MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- From the Federal Voting Assistance Program to each squadron's Unit Voting Assistance Officer, there are a multitude of tools and resources on hand to help Airmen cast their ballots in the upcoming national election.
Links on the Air Force Personnel Center and the Federal Voting Assistance Program's Web sites allow service members to obtain voting information, register online, and, in many states, check the status of their registration and absentee ballot, said Maj. Rob Schmidt, the installation voting assistance officer.
Major Schmidt said McChord has also made it easy to vote by having one Unit Voting Assistance Officer for every 50 Airmen.
"They can help Airmen and their families find information on candidates and steer them in the right direction if they need any other local information," he said.
Major Schmidt said the UVAOs can also help with filling out any voting paperwork.
There are listings of UVAOs on the McChord intranet site at https://62aw.mcchord.af.mil/ VotingAssistance/default.aspx and through the base voting action line at 982-VOTE.
"Everything is easy now because it's all online," Major Schmidt said.
Since the Secretary of Defense designated Sept. 3 to 9 as Armed Forces Voter's Week, UVAOs will be manning booths at the base exchange, commissary, clinic and child development center to assist with registering, receiving absentee ballots and obtaining voting information.
The Pierce County Auditor's office will also have election officials at the base exchange Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to help people vote locally, Major Schmidt said.
As Election Day on November 7 inches closer, Major Schmidt said Airmen should start thinking about requesting their absentee ballots, as most states require ballots be requested no more than 30 days before the election.
Ms. Brunelli stresses the importance of the absentee ballots. She said service members and their families generally vote in greater percentage than the general population.
"Election officials count every absentee ballot," she said.
(Information from an Air Force News story was used in this article.)