Armed Forces Voters Week is June 30 through July 7 Published June 25, 2014 By Christi Spargur Installation Voting Assistance Office SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Celebrated June 30 to July 7, Armed Forces Voters Week is an annual campaign designed to encourage U.S. citizens to register to vote. Under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, servicemembers, members of the Merchant Marines, the Public Health Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and their voting-age dependents, along with citizens residing overseas, are eligible to vote by absentee ballot. The Federal Voting Assistance Program website, at www.fvap.gov, provides UOCAVA eligible voters a user-friendly tool to register to vote and to request an absentee ballot. Users simply click on their state of legal residence to obtain the state's specific voting instructions and requirements. Many states now allow citizens to register to vote and to vote by absentee ballot by mail, e-mail or fax. According to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission's 2012 Elections Administration and Voting Survey, 63 percent of eligible voters voted in person at the polls and 19 percent by absentee ballot. Of the more than 26 million absentee ballots cast, 99 percent were officially counted. Of the one percent of ballots not counted, the primary reason was due to voters missing deadlines. The above website helps voters identify their state's deadlines for registering and submitting absentee ballots. The website also provides information for separating active duty members and military spouses. President Rutherford B. Hayes said, "To vote is like payment of a debt, a duty never to be neglected, if its performance is possible." Armed Forces Voters Week is a reminder to military personnel and their voting-age dependents to exercise their right to vote. For further voting assistance, contact your unit's voting assistance officer or the Installation Voting Assistance Office at 256-8683.