Voting is one of our democracy’s highest privileges.

Voting is a privilege guaranteed by our Constitution and ensured by our men and women in uniform. Yet, for far too many military personnel stationed away from home, it is difficult or even impossible to exercise their right to vote.

Nearly 1,000,000 military and overseas absentee ballots were requested for the 2006 election, but only one-third of them were actually counted. That means that more than 660,000 interested military voters were ultimately not able to have their voices heard. This is unacceptable.

We must protect the rights of our soldiers—and their families—to vote and have that vote counted. Help a loved one or friend make sure they are registered, their ballot application is processed, and their vote is delivered and counted. Democrat, Republican, Independent…party affiliation or personal views are irrelevant. We ought to make certain they are able to vote.

This web site is a portal to great information that will make it easier for our men and women in uniform to do that which they have worked so hard to make so simple for the rest of us. They often put their lives on the line to guarantee the freedoms that make this country exceptional, and they deserve every opportunity to exercise the basic right to vote themselves. Let’s make certain they have exactly that.

God Bless our troops and the United States of America,

John Cornyn
U.S. Senator from Texas

Resources for uniformed service members and their families:

Important Dates:

Oct. 6 – Last day to Register
Oct. 28 – Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail
Nov. 4 – Election Day

How You Help: Secure Voting Web Sites

Share these web sites with your military friends and family members either at home or deployed overseas.

What Senator Cornyn is Doing to Fix the Military Voting System

Senator Cornyn is leading an effort to protect the right to vote for U.S. military personnel serving overseas. He is working to advance several steps that would significantly improve the process of delivering military absentee ballots to ensure every vote counts. Senator Cornyn introduced the Military Voting Protection Act of 2008 (MVP Act), S.3073. This legislation would reduce delays and red tape in the absentee voting system currently in place for our overseas troops by requiring the Department of Defense to collect and provide for express shipping of their completed absentee ballots. There are currently 30 co-sponsors.

Senator Cornyn has also pressed for administrative solutions. In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey and during a Senate hearing, Senator Cornyn urged the Justice Department to protect military voting rights. He called for an investigation into whether federal voting officials are fulfilling their legal obligations to help overseas U.S. military service members and their dependents vote.

“The proposed legislation is very welcome. More soldier cast-ballots will count. Our military service members deserve every assistance in helping them to exercise their right to vote, a right they sacrifice for every day in service to our country. Senator Cornyn’s legislative initiative will help reduce the time mail-in ballots from our soldiers take to transit back stateside to local election authorities.”

—Texas National Guard Adjutant General Charles Rodriguez, Press Release, 5/19/08

Click here to watch a report on Senator Cornyn’s efforts to protect military voting.

Read More About Senator Cornyn’s Work

To find out more about John Cornyn, please visit www.JohnCornyn.com