[House Hearing, 119 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
SERVING AND VOTING: OVERSIGHT OF
THE FEDERAL VOTING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
COMMITTEE ON HOUSE
ADMINISTRATION
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
JUNE 24, 2025
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on House Administration
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
www.govinfo.gov
www.cha.house.gov
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
60-782 WASHINGTON : 2025
COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION
BRYAN STEIL, Wisconsin, Chairman
LAUREL LEE, Florida, Vice Chair JOSEPH MORELLE, New York,
BARRY LOUDERMILK, Georgia Ranking Member
H. MORGAN GRIFFITH, Virginia TERRI A. SEWELL, Alabama
GREG MURPHY, North Carolina NORMA TORRES, California
STEPHANIE BICE, Oklahoma JULIE JOHNSON, Texas
MARY MILLER, Illinois
MIKE CAREY, Ohio
Mike Platt, Staff Director
Jamie Fleet, Minority Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Opening Statements
The Honorable Barry Loudermilk, Representative from the State of
Georgia........................................................ 1
Prepared statement of Barry Loudermilk....................... 3
Ranking Member Joseph Morelle, Representative from the State of
New York....................................................... 3
Prepared statement of Ranking Member Joseph Morelle.......... 5
Witnesses
Dr. Liz Clark, director, Defense Services Support Center......... 11
Prepared statement of Dr. Liz Clark.......................... 13
Scott Wiedmann, director, Federal Voting Assistance Program...... 22
Submissions for the Record
SAVE Act opposition letter....................................... 7
Vet Voice Foundation letter...................................... 9
Secure Families Initiative statement............................. 30
U.S. Vote Foundation statement................................... 31
Vet Voice Foundation statement................................... 37
Questions for the Record
Scott Wiedmann answers to submitted questions.................... 41
SERVING AND VOTING:
OVERSIGHT OF THE FEDERAL
VOTING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
----------
June 24, 2025
Committee on House Administration,
House of Representatives,
Washington, D.C.
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:35 a.m., in
room 1310, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Bryan Steil
[chairman of the Committee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Steil, Loudermilk, Murphy, Carey,
Morelle, Sewell, Torres, and Johnson.
Staff present: Mike Platt, Staff Director; Rachel Collins,
General Counsel; Abby Salter, Parliamentarian; Jordan Wilson,
Director of Member Services; Kristen Monterroso, Director of
Operations; Josh Weber, Counsel; Annemarie Cake, Professional
Staff and Deputy Clerk; Jamie Fleet, Minority Staff Director;
Khalil Abboud, Minority Deputy Staff Director; Sean Wright,
Minority Chief Counsel; Sarah Nasta, Minority Senior Advisor;
Nikolas Youngsmith, Minority Elections Counsel; and Owen
Reilly, Minority Professional Staff.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. BARRY LOUDERMILK, A U.S.
REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE STATE OF GEORGIA
Mr. Loudermilk.
[Presiding.] The Committee on House Administration will
come to order.
The title of today's hearing is ``Serving and Voting:
Oversight of the Federal Voting Assistance Program.''
I note that a quorum is present and, without objection, the
chair may declare a recess at any time.
Also, without objection, the hearing record will remain
open for 5 legislative days so Members may submit materials
they wish to be included therein.
Thank you, Ranking Member Morelle, Members of the
Committee, and our witnesses, for participating in today's
hearing.
Before we begin, it is not lost on me, as a veteran of the
United States Air Force who did two overseas tours, that while
we are here today discussing how we can make it easier for
active-duty military to vote, our troops serving overseas are
serving our Nation in harm's way on a daily basis.
Now more than ever, it is important that we are doing all
we can to support our troops who are putting their lives on the
line for this country. I am thankful for their service and I am
praying for their safe return home.
Free, fair, and secure elections are the cornerstone of our
democracy, and it is our brave servicemembers that defend that
right for all Americans. As the Committee with oversight
authority of Federal elections, it is important that we take a
look at the laws and procedures in place for our active-duty
military voters. More specifically, we will be looking at the
Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, commonly
known as UOCAVA, and the Federal Voting Assistance Program, to
provide oversight to determine if improvements are needed.
UOCAVA, which was enacted in 1986, is the only Federal
statute that is solely devoted to protecting the access to vote
for active-duty military, their family members, and other
overseas citizens. UOCAVA has not been subject to significant
congressional oversight in over a decade.
The Federal Voting Assistance Program, or FVAP, is
responsible for administering daily responsibilities of UOCAVA
under the direction of the Secretary of Defense. In other
words, the FVAP is responsible for helping our servicemembers
vote in their respective State and local jurisdictions.
Both UOCAVA and the FVAP ensure that servicemembers who
want to vote have the opportunity to do so. According to the
FVAP, approximately 950,000 active-duty military are eligible
to vote under UOCAVA. However, not every active-duty
servicemember registers to vote.
During the 2022 election, 63 percent of active-duty
military voters covered by UOCAVA, both in the United States
and abroad, successfully registered to vote. Unfortunately, an
even smaller percentage of those who registered actually cast
their ballot.
In the 2022 general election, only 26 percent of active-
duty military voters covered by UOCAVA cast their ballot for
the election. However, in their most recent report to Congress,
FVAP highlighted that active-duty military who sought
assistance from FVAP were three times more likely to cast their
ballot.
In 2022, the FVAP distributed nearly 200,000 pieces of
educational and outreach materials to voters at 105 military
installations worldwide. Additionally, the FVAP responded to
over 12,000 inquiries to its call center.
While FVAP has made strong headway with boosting voter
participation amongst UOCAVA voters, there is more that can be
done. Every registered American citizen should have the
resources they need to participate in our democracy. Our
servicemembers who put their lives on the line to defend that
same democracy should not be an exception.
I hope today we are able to find ways to increase turnout
among active-duty military voters ahead of the 2026 general
election.
I thank our witnesses for being here today, and I look
forward to having a robust conversation with all of you on this
critical issue.
Before I close my remarks, I would like to highlight, we
will be test piloting a new closed caption technology during
today's hearing. This technology was approved by the
Subcommittee on Modernization and Innovation and will soon be
available to all House Committees.
I thank our witnesses for being here today, and I look
forward to our discussion.
I now recognize the Ranking Member, Mr. Morelle, for 5
minutes for the purposes of providing an opening statement.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Loudermilk follows:]
PREPARED STATEMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE BARRY
LOUDERMILK
Free, fair and secure elections are the cornerstone of our
democracy, and it is our brave servicemembers that defend that
right for all Americans. As the Committee with oversight
authority of Federal elections, it is important that we take a
look at the laws and procedures in place for our active-duty
military voters.
