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Exercise right to vote by registering first

By David Johnson members and their family members the opportunity As a result of each state having varying timelines to register
to vote no matter where they are in the world. to vote, it is important that servicemembers and their families
Installation Voter Assistance Officer consult with an UVAO, or me, as soon as possible.
I also began sharing experiences of Soldiers who
There is a question that is often asked around voting season, were truly motivated to register to vote. One in par- My office is located in room 114, building 106, at the
“Why should I vote?” ticular was that of a Soldier who had recently become Reception Campus near the Fort Irwin Town Center. I can
a United States citizen. The Soldier explained how be contacted at 380-3498 or by email at david.a.johnson435.
My response is: anyone that has the ability to vote should his and his family’s difficult, long journey to come civ@mail.mil.
register to vote. to this country – and become U.S. citizens – encour-
aged him to vote; he also expressed that most U.S.
Recently I had the opportunity to meet with servicemem- citizens truly do not understand their freedoms and
bers and their families and conduct a census at the Exchange, take their civil liberties for granted by not voting.
commissary and both dining facilities here. After speaking to After sharing the Soldier’s testament, it gave some
them and asking about their awareness of their right to vote I people a different perspective on the importance of
received various responses; however, I was a bit concerned of and reasons for voting.
the following answers:
As the installation voter assistance officer, I am
“I do not have time right now,” a Soldier said. “I am prepar- non-partisan and encourage you to at least register
ing to go into the field for several days, it is going to take too to vote – even if you have not decided to vote in this
much of my time to register.” year’s presidential election on Nov. 8. It is simple and
easy to register by going to www.fvap.gov. The Web site
Another Soldier commented, “Why should I register to explains and breaks down how to register to vote in each state.
vote, my vote does not count anyway!”
In accordance with Army Regulation 608-20, Army Vot-
The most surprising response came from a family member ing Assistance Program, each unit has appointed a unit voting
who said, “Even though I am not a registered voter we should assistance officer (UVAO) who can assist servicemembers and
not allow everyone the right to vote, just those that understand their families with questions and concerns they may have about
the process.” the registration process.

With the information gathered, I had a better understanding
on how to approach audiences and encourage servicemembers
and their families on the importance of voting. My messaging
campaign explained directives put in place to allow service-

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For more information go to www.irwin.army.mil