Defense Secretary William S. Cohen has asked the DoD inspector general to look into problems concerning military absentee balloting. Cohen ordered the inquiry following reports that many absentee ballots from service members were not counted because they lacked postmarks. In his instructions, Cohen asked the IG to examine current procedures for handling military ballots, standard cancellation and postmarking, and how those procedures are actually implemented. One problem that disqualified military absentee ballots in Florida, for instance, was that they arrived without a postmark.
Postmarks indicate where and when a piece of mail was sent.
DoD postal regulations require all mail be postmarked, including postage-free mail such as absentee ballots. Military Postal Service Agency officials said the IG will obviously look into why so many ballots arrived without postmarks. There is no timetable for the IG to deliver a report.