U.S. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tn.) has signed on as a co-sponsor of the Military Voting Protection Act of 2008 to improve the voting process for overseas military voters.
"It is unbelievable to me that some of the men and women serving our country overseas have had difficulty making their voices heard in past elections," Sen. Corker said. "Our overseas forces who fight to protect and extend democratic freedoms around the world should certainly be able to practice one of our most fundamental rights. I am proud to cosponsor this common sense bill to help ensure all of our troops' ballots count in future elections."
Of the overseas military voters who requested absentee ballots for the 2006 election, only 48 percent of them actually had their ballots cast or counted. The MVP Act attempts to reduce the delay in the absentee voting system currently in place for our overseas troops by providing for express shipping of their completed absentee ballots.
In addition, this bill will ensure ballots are delivered to the appropriate state election officials by the jurisdiction's deadline, while safeguarding voter privacy and ballot secrecy.