(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Three Republican lawmakers said Friday that the Biden-Harris administration reportedly failed to provide write-in absentee ballots to some active-duty service members due to depleted ballot stockpiles at certain bases.
According to Reps. Brian Mast, R-Fla.; Bill Huizenga, R-Mich.; and Michael Waltz, R-Fla., the Pentagon neglected to replenish ballot stockpiles at undisclosed U.S. bases just days before the Nov. 5 presidential election.
These complaints come as President Donald Trump, campaigning against Vice President Kamala Harris, has emphasized his opposition to foreign wars and pledged to end them if re-elected.
In a letter addressed to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the lawmakers recounted statements from active-duty service members, demanding the Pentagon mobilize resources to ensure service members can vote if they wish to do so.
The Wednesday letter detailed the lawmakers’ “grave concern” over deficiencies in the Defense Department’s protocol for supporting service members’ voting rights.
Joe Biden & Kamala Harris are failing to facilitate the right to vote for our men and women in uniform.
I’m calling on the Pentagon to mobilize every resource necessary so our nation’s elite warriors don’t miss out on voting for the next commander-in-chief. pic.twitter.com/WY1BFmtWvC
— Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) November 1, 2024
“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-issue ballot does not arrive in time,” the lawmakers wrote.
The lawmakers urged Austin to clarify Pentagon guidance on voting, including any procedures for supplying sample ballots and conducting voting education for service members.
“This is absolutely unacceptable,” Mast said in a press statement Friday announcing the letter. “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.”
Waltz echoed Mast’s concerns, emphasizing the need for assurances that “these service members who are putting their lives on the line for our country have the information and tools they need to cast their ballot to vote.”
Huizenga was equally critical, stating, “Sadly, this is the latest example of the Biden-Harris Administration failing to stand up for our servicemembers.”
