Military Absentee Voting Week Sept. 27 through Oct. 4

DoD announces Absentee Voting Week for service members, families
Camp Pendleton Public Affairs
Story by Cpl. Jovane Henry
9/18/2012

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – In the last election cycle, only 63 percent of military ballots were returned to their local election officials on time, according to a study conducted by the Federal Voting Assistance Program.

In an effort to encourage timely voting among service members and their families this election year, the Department of Defense has designated the week of Sept. 27 through Oct. 4 as Absentee Voting Week.

Absentee Voting Week was established in 2002 with a goal to promote military and overseas voting awareness and encourage voters to request and receive absentee ballots from the Federal Voting Assistance Program website, www.fvap.gov.

During the week, “all eligible voters including Marines, sailors, civilian Marines and their eligible family members, are encouraged to return their completed absentee ballots, which will allow sufficient time for the ballots to be mailed and counted in their state,” according to Marine Administrative Message 470/12.

Installation and unit voting assistance officers are working double-time to get the word out to 100 percent of eligible voters through various methods of promotion, said Dora Rodriguez, the deputy adjutant and assistant installation voting officer for Marine Corps Installations- West, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
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