IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 388 

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 are provided with reasonable information on how to 

register to vote and vote in the 2008 general elections. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 8, 2008 

Mr. BLUNT (for himself, Mr. EHLERS, Mr. HUNTER, Mr. SMITH of Texas, 

Mr. COLE of Oklahoma, Mr. HAYES, Mrs. MILLER of Michigan, Mr. 

MCCARTHY of California, and Mr. HELLER of Nevada) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each 

case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 

the committee concerned 

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 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 


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•HCON 388 IH 

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 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 


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and their dependents 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 effectiveness 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 the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness testified before the 

Committee on House Administration 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 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 who are eliVerDate Aug 31 2005 03:33 Jul 09, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HC388.IH HC388

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1 gible under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens 

2 Absentee Voting Act with sufficient information re3 garding opportunities to register to vote and to re4 quest an absentee ballot for elections occurring in 

5 2008, including the November 2008 general election; 

6 (2) the Secretary of Defense and the Federal 

7 Voting Assistance Program must, on a monthly 

8 basis starting July 15, 2008, through the November 

9 2008 general election, provide all eligible members of 

10 the Armed Forces and their dependents with an 

11 electronic reminder of the voter registration and ab12 sentee ballot process available under the Uniformed 

13 and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, and, as 

14 required by Department policy, provide all members 

15 of the Armed Forces and their dependents with an 

16 electronic or paper copy of the Federal Post Card 

17 Application, along with sufficient instruction on 

18 completing and returning the application to the ap19 propriate election official; 

20 (3) State and local election officials should work 

21 with the Federal Voting Assistance Program to de22 velop methods, consistent with privacy and security, 

23 for obtaining updated addresses and contact infor24 mation, if possible, for any member of the Armed 

25 Forces or dependent who has been identified by the 


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1 State or local election official as having an undeliver2 able ballot address; 

3 (4) the Under Secretary of Defense for Per4 sonnel and Readiness should report to the Com5 mittee on House Administration of the House of 

6 Representatives, the Committee on Rules and Ad7 ministration of the Senate, and the Committees on 

8 Armed Services of the House of Representatives and 

9 Senate not later than September 15, 2008, on the 

10 efforts made by the Department of Defense to— 

11 (A) educate members of the Armed Forces 

12 on the process of voter registration and absen13 tee voting in the 2008 general election, 

14 (B) provide all eligible members of the 

15 Armed Forces and their dependents with the 

16 Federal Post Card Application to register to 

17 vote and cast absentee ballots in such election, 

18 and 

19 (C) cooperate effectively with State and 

20 local election officials in their efforts to register 

21 these individuals and distribute and collect their 

22 absentee ballots; 

23 (5) States must redouble their efforts to make 

24 sure that local jurisdictions collect the mandated in25 formation for individuals who are eligible under the 


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1 Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting 

2 Act, and should work in partnership with the Fed3 eral Government to develop best practices (including 

4 the use of electronic means) for encouraging voting 

5 participation among members of the Armed Forces 

6 and their dependents and citizens living overseas; 

7 and 

8 (6) the Department of Defense, the Federal 

9 Voting Assistance Program, the Election Assistance 

10 Commission, and State governments should examine 

11 recommendations made by the Election Assistance 

12 Commission in its September 2007 survey findings 

13 regarding the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Ab14 sentee Voting Act. 

Æ 


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