Web page emphasizes importance of 'Airmen Votes'

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Ron Tull
  • Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  With less than 80 days to the presidential election, Air Force officials have added another tool to their voting effort to ensure all Airmen can participate.

“Airmen Votes” is the name of a Web page designed to give Airmen, their family members and Air Force civilians all the information they need to register to vote, file an absentee ballot request and mail in an absentee ballot.

"Your vote counts. Since 1960 two different presidential elections have been decided by less than 1 percent of the popular vote," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper said. "The absentee voting system has traditionally been fraught with challenges, but we are working hard to make it easier for you to vote no matter where you're located."

The Web page is available at www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/airmenvotes/. It can also be reached through Air Force Link and the Air Force Portal.

The page boils down the essential elements of the federal voting Web site to make registering to vote as simple as possible.

"We wanted to create the ability for our Airmen to be within three mouse clicks of registering to vote in any state from anywhere in the world," said Maj. Gen. Anthony F. Przybyslawski, Air Force Personnel Center commander here.

"It is our right and privilege as Americans," he said. "Lives were lost defending this right. There is no excuse not to vote."

Department of Defense officials have teamed up with U.S. Postal Service officials to treat balloting materials as priority mail going to and from the voter. A significant change for voters overseas is ballots will receive postal cancellation at the APO or FPO to give a more accurate measure of the date and time a ballot is received into the postal system.

For more information, Airmen can contact their unit voting assistance officer.