Publicly Released: April 3, 2023
Objective
The objective of this evaluation was to report on the effectiveness and compliance with the voting assistance programs of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force during calendar year 2022, in accordance with the requirements of section 1566, title 10, United States Code (10 U.S.C. § 1566 [2020]), as amended.
Additionally, we examined whether the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) Office complied with the requirements of Public Law 116–92, Executive Order 14019, DoD Directive 5101.11E, and DoD Instructions 1000.04 and 4525.09, with regard to outreach and access efforts for voters covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA).
Background
Public Law 99–410, “The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act,” as modified by the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act and other provisions, establishes voting assistance programs intended to help Service members and their families, and other eligible U.S. citizens overseas register to vote and cast absentee ballots. Another law, 10 U.S.C. § 1566, 2020, requires the DoD Inspector General (IG) to report to Congress by March 31 of each year, and the IGs of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force to annually review the compliance and effectiveness of their Services’ voting assistance program.
The Service IGs annually assess their respective Service’s voting assistance programs. For 2022, the Service IGs reported that their respective Services’ voting assistance programs were effective and complied with UOCAVA and DoD Instruction 1000.04.
Finding
We reviewed the FVAP Office for compliance with Executive Order 14019 and DoD Instruction 1000.04 with regard to outreach and access efforts for voters covered by UOCAVA. The FVAP Office provided effective outreach and assistance to eligible voters covered by UOCAVA and their family members, as well as stakeholder agencies.
The FVAP Office coordinated with the Services, election officials, eligible voters, and Congress to promote awareness of the right to vote and the resources to exercise that right. Specifically, the FVAP Office met statutory and policy requirements with regard to access and outreach through multiple actions, including:
- Service, election official, and stakeholder engagement;
- direct assistance to eligible voters;
- research and evaluation; and
- congressional reporting.
As a result of actions by the FVAP Office and its coordination with stakeholder agencies, eligible voters had access to the information necessary to participate in the voting process. DoD organizations and leaders also had the necessary tools to help ensure access to vote and comply with Federal law and DoD Instruction 1000.04.
This report is a result of Project No. D2023-DEV0PA-0009.000.