Published: 05-20-08
AUSTIN – This morning Texas Secretary of State Phil Wilson joined U.S. Senator John Cornyn and Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson as well as several representatives from Texas veterans groups to discuss the state’s efforts to protect the voting rights of our armed forces who are serving 
overseas on Election Day.
“One of the most important duties of our Elections Division is to ensure the voting rights of the men and women who are risking their lives on foreign soil to protect the liberties and freedoms we enjoy in the United States” said Wilson. “I look forward to working with Senator Cornyn in his efforts to ensure the secure transmission of ballots to and from our troops overseas.”
Senator Cornyn a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee announced his sponsorship of new legislation the Military Voting Protection Act of 2008 (MVP Act) which attempts to reduce delays and ensure that the ballots of overseas voters are delivered and returned in a timely manner. Senator Cornyn’s office worked closely with Secretary Wilson in coordinating the bill to ensure its success in supporting Texas’ military voters.
“America was built on the values of democracy fairness and freedom. It is unacceptable that many of the men and women serving to defend those values are being denied one of our nation’s most basic and cherished rights” Sen. Cornyn said. “The Military Voting Protection Act (MVP) would take several steps to significantly improve the process of delivering military absentee ballots to ensure every vote matters.”
Wilson also spoke about an upcoming pilot program his office will implement for November’s election to explore new ways to get ballot information to overseas troops through electronic mail. The program will allow military voters using the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) for either temporary registration or a mail-in ballot the opportunity to receive their ballot through their military-issued email address cutting down on the number of undeliverable ballots. Additionally Wilson’s office is developing a website specifically directed at overseas voters to streamline the FPCA process and provide additional support to the U.S. Armed Forces and citizens living abroad.
“As we continue to finalize the details for these new programs I am confident that they will be additional examples of Texas reminding the nation that we are serious about voting rights – especially those of our military heroes” Wilson added.