More specifically, we will be looking at the Uniformed and
Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, commonly referred to as
UOCAVA, and the Federal Voting Assistance Program, to provide
oversight and determine if improvements are needed. UOCAVA,
which was enacted in 1986, is the only Federal statute that is
solely devoted to protecting the access to vote for active-duty
military, their family members, and other overseas citizens.
UOCAVA has not been subject to significant congressional
oversight in over a decade. The Federal Voting Assistance
Program, or FVAP, is responsible for administering daily
responsibilities of UOCAVA under the direction of the Secretary
of Defense. In other words, the FVAP is responsible for helping
our servicemembers vote in their respective State and local
jurisdictions. Both UOCAVA and the FVAP ensure that
servicemembers who want to vote have the opportunity to do so.
According to the FVAP, approximately 950,000 active-duty
military are eligible to vote under UOCAVA. However, not every
active-duty servicemember registers to vote. During the 2022
general election, 63% of active-duty military voters covered by
UOCAVA, both in the United States and abroad, successfully
registered to vote. Unfortunately, an even smaller percentage
of those who registered actually cast their ballot. In the 2022
general election, only 26% of active-duty military voters
covered by UOCAVA cast their ballot for the election. However,
in their most recent report to Congress, FVAP highlighted that
active-duty military who sought assistance from FVAP were three
times more likely to cast their ballot.
In 2022, the FVAP distributed nearly 200,000 pieces of
educational and outreach materials to voters at 105 military
installations worldwide. Additionally, the FVAP responded to
over 12,000 inquiries to its call center. While the FVAP has
made strong headway with boosting voter participation amongst
UOCAVA voters, there is more that can be done. Every registered
American citizen should have the resources they need to
participate in our democracy. Our servicemembers who put their
lives on the line to defend that same democracy should not be
an exception.
I hope today we are able to find ways to increase turnout
among active-duty military voters ahead of the 2026 general
election. I thank our witnesses for being here today and I look
forward to having a robust conversation with all of you on this
critical issue. Before I close my remarks, I would like
highlight that we will be test-piloting new closed caption
technology during today's hearing. This technology was approved
by the Subcommittee on Modernization and Innovation, and will
soon be available to all House Committees. I thank our
witnesses for being here today and I look forward to our
discussion.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOSEPH MORELLE, RANKING
MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION,
A U.S. REPRESENTATIVE FROM NEW YORK
Mr. Morelle. Good morning. Thank you, Chairman Loudermilk
and to Chairman Steil, and thank you certainly to our witnesses
for being here today.
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, or
UOCAVA, is a critical component of our efforts to make sure
every American, no matter where they live, has an opportunity
to vote.
The law provides protections for millions of voters, such
as requiring States to send ballots to voters at least 45 days
ahead of Federal elections, and the availability of a Federal
write-in absentee ballot, a backup ballot, essentially, that
allows overseas and military voters to still cast a ballot in
Federal elections if their ballot does not arrive in time.
While UOCAVA is a good start, there is work to be done.
According to the Pentagon, in 2022--and some of the statistics
my colleague just cited, but I think they bear repeating--15
percent of military voters reported that they either did not
receive the ballot in time or the ballot never arrived. The
voter participation rate for servicemembers was 26 percent,
well, well below national averages. Additionally, the overall
voting rate for overseas citizens in 2022 was an estimated 3.4
percent due, in part, to either real or perceived obstacles to
casting a ballot from overseas.
At an April hearing, we heard testimony about
servicemembers and their spouses never receiving their ballots,
others paying out of pocket for a courier service to return
their ballot from abroad when they could not access the mail
system, and families stationed in Japan whose mail routinely
takes 6 to 8 weeks to arrive.
In addition, I spent time, along with Chairman Steil, in
both Japan and in Korea, where Korea we met with members of the
United States Army about the challenges they faced in receiving
ballots.
We could and we should be working in a bipartisan way to
improve access to the ballot for military and overseas voters.
Instead, what we have had over the last couple of years is my
colleagues on the other side of the aisle have advanced
policies that severely hinder ballot access and would
disenfranchise servicemembers, their families, and millions of
other overseas voters.
The SAVE Act and the President's illegal anti-voting
executive order would fundamentally disrupt American elections
and severely impact the ability of military and overseas voters
to vote. For instance, their agenda, their bills, and the
executive order would end mail and online voter registration.
Their plan also requires voters to register in person at their
local elections office, something common sense tells you many
military and overseas voters cannot do. If you are stationed in
Japan, it is going to make it really difficult for you to
register at your local Board of Elections.
House Republicans passed the SAVE Act despite overseas
voters asking them not to and despite the fact that we
repeatedly on this side of the aisle cautioned them that doing
that would make it much, much more difficult, almost
impossible, for military personnel to register to vote.
In April, I wanted to invite a witness, a military spouse
currently stationed overseas, who could have given voice to the
experience of overseas voters and whose testimony we could have
easily facilitated. Unfortunately, House Republicans did not
want to hear from her and they denied the request.
I am grateful to the witnesses here today. Thank you for
your service to the country and to those who seek to vote from
abroad.
I had hoped we would also hear from voters these laws
impact. Pavan Parikh is the Clerk of Courts in Hamilton County,
Ohio. He also served on the Ohio Ballot Board. He is also a JAG
officer in the United States Army Reserve who has served
overseas, a local official serving his community and the
elections process who has served his country in uniform.
He would have made a great witness, would have added to the
witnesses we have, which I am grateful for. Again, my
colleagues denied our request to have him appear at this
hearing. I hope the Committee can hear from him and others like
him very soon. I think they have something to add and their
perspective would be welcome.
In over 2 years of being in the majority, this is the first
hearing held by my friends focusing on military and overseas
voting. The VOTES Act, championed by Elections Subcommittee
Chair Laurel Lee and Congressman Maxwell Frost, is a bipartisan
bill which would actually increase military voter access, and
we should move that bill forward. As I said in April, Democrats
would happily waive this Committee's notice requirements to
call the VOTES Act up right now to send it once again to the
full House.
We have put forward numerous policies that would increase
ballot access and, as always the case, there is never any proof
to things like what the President has said about voting from
abroad and overseas in the last election, because there is
never any proof to anything he says about the difficulties in
doing it.
Let us focus on ways to improve access. I think we are
happy to work in a bipartisan way to expand access to people
and we will advance legislation to help them.
