Luna Demands Answers to Absentee Ballot Inadequacy for Overseas Servicemembers

Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) is demanding answers from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin about an alarming issue as the 2024 Election ends: the lack of adequate processes allowing U.S. military members stationed overseas to receive federal or state absentee ballots.

"Our military puts EVERYTHING on the line for us, but their right to vote is being ignored. @SecDef, why are federal write-in ballots not reaching our troops overseas? This is unacceptable. We demand answers and action NOW to ensure they can vote. No more excuses," Rep. Luna posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.

As her attached letter explained, systems in place allowing active servicemembers to vote while overseas include a special expedited mail service at bases' post offices with the Label 11-DOD and voter assistance offices.

"Despite [the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act] and the tools available within the Department of Defense to ensure a smooth voting process for active-duty service members, there are still service members experiencing difficulties when they try to vote. This is unacceptable and the Department of Defense must do better to guarantee absentee registration and voting rights for service members who are stationed overseas," said Rep. Luna.

As a result, the Florida Congresswoman had several questions for Secretary Austin to answer by November 18th, such as how the DOD informs the military stationed overseas about the absentee voting process and the Label 11-DOD system, whether or not all overseas bases have voter assistance offices, how federal absentee ballots are distributed, and how service members are made aware of those ballots if their state-level ballots fail to arrive in time.

Luna's letter follows a similar one from Representative Brian Mast (R-FL) on Friday, who accused the DOD of failing to adequately inform overseas service members about absentee voting and distributing ballots.

"Our nation's brave men and women in uniform brought to our attention that there has been inadequate education at the administrative level on how to register to vote, request an absentee ballot, and fill in a federal write-in absentee ballot if their state-issued ballot does not arrive in time," said Rep. Mast, adding, "Other service members also stated that when a request for a federal write-in absentee ballot was made, they were told the base's stockpile of such ballots was depleted and had not been replenished."