•HRES 608 IH 
Whereas the current system relies on outmoded and labor in-
tensive manual sorting processes that result in undue 
delays and the inability of the Department of Defense to 
track mail and determine the timeliness of mail delivery; 
Whereas the manual sorting of mail intended for deployed 
members of the Armed Forces unnecessarily requires 
hours of labor from many troops, which could be used for 
other, more critical, duties if automation were used; 
Whereas the very least our Nation can do for the members 
of our Armed Forces who are deployed halfway around 
the world and risking their lives to protect our freedoms 
is to ensure that they are able to receive the comfort of 
a letter from those waiting at home; 
Whereas mail destined for deployed members of the Armed 
Forces that is delayed for long periods of time, or not de-
livered at all, negatively affects the morale of our de-
ployed forces and their families at home; 
Whereas the members of our Armed Forces have an unques-
tionable right to vote in the upcoming election, and the 
military postal system must not disenfranchise any mili-
tary absentee voters because of delays in transmitting 
voting materials; 
Whereas with the current military postal system it is not pos-
sible to determine the rate of ‘‘Undeliverable as Ad-
dressed’’ mail, it is therefore not possible to guarantee 
that all United States forces wishing to vote will be able 
to do so; 
Whereas according to the recent General Accounting Office 
Report entitled ‘‘Operation Iraqi Freedom: Long-standing 
Problems Hampering Mail Delivery Need to be Re-
solved,’’ many of the same problems that plagued the
•HRES 608 IH 
military postal system during Operation Desert Storm 
have continued unabated and are now being experienced 
in Operation Iraqi Freedom, more than 12 years later; 
Whereas according to the same General Accounting Office re-
port, the Department of Defense does not have the ability 
to adequately assess the timeliness of mail and election 
ballot delivery because it does not have a reliable, accu-
rate system in place; 
Whereas according to the same General Accounting Office re-
port, more than half of sampled members of the Armed 
Forces were dissatisfied with mail delivery, many waiting 
4 weeks or longer to receive mail; 
Whereas recent samplings of mail intended for deployed 
members of the Armed Forces shows that a percentage 
far exceeding the standard set for domestic mail is ‘‘Un-
deliverable as Addressed’’ and indicates that a large por-
tion of our deployed troops are not receiving their mail; 
Whereas the Military Postal Service Agency does not have 
the authority to formulate and effectively implement a 
joint service solution to the mail problems in the Iraq 
Theatre and the Department of Defense has not ap-
pointed a single agency to address military postal mat-
ters; 
Whereas the recent court action in the United States District 
Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, which 
granted the government’s request to extend Pennsylva-
nia’s deadline for receipt of ballots from qualified over-
seas voters, correctly recognizes that mail operations can 
significantly impact voting rights and, in addition, is suf-
ficient forewarning that the military mail system needs to 
be resolved before the next election; and
•HRES 608 IH 
Whereas for at least 52 years, reformers have been attempt-
ing to improve the ability of the members of our Armed 
Forces to vote, as evidenced by a letter from President 
Harry S. Truman to Congress, dated from 1952, which 
clearly echoes the challenges we face: ‘‘Many of those in 
uniform are serving overseas, or in parts of the country 
distant from their homes. They are unable to return to 
their States either to register or to vote. Yet these men 
and women who are serving their country and in many 
cases risking their lives, deserve above all others to exer-
cise the right to vote in this election year. At a time when 
these young people are defending our country and its free 
institutions, the least we at home can do is to make sure 
that they are able to enjoy the rights they are being 
asked to fight to preserve.’’: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of House of Representa-
tives that—
(1) it is in the interest of the United States to 
immediately resolve long-standing military mail de-
livery problems so that our troops may receive mail 
from their families when they most need it; 
(2) it is in the interest of the United States to 
immediately resolve long-standing military mail de-
livery problems so that our troops are not 
disenfranchised in the 2004 election; 
(3) the Secretary of Defense should establish a 
system that expedites the delivery of election ballots 
to the members of our Armed Forces so that they 
may be counted in the election;
•HRES 608 IH 
(4) the Secretary of Defense should establish a 
system that accurately tracks military postal transit 
times; and 
(5) the House of Representatives stands ready 
to assist in resolving these issues.
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