I want to thank the chair. I look forward to--and I would
like to--before I yield back, Mr. Chair, I would ask unanimous
consent to insert into the record a letter from U.S. Vote
Foundation, Secure Families Initiative, Blue Star Families, the
Association of Americans Resident Overseas, the American
Citizens Abroad, and the Federation of American Women's Clubs
Overseas, as well as a letter from the Vet Voice Foundation,
urging opposition to the SAVE Act and outlining ways in which
it would create barriers to the ballot box for overseas voters.
Mr. Loudermilk. Without objection.
[The prepared statement of Ranking Member Morelle follows:]
PREPARED STATEMENT OF RANKING MEMBER OF THE
COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION JOSEPH MORELLE
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, or
UOCAVA, is a critical component of our efforts to make sure
every American, no matter where they live, has an opportunity
to vote. The law provides protections for millions of voters,
such as requiring States send ballots to voters at least 45
days ahead of Federal elections, and the availability of a
Federal write-in absentee ballot, a backup ballot, essentially,
that allows overseas and military voters to still cast a ballot
in Federal elections if their ballot does not arrive in time.
While UOCAVA is a good start, there is work to be done.
According to the Pentagon, in 2022 and some of the statistics
my colleague just cited, but I think they bear repeating 15
percent of military voters reported that they either did not
receive the ballot in time or the ballot never arrived. The
voter participation rate for servicemembers was 26 percent,
well, well below national averages. Additionally, the overall
voting rate for overseas citizens in 2022 was an estimated 3.4
percent due, in part, to either real or perceived obstacles to
casting a ballot from overseas.
At an April hearing, we heard testimony about
servicemembers and their spouses never receiving their ballots,
others paying out of pocket for a courier service to return
their ballot from abroad when they could not access the mail
system, and families stationed in Japan whose mail routinely
takes 6 to 8 weeks to arrive. In addition, I spent time, along
with Chairman Steil, in both Japan and in Korea, where Korea we
met with members of the United States Army about the challenges
they faced in receiving ballots.
We could and we should be working in a bipartisan way to
improve access to the ballot for military and overseas voters.
Instead, what we have had over the last couple of years is my
colleagues on the other side of the aisle have advanced
policies that severely hinder ballot access and would
disenfranchise servicemembers, their families, and millions of
other overseas voters.
The SAVE Act and the President's illegal anti-voting
executive order would fundamentally disrupt American elections
and severely impact the ability of military and overseas voters
to vote. For instance, their agenda, their bills, and the
executive order would end mail and online voter registration.
Their plan also requires voters to register in person at their
local elections office, something common sense tells you many
military and overseas voters cannot do. If you are stationed in
Japan, it is going to make it really difficult for you to
register at your local Board of Elections.
House Republicans passed the SAVE Act despite overseas
voters asking them not to and despite the fact that we
repeatedly on this side of the aisle cautioned them that doing
that would make it much, much more difficult, almost
impossible, for military personnel to register to vote. In
April, I wanted to invite a witness, a military spouse
currently stationed overseas, who could have given voice to the
experience of overseas voters and whose testimony we could have
easily facilitated. Unfortunately, House Republicans did not
want to hear from her and they denied the request.
I am grateful to the witnesses here today. Thank you for
your service to the country and to those who seek to vote from
abroad. I had hoped we would also hear from voters these laws
impact. Pavan Parikh is the Clerk of Courts in Hamilton County,
Ohio. He also served on the Ohio Ballot Board. He is also a JAG
officer in the United States Army Reserve who has served
overseas, a local official serving his community and the
elections process who has served his country in uniform. He
would have made a great witness, would have added to the
witnesses we have, which I am grateful for. Again, my
colleagues denied our request to have him appear at this
hearing. I hope the Committee can hear from him and others like
him very soon. I think they have something to add and their
perspective would be welcome.
In over 2 years of being in the majority, this is the first
hearing held by my friends focusing on military and overseas
voting. The VOTES Act, championed by Elections Subcommittee
Chair Laurel Lee and Congressman Maxwell Frost, is a bipartisan
bill which would actually increase military voter access, and
we should move that bill forward. As I said in April, Democrats
would happily waive this Committee's notice requirements to
call the VOTES Act up right now to send it once again to the
full House.
We have put forward numerous policies that would increase
ballot access and, as always the case, there is never any proof
to things like what the President has said about voting from
abroad and overseas in the last election, because there is
never any proof to anything he says about the difficulties in
doing it. Let us focus on ways to improve access. I think we
are happy to work in a bipartisan way to expand access to
people and we will advance legislation to help them.
[The Morelle letters follow:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Morelle. Thank you. I yield back, sir.
Mr. Loudermilk. Without objection, all Members' opening
statements will be made part of the hearing record if they are
submitted to the Committee clerk by 5 p.m. today.
Today we will have one witness panel. Both witnesses are
from the Department of Defense. First, Dr. Liz Clark, director
of Defense Services Support Center, who has provided testimony
and will give an opening statement. Next, we have Scott
Wiedmann, director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program,
who is here as a subject matter expert.
We appreciate you both being here with us today and look
forward to your testimony.
Dr. Clark, we have read your written statement and it will
appear in the full hearing record. I now recognize you for 5
minutes for the purpose of giving an opening statement.
STATEMENTS OF DR. LIZ CLARK, DIRECTOR, DEFENSE SERV-
ICES SUPPORT CENTER; AND SCOTT WIEDMANN, DIRECTOR,
FEDERAL VOTING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
STATEMENT OF DR. LIZ CLARK
Ms. Clark. Chairman Steil, Ranking Member Morelle, and
distinguished Members of the Committee, thank you for the
opportunity to discuss the Department's implementation of the
Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, or UOCAVA.
This vital law ensures that our servicemembers, their eligible
family members, and overseas citizens are aware of their right
to vote and have the tools and resources to successfully do so
from anywhere in the world. The Department takes this
responsibility seriously.
With me today I have Mr. J. Scott Wiedmann, the Federal
Voting Assistance Program, or FVAP, director. Mr. Wiedmann has
been with FVAP for over 32 years. FVAP is the mainstay of our
efforts to implement UOCAVA and prescribes the two standard
absentee voting forms allowing voters to communicate directly
with their election officials to request, receive, and submit
their ballots. We also work closely with State and local
election officials who administer elections to ensure they
understand their responsibilities under UOCAVA.
Our focus is on ensuring that UOCAVA voters are informed,
educated, and able to successfully vote from anywhere in the
world. To do so, we rely on a network of Voting Assistance
Officers and the military services and the Department of State
to help deliver that assistance.
In the lead-up to the 2024 election, we trained nearly
3,000 Voting Assistance Officers worldwide. They achieved their
goals by educating voters at the local level and ensuring
voters are aware of the FVAP.gov website, which provides clear,
timely, State-specific and accessible voting information.
