GOP lawmakers sound alarm on military voting ‘deficiencies’ ahead of Election Day
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.
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.Â
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.
