Officials remind Airmen to register to vote

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RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  General elections are approaching and Air Force voting officials at the Air Force Personnel Center here are reminding everyone to register to vote.

Department of Defense officials recently announced they have worked out a plan with the U.S. Postal Service to get absentee ballots to servicemembers overseas faster, but registering to vote is the first step to getting a ballot.

"Getting registered to vote is not a difficult process, it's just a matter of making it a priority," said Lt. Col. Lee Shick, an Air Force voting action officer.

Deadlines and state-specific rules on voter registration can be found on the Federal Voting Assistance Program Web site at www.fvap.gov. The site includes a list of 10 things to do to ensure a person’s vote counts.

"Our goal is 100-percent contact with every Airman by a voting representative," Colonel Shick said. "The opportunity to vote has been emphasized as a command responsibility and our installation voting officers play a key role.

"We want to make sure each individual gets the word about voting and that they have the tools and information to apply for an absentee ballot and vote," he said. "If Airmen can't get registered online, installation voting officers will have a supply of federal postcard applications."

Contact information for base voting officers is available at local military personnel flights. (Courtesy of AFPC News Service)