Buoyed by a new law requiring states to make absentee ballots more accessible to military troops serving overseas, troops voted at a higher rate than the general population in last year’s midterm elections, according to a new report.
Overall, 46 percent of the military voted in the 2010 midterm elections, a 21 percent jump from the 2006 midterms and slightly higher than the 45.5 percent of the general population that cast ballots last year, according to a report released Tuesday by the Federal Voting Assistance Program. FVAP is a Pentagon office responsible for overseeing the distribution of absentee ballots to troops and their spouses.
Voter registration last year among troops also was higher than the general public; 65 percent of Americans registered to vote in 2010, but 77 percent of troops registered. Despite the increases, FVAP said more than 112,000 military voters never received ballots they requested in 2010, a 12 percent increase from 2008.
The report’s authors credited Congress for a 2009 law that forced states to mail absentee ballots 45 days before Election Day to Americans who want to vote while abroad.
Full Article: Military voting jumped last year, report says – The Federal Eye – The Washington Post.