GOP lawmakers sound alarm on military voting 'deficiencies' ahead of Election Day
With just days to go until Election Day, Republican lawmakers have raised concerns that the Pentagon has not allocated enough resources so that active-duty service members can cast their ballot on time.
FIRST ON FOX: With just four days to go until Election Day, Republican lawmakers are demanding answers from the Pentagon after receiving complaints about inadequate resources to help military service members vote.
Active duty service members claim the Pentagon has not allocated enough resources to let them cast their ballot on time and that the stockpile of write-in absentee ballots on at least one military base is depleted and has not been replenished, according to three GOP congressmen.
Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich. and Mike Waltz, R-Fla., penned a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday, writing "with grave concern" about "deficiencies in the Defense Department’s protocols," which also includes not making service members aware of their options on how to vote.
"Our nation’s brave men and women in uniform brought to our attention that there has been inadequate education at the administrative level on how to register to vote, request an absentee ballot, and fill in a federal write-in absentee ballot if their state-issued ballot does not arrive in time," the lawmakers write.
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"Other service members also stated that when a request for a federal write-in absentee ballot was made, they were told the base’s stockpile of such ballots was depleted and had not been replenished."
The lawmakers say it is imperative that the Pentagon does everything in its power so the nation’s "elite warriors" have every opportunity to vote and that the Department of Defense (DOD) "mobilize all the necessary resources over the next seven days" so that military personnel are given that opportunity.
They also requested that Austin clarify what training or guidance is given to service members so that they can vote and what training is given to each unit’s Voting Assistance Office (VAO).
The Republicans also asked if there is a sufficient stockpile of federal write-in absentee ballots for service members nationwide to vote if their state-issued absentee ballot does not arrive on time. Additionally, the lawmakers want to know if military personnel have been given sufficient time to review a sample ballot electronically, so they know their voting options ahead of the election or if they have to fill in a federal write-in absentee ballot.
Fox News Digital requested comment from the DOD regarding the letter but did not receive a response prior to publication.
"Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have mobilized federal manpower, resources, and tax dollars to block state-level election integrity measures, including in Georgia and Virginia, through lawsuits and smears," Mast, a miliary veteran who lost both his legs while serving in Afghanistan in 2010, tells Fox News Digital.
"They claim to care about democracy and the right to vote, yet they’ve failed to plan accordingly to facilitate the right to vote for every single one of our nation’s brave men and women in uniform. This is absolutely unacceptable. Our nation’s elite warriors deserve to have every opportunity to vote for the next commander-in-chief, especially since that person will be making life-and-death decisions for our troops."
Waltz, who served 27 years in the U.S. Army and National Guard, echoed those sentiments.
"Both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have dismissed our warfighters serving in combat zones by either falsely claiming the U.S. has suffered no casualties under this administration or by claiming thousands of these service members aren’t in active combat zones," Waltz tells Fox News Digital. "We need assurances these service members who are putting their lives on the line for our country have the information and tools they need to cast their ballot to vote."
Huizenga too said the situation "is completely unacceptable."
"Sadly, this is the latest example of the Biden-Harris Administration failing to stand up for our servicemembers," Huizenga tells Fox News Digital.
A Defense official told Fox News Digital stocks of voting materials and supplies at military installations are based on local need and demand. The official said service members seeking further information or printable copies of a Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot can visit FVAP.gov to access those materials.
In the 2024 election cycle, the Defense Department's Federal Voting Assistance Program has trained more than 3,000 Voting Assistance Officers to educate military voters and ensure they exercise their right to vote.
"In addition to designating Voting Assistance Officers, every installation commander ensures voting assistance is included in the administrative in-processing as well as pre- and post- deployment checklists required of reporting and detaching personnel," the official said.
Voting procedures for military personnel are governed by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, which requires that service members are regularly notified of upcoming elections and that their absentee ballots receive expedited mail delivery service to be counted in federal elections.
