Secretary of State Betty Ireland and Adjutant General Allen Tackett Kick Off ‘Armed Forces Voting Week’
West Virginia
Secretary of State Betty Ireland and Adjutant
General Allen Tackett, in honor of Armed Forces
Voting Week (August 31 through September 7), joined
together today for a press conference to focus
attention on efforts to ensure voting by active duty
military stationed out-of-state or overseas.
“Today we honor the men and women of our military
who are fighting hard for the freedoms we enjoy in
the United States,” Secretary Ireland said. “One of
the greatest freedoms is the right to vote. We join
together with General Tackett and the WV National
Guard to help get the word out to military personnel
on how to request and vote an absentee ballot, so we
can make sure their voices are heard in the upcoming
election.”
Secretary Ireland also announced that new fax and
email voting options are now available to military
personnel through the efforts of the U.S. Department
of Defense’s Federal Voting Assistance Program.
“Mail sent to and from a war zone can sometimes be
delayed, so the new email and fax options can help
to ensure that the absentee ballots will be received
and returned in time to be counted,” Secretary
Ireland said. For questions on how to take advantage
of the new fax and email options, military personnel
or their families should contact their county clerk,
the Secretary of State’s Office, or the Voting
Assistance Officer stationed in their area.
To obtain necessary forms online, overseas military
personnel may visit the Federal Voting Assistance
Program’s website at
www.FVAP.gov to download a registration form or
to request an absentee ballot. While the last day
for county clerks to receive a request for an
absentee ballot is October 29, 2008 (6 days before
the election), military personnel are urged to
request their ballot as early as possible. County
clerks will start sending out absentee ballots as
early as September 23, 2008. The last day to
register to vote in West Virginia is October 14,
2008 (21 days before the election).
“At any given time, thousands of West Virginians are
serving our country overseas,” Secretary Ireland
said. “For those who have family members serving
overseas, you can contact our office at 866-SOS-VOTE
and we can help your family member obtain the
necessary forms to request an absentee ballot or
register to vote.”
