Election Process Made Easier for Military and Overseas Voters with the Launch of New Ballot Tool

An estimated six million Americans who are members of the military or live overseas have a new way to ensure their vote for president counts this November, according to experts speaking at a high-level summit on military and overseas voters. Attended by members of Congress, secretaries of state and other election officials, “Democracy at a Distance: A Summit to Make Voting Work for Military and Overseas Voters” was convened by the Pew Center on the States, in collaboration with the JEHT Foundation.

At the summit, Pew and the Overseas Vote Foundation launched a new online tool that allows voters to complete the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) more easily and with fewer errors. This tool can be used by Americans covered under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act who have requested an absentee ballot from election officials but have not yet received it.

The need to help military and overseas voters is supported by a new bipartisan Tarrance/Lake poll commissioned by the Pew Center on the States and released at the summit. It found 96% of Americans believe it’s important that these voters get the chance to participate and vote in U.S. elections. The poll results also show that 81% of Americans favor creating a uniform national set of rules for military and overseas voters.

The new FWAB tool, available at www.overseasvotefoundation.org, provides an immediate solution for registered voters whose ballots are late or lost in transit. The site offers easy access to the “Vote-Print-Mail” system.

Source: Pew Charitable Trusts

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