Washington D.C. – In reflection of Military Appreciation Month 2024, U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) Chairman Ben Hovland, Vice Chair Donald Palmer, Commissioner Thomas Hicks, and Commissioner Christy McCormick issued the following joint statement on the commitment to serving Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) voters:
“Our servicemen and women risk their lives to protect our country. This includes the ability to cast a ballot in secure and transparent elections. While stationed abroad, it is imperative that their voices carry the same weight as those of domestic voters. Together, the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) and the EAC work to ensure that service members are aware of their right to vote no matter where they are in the world. Our agencies help military voters participate fully in U.S. elections and support election officials as they serve these voters.
We understand the unique challenges election officials face when serving military and overseas voters. During the last presidential general election over 528,000 military voters were registered to vote and we anticipate that number will be higher this presidential election year. The more resources and data available to support election officials, the better the voting process will be for military and overseas voters.”
Additionally, FVAP issued the following statement:
“The Department of Defense’s Federal Voting Assistance Program recognizes the importance of those who serve – or have served- in the U.S. Armed Forces and appreciates the U.S. Election Assistance Commission for providing state and local election officials information about processing absentee ballot applications and voted ballots.”
The agencies recently partnered on a Fact Sheet and a Pocket Guide to help election officials serve UOCAVA voters. These are part of the EAC’s growing library of resources for election officials.
UOCAVA outlines special voting procedures for two categories of voters: members of the uniformed services absent from their voting residence and their eligible family members, and U.S. citizens living overseas. FVAP maintains a Voting Assistance Guide to ensure these voters have the tools and resources to be able to vote in all 55 States, territories, and the District of Columbia.
More information is available at fvap.gov and eac.gov/uocava.
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The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) was established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). It is an independent, bipartisan commission charged with ensuring secure, accurate, and accessible elections by developing guidance to meet HAVA requirements, adopting voluntary voting system guidelines, and serving as a national clearinghouse of information on election administration. The EAC also accredits testing laboratories and certifies voting systems, as well as administers the use of HAVA funds. For more information, visit www.eac.gov.