2006 election message from secretary of defense Published Nov. 1, 2006 WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- The following is an election message from Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld:On Nov. 7, Americans will elect 33 U.S. senators, the entire U.S. House of Representatives, 37 state governors and thousands of state and local officials. All eligible citizens can participate. You don't have to be home to vote; every voting jurisdiction has provisions to distribute, receive and count absentee ballots. But in order for your ballot to be counted, you must act now. If you have received your state's absentee ballot, you will need to vote and return it to your local election official as soon as possible so that it arrives by the state deadline. If you are registered to vote and have not yet received your state's absentee ballot, you may use the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot. You can obtain a special ballot from your unit's voting assistance officer, or from the Federal Voting Assistance Program Web site. If you are not registered to vote, your state may allow late registration. See your voting assistance officer soon! Many states allow voters to use electronic media to register, receive blank ballots, and even return voted ballots. Check the Integrated Voting Alternative Site, available through the FVAP Web site, to see what options might be available to you. Your unit commander, your voting assistant officer, and the Federal Voting Assistance Program office are doing everything they can to make it possible for you to have your vote counted in this election. The rest is up to you.