In 2024, there were nearly 6 million hits on the FVAP.gov
website, and more than 600,000 votes used a State-specific
Federal postcard application tool to assist them in completing
the form before printing, signing, and sending to their State
of legal voting residence.
An online completion assistance tool is also available for
the Federal write-in absentee ballot, which serves as a backup
ballot for voters who have not received their requested State
ballot in a timely manner.
There is extensive command support from the military
services to increase awareness and messaging regarding absentee
voting. Annually, installations support three voting emphasis
weeks: Armed Forces Voters Week around Independence Day,
Military Spouse Voters Week in early August, and Absentee
Voting Week in late September.
These efforts extend information to family members on both
domestic and overseas installations through displays, physical
and electronic banners, and voter registration drives.
Additionally, the military services provide voter
registration and absentee ballot request assistance during each
election cycle in high-traffic areas, such as at Military and
Family Readiness Centers, Morale, Welfare, and Recreation
Facilities, medical facilities, commissaries and exchanges.
To enhance absentee voting awareness directly to the
voters, we use targeted communication strategies on social
media and through trusted stakeholder organizations. For
example, in 2024, we had more than 340 million digital ads
displayed, 35 million video views, and over 7 million organic
social media content appearances.
The FVAP staff works directly with officials at the State
and local level to ensure FVAP materials have accurate and up-
to-date election dates, ballot deadlines, and election office
contact information.
We brief national and State election official organizations
to ensure they understand their key responsibilities under
UOCAVA, including the 45-day ballot transmission and electronic
blank ballot delivery options, to ensure individuals have time
to submit their ballot and to notify voters if their
application was denied.
We also confirm with election officials that they
understand the unique aspects specific to UOCAVA voters and
that they, not FVAP, make the final determinations on voters
satisfying residency requirements, and that a voter's last
address in the United States can be used for voting purposes
while overseas.
FVAP also provides ballot mailing envelope templates for
use by election officials, which helps ensure election
materials sent to UOCAVA voters are postage-free.
In addition, we actively work to improve UOCAVA absentee
voting processes through innovation. Congressional funding has
allowed us to provide grants to State and localities to explore
best practices, such as improving the electronic blank ballot
transmission and the use of digital signature verification.
In closing, Mr. Chairman, I thank you, Ranking Member
Morelle, and the Members of this Committee for your outstanding
and continuing support of those who vote under UOCAVA
protections, and for the men and women who proudly wear the
uniform in defense of our great Nation.
We are truly honored to be with you today, and we look
forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Clark follows:]
PREPARED STATEMENT OF DR. LIZ CLARK
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Chairman Steil.
[Presiding.] Thank you very much, Dr. Clark. Thank you both
for being with us today.
I thank Representative Loudermilk for his assistance in the
opening as a veteran. This hits close to home I know for him
but I think for all of us.
I will recognize myself for 5 minutes for the purpose of
asking questions.
I want to dive into the numbers and just stage-set a little
bit. If we go back to the 2022 general election, the most
recent midterm, according to the U.S. Census, approximately 69
percent of the voting age population was registered to vote
and, of those registered, 52 percent actually voted.
Then we go over to the UOCAVA side. active-duty military
voters in particular, according to FVAP, the 2022 congressional
report, the registration rate was approximately 63 percent, a
little lower than the national average, but only 26 percent,
less than half, actually voted, significantly lower than the
national average.
I want to use that as a stage setting and then kind of dive
in here.
How does FVAP retrieve data for its biennial congressional
report? I will start with you, Dr. Clark.
Ms. Clark. Thank you for the question, Chairman.
I am going to ask Mr. Wiedmann to provide the specific data
for that.
Chairman Steil. That would be great.
Mr. Wiedmann. Good morning, Chairman Steil.
After each Federal election, we do a series of surveys of
active-duty military members, the Voting Assistance Officers,
the election officials and--State election officials. Then in
2024, for the first time we worked with the Department of
Defense to do surveys of spouses as well to gather that data.
Chairman Steil. How much does it cost to run that survey
and provide the FVAP congressional report? I will allow either
of you to answer as we bounce between.
Ms. Clark. No. We will take the cost for the record,
please.
Chairman Steil. Do you have an estimate as to what the cost
is? I would like the number in the record, but do you know what
the cost is or have an estimate as to what that cost is?
Mr. Wiedmann. I do not want to answer because I am not sure
offhand exactly. It is right in the front cover of our report
because----
Chairman Steil. OK. We will track it down.
Let me shift gears again. Do active-duty servicemembers
face unique obstacles? Obviously, they do. What is FVAP doing
in particular to make sure that people are voting and bringing
up that percentage as we look out to the next midterm?
Mr. Wiedmann. Chairman Steil, there are three major
obstacles that can make the absentee voting process more
difficult sometimes for military members: time, distance, and
mobility.
From the time perspective, we encourage all military
members in January of every year to send in that Federal
postcard application form so that their local election
officials are aware of that they are not at home, that they
need an absentee ballot sent to them.
Then we also want them to--we encourage them to take
advantage of the 45-day mailing time. As you know, Federal law
guarantees that States will send the ballots to the military
voters at the 45th day before the election. They can receive it
electronically. In their email inbox they can have that ballot,
print it out, vote it, and then get it mailed back and take
full advantage of that.
Chairman Steil. With our limited time--I appreciate that.
With our limited time, let me just dive in. I just got the
number pulled. $2.4 million. That seems like a lot of money,
but maybe something--I would love a little additional
information on why it costs that much, but I am going to hold
that.
I just want to touch base on how you are coordinating with
State and local election officials to ensure that ballots are
reaching the right jurisdiction. How are you coordinating with
State and local officials?
Mr. Wiedmann. We work very closely with the State and local
election officials from across the country, 55 States and
territories, and the District of Columbia. Right now, we are in
full swing in preparation for the 2026 election. We have the
Voting Assistance Guidebook, which contains the voting dates,
the regulations, rules and deadlines for the voters from every
jurisdiction.
We also have the contact information--mail, phone, fax, and
email--for all those jurisdictions in that book as well as on
the FVAP.gov website. We ensure that all that information is
accurate and up to date so that when a voter fills out that
Federal postcard application form and it is received by the
election official, it will have everything they need to process
the form and get the ballot to the voter.
Chairman Steil. Whose responsibility is it to verify the
identity of the voter, is that FVAP or is that the State?
Mr. Wiedmann. That would be the local election office who
receives the Federal postcard application.
Chairman Steil. So it is the State's responsibility to
confirm the identity of the individual?
Mr. Wiedmann. Correct.
Chairman Steil. All right. No further questions. I yield
back.
