Absentee voting and the military

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Danielle Wolf
  • 442nd Maintenance Squadron
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  Every election year, people face many challenges when heading to the polls. Some have trouble leaving work for an extended period of time, while others may be at home with children. But for military members and their families the challenges may be even greater. 

From one month to the next, many of these members do not know where they will be stationed or what type of work they will be doing on Election Day. For example, an aborted flight could cause hours of uninterrupted maintenance for an aircraft maintainer. 

For this reason, many Airmen at Whiteman AFB will be completing absentee ballots this year. There are more than 800 absentee voters in Johnson County alone. But voting this way can come with its own challenges as well. 

Capt. Dorinda Mazza is the unit voting assistant officer at Whiteman. She has helped promote voters' registration on base as well as this year's slogan, "Be Smart, Do Your Part, Vote!" 

"Many of the folks in uniform are out there fighting for our country and I think they care," Captain Mazza said. "One big way to have your say, is to vote." 

Captain Mazza said she applied for her absentee ballot but still hasn't received it. One challenge Airmen face is ensuring they receive all the necessary paperwork to complete their voter registration and absentee ballot. 

This year the captain said she will have to use a Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot. All military members, regardless if they are already registered, are eligible for the FWAB and can obtain them at the Johnson County Courthouse through Election Day. 

"Although it's a challenge not being able to go to local voting facilities, there's a system in place to help facilitate that process," she said. 

Gilbert Powers, Johnson County clerk and election authority, recommends trying to vote through the absentee process first. 

"The reason people should use absentee ballots is because then they can vote on all the issues that concern their home-of-record," Mr. Powers said. "If you are temporarily stationed here and register local and vote local then you may be voting on issues you don't have anything to do with." 

Many military members have a home-of-record in another state. This happens because they plan to return when their enlistment is complete, or it is their permanent address where their family lives. Furthermore, when Airmen register to vote in Missouri, they are subject to all Missouri taxes and are claiming that state as their permanent home. 

Mr. Powers said Airmen may be more concerned about the tax issues at their home-of-record, and with an absentee ballot they can still vote on those issues. 

Senior Airman Stephanie Glaze, 509th Maintenance Squadron B-2 crew chief at Whiteman. She has already sent her absentee ballot back to Pensacola, Fla. for processing. Glaze said she thinks it's very important for military members to vote. 

"Basically you're voting for your boss," she said. "It's a right that you have and you should use it." 

Perhaps the biggest challenge in casting a vote is for deployed and overseas military members. Captain Mazza said deploying members are reminded of voters' registration on a processing checklist before leaving. 

"We actually have two deployed members in our squadron, and we sent them care packages," the captain said. "But along with that care package we put in some voting information to make sure they aren't missed while they're out there performing their deployment duties." 

Mr. Powers thinks this will be the largest turn-out in voting history, both federally and locally. He is anticipating an 85 percent turn-out of registered Johnson County voters for the upcoming election. For more information on absentee ballots and the FWAB, Mr. Powers suggests going to www.jococourthouse.com.