Pentagon Leaving Soldiers Without Resources To Vote, Denying Absentee Ballots

The Pentagon is shirking its duty when it comes to providing active military members with the fundamental resources necessary to vote, according to three Republican congressmen.
Reps. Brian Mast (R-FL), Mike Waltz (R-FL), and Bill Huizenga (R-MI) all signed a letter directed to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin demanding more resources for servicemembers.
“We urge you to mobilize all the necessary resources over the next seven days to give every American citizen wearing our nation’s uniform the opportunity to vote if they so desire, pursuant to all federal and state regulations governing elections,” the letter states.
The correspondence goes on to state that some of our fighting men and women had requested write-in absentee ballots only to be told the Biden-Harris Department of Defense simply didn't have any left.
“Our nation’s brave men and women in uniform brought to our attention that there has been inadequate education at the administrative level on how to register to vote, request an absentee ballot, and fill in a federal write-in absentee ballot if their state-issued ballot does not arrive in time," the letter continues.
“Other service members also stated that when a request for a federal write-in absentee ballot was made, they were told the base’s stockpile of such ballots was depleted and had not been replenished."
Talk about disenfranchising voters. And, quite literally, the very people who fight and die for the rights of others to vote.
If they didn't have the ability to get our soldiers absentee ballots and educational resources on how to vote when this letter went out, what is the likelihood they will do so with just two days left until Election Day?

Mast, in a separate statement, noted that the Biden-Harris administration had spent years fighting election integrity efforts undertaken by Republican lawmakers in individual states but somehow didn't have the resources to fight for the voting rights of active military members.
“They claim to care about democracy and the right to vote, yet they’ve failed to plan accordingly to facilitate the right to vote for every single one of our nation’s brave men and women in uniform," he said. "This is absolutely unacceptable."
"Our nation’s elite warriors deserve to have every opportunity to vote for the next commander-in-chief, especially since that person will be making life-and-death decisions for our troops.”
Mast knows, above all else, what it means to sacrifice for the basic rights of Americans. He is an Afghanistan war veteran, having served as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, and lost both his legs and an index finger after stepping on an IED.
He is the recipient of a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.
A recent publication by the Pew Research Center may provide some insight as to why the Pentagon is neglecting voting resources and absentee ballots for the military.
Military veterans have long been a source of support for Republican candidates, especially the one that affects their lives directly — the president. The report notes that military vets back Donald Trump (R) over Kamala Harris (D) by a very wide margin — a 61 percent to 37 percent margin, with most noting that Trump's policies "would make things better for veterans."
A YouGov poll also states that active military and veterans "are more likely to say Trump [51 percent] cares a lot about veterans and current service members than to say Harris [32 percent] does."
Research by the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) shows that the biggest barrier for military members when it comes to voting is the inability to attain an absentee ballot and the lack of educational resources on how to vote.

https://redstate.com/rusty-weiss/2024/11/03/pentagon-leaving-soldiers-without-resources-to-vote-denying-absentee-ballots-report-n2181445