I now recognize the Ranking Member, Mr. Morelle, for
questions.
Mr. Morelle. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you again to the witnesses for being here.
You know, we have advanced a number of ideas that would
have increased access for military and overseas voters: ample
notice and cure periods for ballot errors, online voter
registration in addition to the postcard, improvements to
UOCAVA. You know, and the President sadly, as I said earlier,
spreads all this mis- and disinformation about voting abroad
without any proof.
I am curious. If a voter makes a mistake on their ballot
and it does not arrive in time for them to have an opportunity
to cure a mistake, particularly in those States that allow it,
how do you work with voters to ensure that they have, one, the
information necessary to cast a ballot, and that they know of
the requirements set forth by the various States?
Mr. Wiedmann. Thank you, Ranking Member Morelle.
We work closely with States. We have also a hotline that
voters can call directly if they do get a notice from their
State, if there is an issue that might arise while that ballot
request or the ballot is being processed, so that we can call
the State directly, provide information from the voter to the
local election official and perhaps they can work that out.
Of course, timing is of the essence. Again, as I said, we
encourage folks to start the process as early as possible, take
full advantage of that 45-day window and not wait right up
until the day of the election to start the process or to make
those calls.
Mr. Morelle. I mentioned earlier that the SAVE Act would
end a number of things that would affect UOCAVA voters. For
instance, they would no longer have the ability to mail in the
postcard to register to vote.
I assume you have taken a look at the SAVE Act, perhaps
not, or the President's executive order. How would requirements
such as that, how would they impact the UOCAVA voter? Have you
done any analysis? You would not be able to register any longer
if you are overseas.
Ms. Clark. Thank you for the question. We are aware of the
SAVE Act and the proposed legislation as well as the executive
orders.
I did want to just clarify too that the Federal postcard
application form, we do look at updating that every 2 years
anyway. Right now, though, we understand that the court case is
under--or the EO is under litigation right now, and we stand
ready to change the form if then needed.
I did want to let you know that we do update that form
every 2 years to see if there are----
Mr. Morelle. But that form would not be--under the
executive order, well, and under the SAVE Act, you could not--
there would be only in-person registration. People could not--
members of the military or overseas individuals could no longer
register to vote unless they went to their local office.
Ms. Clark. Understand, Ranking Member, with the current
legislation that is being proposed. From a Departmental
perspective, once that legislation comes back to us, we can go
through our formal congressional protocols to provide response
to that.
Mr. Morelle. Right.
Ms. Clark. Right now we stand waiting to see what comes
through and waiting for the court cases to----
Mr. Morelle. Yes, I know. You will agree with me that that
would make it--I mean, if you read the plain English reading of
the statute or the proposed statute, that it would end online
registration for overseas and military voters?
Ms. Clark. The Department remains, you know, committed to
providing a formal congressional response once that legislation
comes to us.
Mr. Morelle. I wanted to just take up--and I only have a
minute or so left of my time, but it is striking to me that
only 26 percent of military voters who are registered cast a
ballot. I mean, that is really a small number and one that is
troubling.
The fewer than 4 percent of overseas voters who are non
uniform cast ballots, that is staggering to me. Like, when you
look at that, you must think, we have got to get this number--I
am assuming, I hope that that is your desire.
Can you give me two things that you are working on right
now that would dramatically increase both numbers?
Mr. Wiedmann. Yes. Obviously, it is a voter's choice as to
whether or not they want to participate in a process and
whether they want to register and ultimately cast a ballot. We
do have----
Mr. Morelle. I get that. But I think you would acknowledge
that 3 percent or 3.4 percent for overseas voters, there is
clearly something--I mean, it would be odd for overseas voters
to choose at a 97 percent rate not to vote versus, you know,
the number that my friend the chairman cited for people who are
in the Continental or live in the United States.
Mr. Wiedmann. We send out 90-, 60-, and 30-day reminder
notices to all members of the military. That also goes out
through State Department channels, through the MASCOT messaging
services, to overseas citizens who have registered with the
State Department to say that I am overseas living in a
particular country. Those reminders go out monthly during an
election year to say, these are the elections, these are the
States that have primaries coming up.
Mr. Morelle. I am sorry to interrupt, and I have run out of
time, but those are things that you currently do, which no
disrespect, but they are obviously not--I was curious as to
what things you are thinking about right now that you can do to
move that needle dramatically in the direction of more greater
participation.
Mr. Wiedmann. Again, you know, our purpose is to ensure
that the voters have the understanding that they are able to
vote under Federal law for those Federal offices and that they
have the tools and resources to do so if they wish.
Mr. Morelle. Not to do anything or facilitate anything that
would encourage greater participation?
Mr. Wiedmann. Correct. We are not a get-out-the-vote
campaign.
Mr. Morelle. Got you. I will yield back.
Chairman Steil. The gentleman yields back.
Mr. Loudermilk is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Loudermilk. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you to our witnesses for being here today. It is a
very important subject.
When I was active duty, I made every effort to vote when I
knew there was an election going on. It was very easy--well,
being overseas, there was a lot of help during a Presidential
election. There is a lot of attention going on. I found it more
difficult during midterm elections, which in Georgia, that is
when our gubernatorial election is, and more specifically,
local, county, and some State elections that may be off cycle,
and part of it was even knowing that a specific election was
going on.
Really for both of you, is there attention made to these
non-Federal elections to active-duty military?
Ms. Clark. Thank you for the question.
If you have not gone to the FVAP.gov website, I highly
recommend it. It is a wealth of knowledge that is for military
members, military spouses, as well as overseas citizens. It
also has links directly to each State and then each
jurisdiction.
To your point of increasing that awareness, our goal is to
make sure that every UOCAVA-eligible voter has access to that
and is able to link back to their particular State or their
locality.
Mr. Wiedmann, can you provide a bit more information on
exactly what you do?
Mr. Wiedmann. Yes. We have a requirement, and the services
help us to ensure that every member receives a Federal postcard
application form, either electronically or some sort of notice,
every January 15th of every year, so that is not just the even-
numbered years, and then again in July of the even-numbered
years.
If the voter sends that form in to that State or local
election office, they would get whatever ballots would come to
them during that calendar year.
Mr. Loudermilk. All right. I appreciate that. I can
remember during the times that I was in, often our squadron
commander would send out something advising there is an
election going on, we encourage you to vote.
Is that something that you get engagement by commanders,
unit commanders, to interface at least to let the troops know
that there is an election going on?
Mr. Wiedmann. Yes. Through the military services, there is
the entire chain of command. There is a Service Voting Action
Officer for each service that we meet with monthly. Then each
installation has an Installation Voting Assistance Officer as
well as a brick-and-mortar Voter Assistance Office, and that is
typically like in the Military and Family Readiness Center,
where families can go as well to get assistance as well as the
members.
