DEFENSE HUMAN RESOURCES ACTIVITY
FEDERAL VOTING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
4800 MARK CENTER DRIVE, SUITE 03J25-02
ALEXANDRIA, VA 22350-4000

January 30, 2017

Commissioner Edgardo Cortes
Virginia Department of Election
1100 Bank Street, First Floor
Richmond, VA 23219

Dear Commissioner Cortes:

I am writing today with regard to General Assembly of Virginia Senate Bill 1490 and the
use of the Common Access Card (CAC) digital signature on election materials. As you are
aware, the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) is the Department of Defense program
charged with administering the federal responsibilities of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens
Absentee Voting Act, or UOCAVA. Our mission is to help ensure Service members, their eligible
family members and overseas citizens are aware of their right to vote and have the tools and
resources to successfully do so.

UOCAVA voters, particularly those stationed or residing overseas, face complexities in
the voting process that in-person or State absentee voters do not face. Many of these voters
already have limited access to resources necessary to successfully submit their registration,
absentee ballot requests and official ballots back to their State. While we welcome and applaud
this progress for those who are deployed in combat or hostile fire areas, we would be remiss if
we did not raise your awareness that complexities remain for those deployed but not necessarily
to a combat zone. For example, those deployed on ships or on humanitarian assistance missions
will often face equal or less infrastructure than those who are in combat zones. Additionally, a
deployment may mean that at certain times a Service member will be in a combat zone, but only
briefly before continuing the mission elsewhere.

The Department of Defense, as a credentialing authority, issues CACs containing digital
signatures to military personnel, Department of Defense civilian employees, eligible contractor
personnel and certain other individuals, allowing these individuals to sign documents securely
and electronically. By accepting CAC digital signatures, States would make it far easier for
military members serving away from their home jurisdiction to register and request an absentee
ballot - and it would ensure that election officials can verify an individual's identity using the
best technology possible. Unlike general digital signatures, the Common Access Card issuance
process requires individual authentication prior to its issuance. This is an important distinction
for consideration and demonstrates the role of the Department as a trusted agent in this process.

The Council of State Governments Overseas Voting Initiative Technology Working
Group recently released recommendations relating to CAC usage to complete election activities
such as submitting a Federal Post Card Application to register to vote, requesting an absentee
ballot and indicating UOCAVA voting status via a State's online election portal. We are
attaching a copy of these recommendations for your reference. FVAP fully understands the need


for signature comparisons between the original ballot application and the returned ballot. While
we will be working with the CSG to formalize technical guidance, we will support moving
forward with this independently should this legislation become enacted and assist with its
implementation as this would prove helpful for other States considering the same approach.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact my POC on this,
Ms. Meghan Kelly, FVAP State Affairs Specialist, at meghan.kelly@fvap.gov or (571) 372-
0742.

Thanks for all you, your staff and colleagues in the Virginia Department of Elections do

to support and assist our military and overseas voters. We look forward to continuing to work
with you.

Sincerely,

David Beirne
Director

Enclosure:
As stated