H. Res. 608
In the House of Representatives, U.S.,
May 12, 2004.
Whereas the members of the Armed Forces who are currently
serving in very dangerous regions of the world deserve a
modernized military postal system capable of improving
the delivery and tracking of mail to United States forces
serving in remote locations;
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;
•HRES 608 EH
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
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;
•HRES 608 EH
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
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 the House of Represent-
atives that—
•HRES 608 EH
(1) it is in the interest of the United States to im-
mediately resolve long-standing military mail delivery
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 im-
mediately resolve long-standing military mail delivery
problems so that our troops are not disenfranchised in
the 2004 election;
(3) the Secretary of Defense should establish a sys-
tem that expedites the delivery of election ballots to the
members of our Armed Forces so that they may be
counted in the election;
(4) the Secretary of Defense should establish a sys-
tem that accurately tracks military postal transit times;
and
(5) the House of Representatives stands ready to
assist in resolving these issues.
Attest:
Clerk.