Mr. Loudermilk. OK. Thank you.
Director Wiedmann, while I have got you, from your
experience, are ballots of military voters deployed on active-
duty orders susceptible to voter fraud?
Mr. Wiedmann. We facilitate the connectivity between that
voter and that local election official. Then once the election
official receives that, they are the ones who would review the
ballot for validity and authenticity.
Mr. Loudermilk. You are taking it from the servicemember
and delivering it to the local elections office or the State?
Is that what you are referring to?
Mr. Wiedmann. The Military Postal Service Agency, when it
is dropped off at a military post office on an installation,
will take that, and they are an extension of the U.S. Postal
Service. Then they will have that delivered to Chicago. Then
from there, it goes into the U.S. Postal Service.
Mr. Loudermilk. OK. What steps does FVAP take to ensure
election integrity is upheld when assisting servicemembers with
voter registration?
Mr. Wiedmann. A person who is assigned as a voting officer
does that job in a nonpartisan way, just basically there to
facilitate the process. FVAP provides FVAP.gov and the tools
and materials. That local voting officer knows that
installation, knows the circumstance they are in, whether it be
a submarine or forward deployed, and then will help the voters
to navigate the process locally.
Mr. Loudermilk. How would that fit in with the uniqueness
of certain States and election laws, i.e., in Georgia you have
to show an ID to be able to register to vote as well as to
vote?
Do you take in consideration of the local election laws
when you are registering votes?
Mr. Wiedmann. We work with those State and local election
offices. This book, all the information we provide in here and
on our website is signed off by the chief State election
official in every State.
We work with Blake Evans in the Secretary of State's Office
for Georgia to ensure that everything is accurate and up to
date. So when a voter fills this out, it will be accepted by
the Georgia county, and the Georgia county would then be able
to send that ballot out to the voter.
Mr. Loudermilk. OK. Thank you.
Last question. Are you aware of any credible reporting of
bad actors committing voter fraud through UOCAVA ballots?
Mr. Wiedmann. I am not.
Mr. Loudermilk. OK. Thank you.
I yield back.
Chairman Steil. The gentleman yields back.
Representative Sewell is recognized for 5 minutes for
questions.
Ms. Sewell. I want to thank our witnesses for being here
today.
As the Ranking Member over the Elections Subcommittee as
well as author of the John Robert Lewis Voting Rights
Advancement Act, I think there is nothing more important and
fundamental to our democracy than the right to vote. Ensuring
that every eligible voter has an opportunity to cast a ballot I
think is top and foremost what you all are supposed to do with
respect to our servicemembers and those living overseas.
Often I hear from my servicemembers that they do not have
an opportunity to cure any problem that may happen with the
ballot because of timing. Then I also get a lot of complaints
in my office that they do not receive the ballot in time.
I guess my question to you, Director, is, what are you
doing to work with the United States Postal Services to make
sure that people, that servicemembers and overseas citizens get
their ballots in time?
Mr. Wiedmann. Thank you, Representative Sewell.
We work closely with the U.S. Postal Service as well as the
Military Postal Service Agency to ensure that all of the
materials that we provide have that postage indicia so it is
postage-free in U.S. mails. We also provide the ballot template
envelope for State and local officials, so when they print
those ballots to be sent out to the voters, those have that
postage indicia on there as well.
Ms. Sewell. Yes, I know that the postage is free; just the
timing of receiving it. I get that, you know, the States
administer their own elections, but, you know, we administer
Federal elections and I want to make sure that folks get their
ballots in a timely fashion.
I do not know, Dr. Clark, if you have anything else to add
about what we could be doing now to ensure that people get
timely ballots. Obviously, if there is a mistake, being able to
cure that in a timely fashion.
Ms. Clark. Yes. As Mr. Wiedmann mentioned as well, we have
the Federal write-in absentee ballot. If there are challenges
with the State--with a servicemember or UOCAVA-eligible voter
receiving their ballot, they are able to then submit the
Federal write-in absentee ballot as well.
I think it comes down to ensuring that we are promoting
that awareness and that education and that the military
services and the installations and the units are also taking
this seriously and that it is a priority as well.
We have done a significant amount of work to make sure that
we are promoting that awareness, making those tools and
resources available, as well as trying to make it as seamless
as we possibly can for the UOCAVA-eligible voter.
When Mr. Wiedmann has talked about this Voting Assistance
Guide, it has QR codes that takes you directly to that State.
You know, our goal here is to make sure that we recognize that
voting is a personal choice.
Ms. Sewell. It is----
Ms. Clark. We want to ensure that----
Ms. Sewell. But, I mean, if you want to ensure that
eligible voters have an opportunity to vote----
Ms. Clark. Yes, ma'am.
Ms. Sewell [continuing]. and I understand the importance of
informing them that elections are going on. Your role,
obviously, I understand is not to register voters, but it is to
ensure that our servicemembers and those who are eligible
overseas have an opportunity to cast a ballot.
You know, I think that the FVAP has been, with the changes
to it that have been proposed in the court system as well as
through the executive order of the President, I think that the
Federal postcard can be very complicated, and I know that that
is tied up in litigation. Until that has been truly litigated,
we are still practicing under the existing laws. Is that right?
Ms. Clark. That is correct.
Mr. Wiedmann, anything to add specifically on that?
Mr. Wiedmann. No. That is correct. The Federal postcard
application. Then our process, as I stated, we are ramping up
for 2026. Part of that process is to review the forms for
changes----
Ms. Sewell. Have you received any complaints from
servicemembers or overseas about the postcard itself?
Mr. Wiedmann. No.
Ms. Sewell. Would you be the appropriate person that they
would lodge those complaints to?
Mr. Wiedmann. Well, if it is something to do with the
processing of the form or the layout of the form, they would
come to us and let us know so that we could incorporate that
into redesigns, as we do every 2 years. If it is something to
do with a person's rights being abridged, then they would go to
the Department of Justice, which is the enforcement body.
Ms. Sewell. Is the FVAP still committed to leveraging other
governmental resources to keep all of the eligible
servicemembers informed of how they can exercise their right to
vote?
Mr. Wiedmann. Yes, ma'am.
Ms. Sewell. I too, like the Ranking Member, am quite
concerned that the percentage of voters that are overseas and
their servicemembers is around 26 percent, whereas in the
United States, those that vote, it is about 48 percent. Both
need to go up to more than 50, in my opinion. Is there anything
that you guys are doing right now that would help in reducing
that gap?
