[B-Cause]

Bump

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

From now on, the military will keep a closer eye on their votes, making sure they reach their intended destination, counted, and such. Democrats wont get a second chance to throw out military ballots ever again.

Yes. And if the goron had stolen the election, the exact opposite would be happening. Thank God for the Constitution and the Supreme Court.

[MinorityRepublican]

Yes. And if the goron had stolen the election, the exact opposite would be happening. Thank God for the Constitution and the Supreme Court.

It's funny how the Constitution still works every once a while.

For most part though, the Constitution is nothing more than a piece of paper. It's dead.

[SkyPilot]

Let us remember two important facts:

1. In 2000, columnist Robert Novak witnessed (and wrote about) lawyers for Al Gore and Joe Liberman "pumping their fists" and giving out high-fives everytime they were successful in getting a U.S. military vote thrown out on a technicality.

2. Democrats, to include Hillary Rodham Clinton, Tom Daschle, and James Carville are not stupid. They study democraphics and voting trends. They know that military voters lean heavily Republican. That is why they worked so hard to disenfranchise military voters in 2000.

In short, Democrats would rather felons and illegal aliens have the right to vote in America than the nation's fighting men and women.

That is not bluster, that is not exaggeration. As the line in the movie Babe said: "That is just the way things are."

[MinorityRepublican]

In short, Democrats would rather felons and illegal aliens have the right to vote in America than the nation's fighting men and women.

That is not bluster, that is not exaggeration. As the line in the movie Babe said: "That is just the way things are."

No $hit.

And remember, friends don't let friends vote democratic.

[MinorityRepublican]

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Federal government information for military absentee voting
and for anyone who has moved and not yet registered again to vote.

The 2002-03 Voting Assistance Guide is the primary source of information
for citizens to understand the procedures for registering and voting
in their state or territory of legal voting residence.

[Political Junkie Too]

I'm all for absentee voting when there truly are circumstances when a voter can't get to the polls on Election Day.

I am not for absentee voting to make it easier for people to vote.

I think that it is not asking too much of a citizen to get off his/her butt once a year to exercise their Constitutional right to vote.

I also think that there are two opposing forces at work:

• After the fiasco in Florida in 2000, many states put lots of money into improving the voting technology to make voting at the polls modernized, more accurate, and easy to understand in an attempt to prevent a repeat of the election mess that happened.
• At the same time, the states are making it easier to stay home and vote absentee.

Where's the sense in that?

-PJ

[A Navy Vet]

"I am not for absentee voting to make it easier for people to vote. I think that it is not asking too much of a citizen to get off his/her butt once a year to exercise their Constitutional right to vote.

I absolutely agree with your position. However, your deployed military is an absentee voter and we need to ensure the system doesn't penalize or in any way hamper those Americans from having their say! The military and Postal Service have certain arcane restrictions, so we need to revise specific statues so as to ensure their rightful participation. I'm sure you agree that is only fair.

[A Navy Vet]

"That is not bluster, that is not exaggeration" No, it's not. It infuriated so many people I know that the Democrats made such a concerted effort to void our military member's votes. That alone, if it had been covered properly in the mainstream media, would have outrage 10's a millions of Americans. Of course we know, it got little play.

Sometimes I truly wonder what is wrong with the Democratic Party that they would intentionaly disenfranchise the very people who are protecting their right to do that! I'm really beginning to believe they are a souless evil bunch of people.