With just four days remaining until Election Day, Republican lawmakers are raising concerns about the Pentagon's handling of resources for military service members to vote.
Active duty service members have reported insufficient resources allocated by the Pentagon, leading to delays in casting their ballots. It has been revealed that the stockpile of write-in absentee ballots at least one military base is depleted and has not been restocked, as per complaints received by three GOP congressmen.
Rep. Brian Mast, Rep. Bill Huizenga, and Mike Walz penned a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressing their 'grave concern' over the 'deficiencies in the Defense Department’s protocols.' They highlighted issues such as inadequate education at the administrative level on voter registration, absentee ballot requests, and filling out federal write-in absentee ballots.
The lawmakers emphasized that some service members were informed of the depletion of federal write-in absentee ballots at their base, with no replenishment in sight. They stressed the importance of ensuring that military personnel are well-informed about their voting options and have access to necessary resources.
The letter called on the Pentagon to take immediate action to address these issues and provide the required support to enable military personnel, whom they referred to as the nation's 'elite warriors,' to exercise their right to vote. The Department of Defense (DOD) was urged to mobilize all essential resources within the next seven days to facilitate voting for service members.