Mr. Wiedmann. We look at the--we call it the UOCAVA gap.
There is going to be some folks that would not want to vote,
but there is a short or a small number of folks that may have
wanted to vote but were not able to.
Those are the folks we try to target with our messaging
through social media and whatnot to ensure, again, that they
have that knowledge that they are able to vote and that they
have a link to FVAP.gov, and that once they get there, click
the button to say register to vote here. Everything they need
in order to register to vote in their State is provided to
them, and then they can send that request directly to their
county.
Ms. Sewell. Well, sir, obviously, all of us are committed
to making sure that folks get the opportunity to cast a vote
who are eligible. Whatever we can do, I would be interested in
making sure we can partner with you to make that happen.
Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to enter into the
record two statements. One from Secure Families Initiative, an
organization that works on behalf of active-duty military
families; and a second from U.S. Vote Foundation, an
organization that works on behalf of all overseas voters on the
ways UOCAVA works for military and overseas voters.
Chairman Steil. Without objection.
[The statements referred to follow:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Ms. Sewell. Thank you, sir. I yield back.
Chairman Steil. The gentlewoman yields back.
The gentleman from North Carolina, Dr. Murphy, is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Dr. Murphy. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you both for coming here today, and thank you for
your contributions that are helping our servicemembers and
those abroad participate in the process of voting.
I am honored to represent three military installations in
eastern North Carolina, totaling more than 50,000 active-duty
servicemembers. We obviously want them to participate in the
process if they want to participate in the process, so I
appreciate you guys doing this.
North Carolina is a popular destination for people moving
to the U.S. In fact, we are sinking a little bit because so
many people are moving here, especially on the Outer Banks. You
know, many North Carolinians also choose to live abroad.
I appreciate what you guys are doing to help educate
individuals through UOCAVA for the opportunity to vote. I am
remiss. I have not gone on your website, but I look forward to
doing that today because it sounds like there is a great deal
of information there.
You know, to what Ranking Member Morelle said about only 3
percent of individuals voting overseas, that is amazing to me.
Maybe they are in Bali and they just do not want to be
bothered. I do not know. 3 percent does seem like a very low
amount.
Let me ask you this. You guys, what kind of educational
materials are you able to provide through UOCAVA to voters who
are located near the embassy in countries, and then for folks
that do not live near the embassy in a lot of other countries,
I wonder if you could educate me on that?
Mr. Wiedmann. Thank you, Representative Murphy.
We work very closely with the State Department, and they
have the American citizen services desk at every embassy and
consulate. So that if an American needs a new passport or some
sort of other service for American citizens, they go there to
get that.
One of the things they do is provide assistance--voting
assistance. Anybody behind that glass window, if an American
citizens walks in, would be able to get the same assistance
that a voter would get from a voting officer in the military.
They also post a ballot receptacle closer out to the street
so that a voter does not necessarily have to go in all the way
through the security in order to drop off a ballot or to get
the assistance if they have already printed out the form and
done that.
Of course, all of the materials that we print, from the
guidebook to the forms to the various wallet cards and whatnot,
are also provided to the State Department so they can--if
someone gets a new passport, for instance, they will put the
wallet card that says FVAP.gov in there, and then they will be
able to have that.
One key messaging point is that that MASCOT messaging I
mentioned earlier, which is when you move to a country you sign
up through the Department of State and say, I am living in this
country, so that if there is a natural disaster or some other
reason that they may need to evacuate Americans, they can send
the messages quickly.
One of the things they can do with those messaging is send
out voting messages. They can use it for other things, and
voting is one of those.
Dr. Murphy. Yes. It sounds you all are doing a tremendous
job. I am not quite sure what more you can do. You can lead a
horse to water, but if people do not want to vote, they do not
want to vote. If they are overseas, maybe they like living in
the country that they are in and they identify more with the
politics there than they do back home. Anyway, thank you.
Let me ask you a couple other questions. As I mentioned, I
have a lot of active-duty military that are oftentimes abroad,
overseas. Can you talk about the FVAP's digital presence and
how we are able to do that for turnout? How do we reach out to
those individuals?
Mr. Wiedmann. Yes, sir. We have an outreach campaign. We
take advantage of paid, earned, shared and owned media, both in
social media and online. We have efforts with the local
election officials where we have like outreach toolkits that
are digital, so that any individual that is with an overseas
citizen organization, a State Department person or a military
person can download those digital toolkits, and then on their
own social media accounts----
Dr. Murphy. Do you think those have--you know, given the
technology age, what trends have you seen? Do you think those
make a difference or are we still seeing the same trends in
participation that we have seen historically?
Mr. Wiedmann. The participation generally goes along with
interest in the election. Part of the surveys that we do, we
ask about what the individual's interest was in the election as
well as their participation. You can see how it tracks over
time. When the interest is high, participation is generally
higher in the election.
Dr. Murphy. Have those curves been pretty much identical
over the last decades, interest, interest, interest?
Mr. Wiedmann. Yes.
Dr. Murphy. OK. You know, it just stands to reason. You
know, people who are living abroad, if they have an interest
back home, they are going to participate in something,
especially a Presidential election. I can see, just like it
does in the U.S. midterms, people, often they lose their
interest. I will end with that.
Thank you for your service. You are doing a great job. I
mean, I do not know how else you can get to people other than
go to their homes and, you know, offer them a ride, which we do
not need to do. Thank you for your service.
I yield back.
Chairman Steil. The gentleman yields back.
The gentlewoman from Texas, Ms. Johnson, is recognized for
5 minutes.
Ms. Johnson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you both for being here today.
In April, my colleagues on the Republican side passed the
SAVE Act, which further restricts married women, naturalized
citizens, and our military members overseas from exercising
their ability to vote.
I want to specifically point out that this bill does not
include any exemptions for our servicemembers and, instead,
would require them to register to vote in person in the United
States, creating a significant administrative and financial
burden.
I proposed an amendment to allow folks to register to vote
by mail, which this country has been doing safely for decades.
That amendment was voted down by Republicans on this Committee
and again on the House floor. This is very troubling to me.
I have some questions about, when our servicemembers enlist
to serve in the military, are they automatically registered to
vote?
Mr. Wiedmann. Thank you, Representative Johnson.
They are not automatically registered to vote. However,
they are given the tools and training to know that they have
the opportunity to vote, you know, once they are enlisted, they
are on active duty.
Ms. Johnson. Right.
Mr. Wiedmann. Then they have those tools and resources.
Ms. Johnson. If they are not registered to vote at the time
they are enlisted, then they want to register to vote, under
the SAVE Act they would be required to physically leave their
station post abroad and fly to their home residential
jurisdiction to register to vote. Is that correct?
