Giving the Troops a Chance to Vote

Approximately 96% of Americans believe it is important that U.S. military personnel should be given ample opportunity to vote in their elections. But according to a new study by the Pew Center on the States, about a third of the states do not give our troops enough time to cast their vote.

Furthermore, the study found that 25 states and Washington DC need to improve their absentee voting systems for military personnel abroad. They also mentioned that the other 25 states still have room for further improvements.

"For active-duty military serving overseas, the voting process takes an average of 29 days to complete in states that allow time to vote. For voters abroad hailing from “no time to vote” states, the process takes 66 days on average. The length of the process, however, can vary widely. For example, in Arizona and Kansas, the process can be as short as eight days, while it can take overseas military voters from Alabama 88 days from start to finish."

19 of the states that do give ample time are able to do so because they receive ballots from military personnel via fax or email. The study found that this raises concerns about how widespread the availability of this technology is, as well as concerns about voting privacy.

To read the report, including the “Lessons Learned” and suggested solutions, click here.

At WAYLA, we believe it is only right to correct these problems. Those who fight for our freedom deserve to partake in our freedoms.