III 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 388 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 22 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 17), 2008 

Received 

OCTOBER 2 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 17), 2008 

Referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of Congress that the Department of 

Defense and the Federal Voting Assistance Program 

should take certain additional and timely measures to 

ensure that members of the Armed Forces and their 

dependents and citizens living overseas are provided with 

reasonable information on how to register to vote and 

vote in the 2008 general elections. 

Whereas members of the Armed Forces and their dependents 

deserve every reasonable opportunity to participate in the 

electoral process given their daily sacrifices to protect our 

liberty and freedom; 

Whereas Congress enacted the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act in part to ensure that members 

of the Armed Forces and their dependents and 


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citizens living overseas are provided with sufficient information, opportunities, and balloting materials to foster 

their participation in Federal elections; 

Whereas the Election Assistance Commission found that less 

than 17 percent of the 6 million citizens eligible under 

the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting 

Act chose to participate in the 2006 general election; 

Whereas the Election Assistance Commission further found 

that of the 48,600 Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act ballots that were not counted by States 

and local jurisdictions in the November 2006 elections, 

70 percent were not counted due to incorrect or undeliverable addresses; 

Whereas the Election Assistance Commission further found 

that more than 10 percent of all uncounted military and 

overseas absentee ballots were rejected because they were 

received past the required deadline; 

Whereas the Election Assistance Commission further found 

that more effort needs to be made by the States and the 

Department of Defense to ensure that members of the 

Armed Forces and their dependents and citizens living 

overseas are made fully aware of their voting rights; 

Whereas the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and 

Readiness and the Federal Voting Assistance Program 

are required to create and utilize a Federal Post Card 

Application that allows members of the Armed Forces 

and their dependents and citizens living overseas to use 

a single application to register to vote and request an absentee ballot; 

Whereas a survey conducted recently by the Inspector General for the Department of Defense analyzed the effecVerDate Aug 31 2005 06:26 Oct 03, 2008 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC388.RFS HC388

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tiveness of the Federal Voting Assistance Program during the 2006 general election, and found that only 40 

percent of members of the Armed Forces received voting 

information from the military and only 33 percent were 

aware of the Federal Post Card Application; 

Whereas in April 2008 testimony before the Committee on 

House Administration revealed that the Department of 

Defense had not provided all members of the Armed 

Forces and their dependents with post card applications 

by the January 15, 2008, deadline as required by Department policy, and that the Department has yet to 

comply with this requirement; and 

Whereas many of Department of Defense’s outreach efforts, 

including its Armed Forces Voter Week, are scheduled to 

occur 60 days before the November 2008 election, which 

may not provide members of the Armed Forces and their 

dependents or citizens living overseas with sufficient time 

to complete and return the Federal Post Card Applications: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that— 

3 (1) it is in the interests of the United States to 

4 ensure that the Secretary of Defense and the Fed5 eral Voting Assistance Program provide members of 

6 the Armed Forces and their dependents and citizens 

7 living overseas who are eligible under the Uniformed 

8 and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act with suf9 ficient information regarding opportunities to reg10 ister to vote and to request an absentee ballot for 


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1 elections occurring in 2008, including the November 

2 2008 general election; 

3 (2) the Secretary of Defense and the Federal 

4 Voting Assistance Program must, on a monthly 

5 basis starting September 22, 2008, and continuing 

6 on the first of each month through the November 

7 2008 general election, provide all eligible members of 

8 the Armed Forces and their dependents with an 

9 electronic reminder of the voter registration and ab10 sentee ballot process available under the Uniformed 

11 and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, and, as 

12 required by Department policy, provide all members 

13 of the Armed Forces and their dependents with an 

14 electronic or paper copy of the Federal Post Card 

15 Application, along with sufficient instruction on 

16 completing and returning the application to the ap17 propriate election official; 

18 (3) State and local election officials should work 

19 with the Federal Voting Assistance Program to de20 velop methods, consistent with privacy and security, 

21 for obtaining updated addresses and contact infor22 mation, if possible, for any member of the Armed 

23 Forces or dependent and any citizen living overseas 

24 who has been identified by the State or local election 

25 official as having an undeliverable ballot address; 


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1 (4) the Under Secretary of Defense for Per2 sonnel and Readiness should report to the Com3 mittee on House Administration of the House of 

4 Representatives, the Committee on Rules and Ad5 ministration of the Senate, and the Committees on 

6 Armed Services of the House of Representatives and 

7 Senate not later than October 15, 2008, on the ef8 forts made by the Department of Defense to— 

9 (A) educate members of the Armed Forces 

10 and citizens living overseas on the process of 

11 voter registration and absentee voting in the 

12 2008 general election, 

13 (B) provide all eligible members of the 

14 Armed Forces and their dependents and citi15 zens living overseas with the Federal Post Card 

16 Application to register to vote and cast absentee 

17 ballots in such election, and 

18 (C) cooperate effectively with State and 

19 local election officials in their efforts to register 

20 these individuals and distribute and collect their 

21 absentee ballots; 

22 (5) States must redouble their efforts to make 

23 sure that local jurisdictions collect the mandated in24 formation for individuals who are eligible under the 

25 Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting 


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1 Act, and should work in partnership with the Fed2 eral Government to develop best practices (including 

3 the use of electronic means) for encouraging voting 

4 participation among members of the Armed Forces 

5 and their dependents and citizens living overseas; 

6 and 

7 (6) the Department of Defense, the Federal 

8 Voting Assistance Program, the Election Assistance 

9 Commission, and State governments should examine 

10 recommendations made by the Election Assistance 

11 Commission in its September 2007 survey findings 

12 regarding the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Ab13 sentee Voting Act. 

Passed the House of Representatives September 17, 

2008. 

Attest: LORRAINE C. MILLER, 

Clerk. 


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