JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
State primary elections have begun and the Federal Voting Assistance Program has geared up to help military and U.S. citizens residing overseas to register to vote and request their ballots for absentee voting in the primaries over the next few months and the general election Nov. 6th.
The 2012-13 voting cycle motto is "It's a freedom that you defend - vote!" This is the message Gen. Norton Schwartz, Air Force Chief of Staff, gave in a recent public service announcement that can be viewed on the Air Force homepage at http://www.af.mil/news/video/index.asp.
"Military members do register to vote at a higher rate than the general population," William D'Avanzo, Air Force voting action officer, said. "But we run into trouble when we wait too long to request or return our ballots to our local election officials. It's important for voters to send in their Federal Post Card Application well in advance of an election - preferably a minimum of 90 days beforehand."
Ernesto Canciller, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Installation Voting Assistance Officer, heads up the Installation Voter Assistance Office located at Bldg. 200 here.
"We're set up to help members register to vote, request their ballots and even send in a back-up Federal Write In Absentee Ballot in case their state doesn't get their ballot back to them in time." he said. "Squadron members don't even have to leave their units. We have unit voting assistance officers who can walk voters in their squadrons through the process to exercise their right to vote."
The FVAP website is now set up for automated FPCA and FWAB creation for voters unable to get to their local IVAO or UVAO for help. Go to www.fvap.gov and click on the appropriate link in the "Quick Links" area at the bottom of the page. Voters looking for their local Installation Voter Assistance Office can also use the "Quick Links" area by clicking on "Locate a Voting Office Near You".
For more information on the Federal Voting Assistance Program, visit their website at www.fvap.gov.