Voting for a Boss: How soldiers can participate in upcoming elections

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, UNITED STATES

03.01.2012

Story by Spc. Adam L. Mathis 

17th Public Affairs Detachment

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – Republicans and Democrats have made the military and its budget a central issue of the political debate this year. Unlike most years, however, soldiers have a chance to make their voices heard by participating in the primaries and presidential election later this year.

How Soldiers Can Vote

"This is going to be an important year," said JoAnne Clark, personnel management branch chief at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. "I think that because of the budget ... who we put in office is going to determine what happens (to the military).

The Army has been taking steps to spread information about voting for soldiers. A team is visiting military installations to train voting assistance officers, who have new requirements about distributing voting information, said Clark.

While any JBLM soldier can go to Waller Hall for voter registration help, Clark said registration can be handled on any computer with an Internet connection. Soldiers can register and request an absentee ballot through the Federal Voting Assistance Program at www.fvap.gov. FVAP is a site dedicated to helping soldiers and citizens overseas vote "as easily as if they were at a polling place.” In addition to allowing soldiers to register, the site provides information about upcoming elections, primaries and registration deadlines.

The Purpose of a Primary

While the presidential election is several months away, soldiers can currently participate in the Republican and Democratic primaries. The ongoing Republican primary is a way to determine who runs against the Democratic incumbent.

"It's really an election where party members or followers would nominate their candidate, and by nominate, that means nominate a candidate who would run in the general election," said Roger Snider, associate professor of political science at St. Martin's University in Lacey, Wash.

The process of holding a vote to select a candidate for the general election is a relatively new invention, said Snider. Until the early 20th century, political parties picked which candidates would run in an election by a caucus.

"By the time of World War I …, almost all states had the direct primary for at least some elections," said Snider. "So instead of the party bosses picking someone to run for this office, it was opened up to supporters."

The Importance of Voting

While every vote counts in an election, votes in a primary can carry much more weight. According to an American University study, only 30.2 percent of eligible voters in 23 states participated in the 2008 presidential primaries, and that was a high turn out.

Besides the power of their vote, soldiers have a history of greater-than-average participation in elections. According to FVAP, 77 percent of the military registered to vote in the 2010 election, compared to 65 percent of the civilian population.

“It’s always important to vote as United States citizens,” said Clark. “We should always feel like that is one of our top priorities and privileges.”

• Date Taken: 03.01.2012
• Date Posted: 03.01.2012 19:02
• Story ID: 84603
• Location: JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US