Absentee Voters Week makes voting easy

By Chelsea Bissell, U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria Public AffairsSeptember 25, 2014

Cast that vote
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GRAFENWOEHR, Germany -- Have you registered yet to vote absentee on Nov. 4?

Absentee Voters Week is Sept. 29-Oct. 6. The Voting Assistance Program will use this week as a final push to get Soldiers, civilians and voting-age family members to cast their absentee ballot.

Some of those who didn't apply for an absentee ballot earlier this year can fill out a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot, which allows voters to simultaneously register and vote in their state.

The Voting Assistance Office will set up information booths at the Rose Barracks and Tower Barracks Exchanges, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 29-Oct. 6 to help answer questions or fill out ballots for this year's midterms.

While midterm elections don't always carry the spark and drama of presidential election years, they provide an opportunity to affect decision making on a local and national level, said Foy Dix, U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria voting officer.

"It's important to vote because you have you have your House and Senate votes and they're the ones who push the issue to the president," said Dix. "If you don't vote then you might not get a guy who supports your issues."

To fill out an FWAB you need your name, county, zip code, state of residence and to know who to vote for. Eligible voters need to just fill out the forms and the Voting Assistance Office will mail them to the correct state.

Those who wish to fill out their ballots at home, can mail them from the post office free of charge. The post office even has the mailing addresses of each county's voting office.

All ballots sent in by Oct. 15 will arrive in time to be counted in the midterm elections.

For any information on absentee voting, state-by-state election instructions or to download a FWAB, overseas voters can visit www.fvap.gov. The FVAP website provides the tools and details to cast informed and timely votes.

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