Sens. Cornyn, Begich & Vitter Introduce Second Military Voting Bill, Building On Previous Bipartisan Efforts To Protect Overseas Military Voting Rights

Press Release

Sens. Cornyn, Begich & Vitter Introduce Second Military Voting Bill, Building On Previous Bipartisan Efforts To Protect Overseas Military Voting Rights

Building on momentum gathered with their initial legislation to safeguard the voting rights of military service members overseas, U.S. Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Mark Begich, D-Alaska., and David Vitter, R-Louisiana., today introduced complementary legislation, the Military Voters' Equal Access to Registration Act (MVEAR Act). The bill would make sure troops and their family members have the same access to voter registration assistance as the civilian population. This has proven necessary because their military service typically takes these Americans out of their hometowns and home states, where they would otherwise be able to obtain this assistance, as required under current federal law.

Sen. Cornyn's and Sen. Begich's initial bipartisan legislation, the Military Voting Protection Act (MVP Act), introduced earlier this year, now has the full support of 29 Senators and has received an overwhelming number of endorsements from prominent Veterans Service Organizations and military support groups. Thirty-four organizations have formally endorsed the bill, including the VFW and the American Legion. An identical bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. is gaining traction there as well, as it was passed unanimously out of the House Administration Committee last week. The MVP Act would take steps to ensure the completed ballots of troops overseas are delivered to the appropriate state election officials.

"Sadly, our troops and their family members face tremendous roadblocks when it comes to voting in U.S. elections, as formally documented in report after report. Sen. Begich, Sen. Vitter, and I are working with our Senate colleagues to tear down these barriers and ensure that every military service member and family member is able to participate in the democratic process and have his or her vote counted. It's encouraging that our MVP Act continues to gain momentum on Capitol Hill, and we are building on these efforts by introducing the MVEAR Act today.

"Due to the transient nature of military service, our troops and their families move regularly from one military installation to another and often back and forth from overseas locations such as Iraq or Afghanistan. As such, they are often absent from their home voting jurisdictions on Election Day. The laws and programs in place do not go far enough, having failed to adequately safeguard the civil rights of those who defend our freedom. Our bill would afford these troops and family members the opportunity to receive voter registration assistance through a ‘motor voter'-style program; such programs have served the civilian population well for years, and it is time that troops and their families receive the same assistance. This effort will help make sure their blank absentee ballots reach them at their current addresses, so they can cast their votes and send their completed ballots back to their home election offices in time to be counted on Election Day," Sen. Cornyn said.

"Our military members and their families deserve to have the same opportunities to take part in the electoral process which we all value greatly. This legislation takes several important steps to fix the current system and make it more proactive, fair and efficient for our military members no matter where they are serving," said Sen. Begich.

"I've had the great opportunity to visit with our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I've seen firsthand the good work they are doing to protect our freedoms. These brave men and women are fighting on our behalf, and the least we can do is ensure their ability to participate in our democratic process and make voting as easy as possible for them," said Sen. Vitter.

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