Ms. Clark. Thank you for the question.
With the SAVE Act specifically, the Department will take
that for the record with a formal response back.
Ms. Johnson. I understand that. We passed that law so we
know what the law is, and I understand your not really wanting
to comment on it. I am trying to ask some questions about the
practical applicability of that.
Under that law, though, what hurdles would a servicemember
have to do to get leave to be able to fly home and register to
vote in their county if they wanted to exercise their right to
vote if that bill ultimately succeeds?
Ms. Clark. We will take that for the record.
Ms. Johnson. Would they have to take leave to fly home?
Ms. Clark. We will have to take that for the record.
Ms. Johnson. I am sorry, what?
Ms. Clark. We will have to take that for the record.
Ms. Johnson. You are not going to answer my question?
Ms. Clark. Due to the breadth and depth of the legislation,
the Department will take it back and give you our formal
protocol.
Ms. Johnson. Well, my question is not taking it back for
the record. My question is, what steps would a servicemember
have to do to take a leave of absence to be able to come home
to register to vote? What is involved in that?
Ms. Clark. Yes, ma'am. It is outside of my portfolio when
we are looking at the entitlement to the benefits to the
specific servicemembers. I will have to take that back for the
record.
Ms. Johnson. OK. The--because I am just very troubled by
that whole situation.
The next question I have is, how many employees does FVAP
currently have, and has this changed since January, and has the
administration's Federal hiring freeze impacted FVAP's ability
to conduct its mission?
Mr. Wiedmann. We currently have seven employees, and we are
able to carry out the requirements under UOCAVA.
Ms. Johnson. Has your employees been reduced in force since
January? Has that level changed since that time?
Mr. Wiedmann. We have had a couple of our employees who
have taken retirement packages.
Ms. Johnson. How many employees of your agency took early
retirement pursuant to the administration's RIF?
Mr. Wiedmann. Three.
Ms. Johnson. Three. You have seven. 30 percent of your
workforce. Is that right?
Mr. Wiedmann.
[No verbal response.]
Ms. Johnson. Do you need any additional resources or
funding in order to carry out your mission?
Mr. Wiedmann. Under the current resources and funding, we
are able to carry out the requirements of the law.
Ms. Johnson. OK. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to
enter into the record a statement from Janessa Goldbeck, a
Marine Corps veteran, former Voting Assistance Officer, and the
CEO of Vet Voice Foundation, a nonpartisan organization of
nearly 2 million veterans and military families nationwide.
Chairman Steil. Without objection.
[The statement referred to follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Ms. Johnson. Thank you. Thank you for your time, and I
yield back.
Chairman Steil. The gentlewoman yields back.
The gentleman from Ohio, Mr. Carey, is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mr. Carey. I want to thank the chairman and thank the
Ranking Member.
You know, one of the greatest privileges we have as
American citizens is the right to determine the direction of
our country every 2 to 4 years.
The Great American Experiment, which is closing in on our
250th birthday, has proved that this right for all Americans,
regardless of class, religion, race or creed. However, many of
our citizens who are overseas find it difficult to participate
in the State and local and Federal elections, particularly
among our U.S. servicemembers.
As a veteran myself, I find it critical that we give every
opportunity for our military members to register for elections.
That is why the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting
Act and the Federal Voting Assistance Program are necessary to
ensure that servicemembers who want to have their vote have the
ability to actually vote.
Now I am going to ask you just a couple quick questions. I
am the last one to ask questions.
Director and Dr. Clark, what metrics does the Federal
Voting Assistance Program use to determine if the efforts to
provide the opportunity for military and overseas voters to
vote are successful?
You can both go.
Mr. Wiedmann. Thank you, Representative Carey.
We look at the awareness of the program and the awareness
of folks' ability to utilize the tools and resources available
to them. We also ask the Voting Assistance Officers how well
the materials that we provided, both the book itself and the
online presence, if that was a useful tool for them. We usually
get, you know, ratings in the 90's of people finding it useful
as they are delivering voting assistance.
Mr. Carey. Let me ask you, because you pointed to that book
a couple of times. I know that we on this Committee are trying
to make sure that we modernize the way things are done.
The online presence with the information that is in the
book is readily available to everybody, correct?
Mr. Wiedmann. Correct. It is up to date. This book is
printed every 2 years, because we want to make sure that we
have something out there for folks who may not have internet
access who are having a voting assistance or voting
registration drive. They can refer to the book.
The online information is updated real time. You know, we
might have an election office in a particular Ohio county that
changes their address, and we can get that updated on the
website.
Mr. Carey. Has FVAP increased its outreach and education to
the U.S. servicemembers overseas, in your opinion?
Mr. Wiedmann. We continually seek out new ways to reach out
to folks that would fit and target folks directly, especially
that 18-to 24-year-old cohort.
Mr. Carey. OK. Let me ask the director and doctor. How many
early prior to an election are the UOCAVA ballots sent to
servicemembers? How many are usually sent out? Do you have any
idea?
Mr. Wiedmann. In the 2022 election, I believe there were
754,000, yes, sent out. In the 2020 election, 1.2 million
ballots were sent out to military and overseas voters.
Mr. Carey. What is usually the timeframe that the
servicemembers would get those ballots?
Mr. Wiedmann. Depending on--so when they use the form, they
say if they want the ballot to be delivered to them by mail or
email or if a State has an online server that they can download
it from. That is the voter's choice on how they want to receive
that.
The States have to provide the ballots 45 days before an
election for Federal office. They will put it either in the
mail or they will put them online and send an email to the
voter saying, ``hey, your ballot is now available,'' and then
they have that at that point.
Mr. Carey. Historically, do you think this is enough time
for a servicemember to receive and then cast their ballot to be
counted in time on election day?
Mr. Wiedmann. Based on the Military Postal Service Agency's
recommended mailing dates, 30 days is the maximum time for
folks aboard ship and deployed overseas. The 45 days should
suffice.
Mr. Carey. OK. Well, I want to thank you both for being
here today.
I want to again thank the chairman and the Ranking Member.
With that, I yield back.
Chairman Steil. The gentleman yields back.
We thank both of our witnesses for being here today on a
really important topic. I appreciate your work in the area. I
think there is also room for improvement as we work to get more
members to participate in the election process.
Members of the Committee may have some additional
questions. We ask you to please respond to those questions in
writing.
Without objection, each Member will have 5 legislative days
to insert additional material into the record or to advise and
extend their remarks.
If there is no further business, I thank the Members for
their participation. Without objection, the Committee stands
adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:27 a.m., the Committee was adjourned.]
QUESTIONS FOR THE RECORD
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