Unblock the Votes: Military/Overseas Absentee Voting

The brouhaha over the U.S. 2000 presidential elections militaryoverseas absentee ballots questioned the voting rights sanctity, but more importantly, it revealed partisan bias within the military. The complex and disparate voting rules of states and territories coupled with an ineffectual DoD voting assistance apparatus fueled a media and political frenzy over military absentee votes and indirectly alluded to a military vote-block that linked military personnel with the Republican Party. To avoid the disastrous consequences associated with a perceived or actual partisan military, DoD must deliberately work to avoid this recurrence. To eliminate excessive publicity about military voting preferences, military absentee voting problems must be resolved. Additionally, military affiliate advocacy groups should deliberately focus on candidates issues and avoid party-focused rhetoric. In short, impediments to militaryoverseas absentee voting should be unblocked and DoD should eschew establishment or perceptions of special interest military vote-blocks.