Shipping Out the Holidays to Military Heroes

/PRNewswire/ -- Ensuring care packages arrive in time for the holiday season is a priority for friends and family members of military personnel serving around the world. To help get packages on their way, the U.S. Postal Service offers a discount on its largest Priority Mail Flat Rate Box.

The recommended mailing date for the most economical postage to overseas military destinations, including Iraq and Afghanistan, is Nov. 12.

Mail sent to overseas military addresses is charged only domestic mail prices. The domestic mail price for the Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box is $14.50, but for packages to APO/FPO addresses overseas the price is reduced to $12.50. Additional discounts are available for customers printing their Priority Mail postage labels online at Click-N-Ship.

Environmentally friendly Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes are available at no cost at any Post Office, or can be ordered online at shop.usps.com. Postage, labels and customs forms can be printed online anytime using Click-N-Ship.

The Postal Service continues to show support to those serving in the armed forces by offering free Military Care Kits, designed specifically for military families sending packages overseas. The mailing kits can be ordered by phone by calling 1-800-610-8734 and asking for the Military Care Kit. Each kit includes two "America Supports You" large Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes, four medium-sized Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes, six Priority Mail labels, one roll of Priority Mail tape and six customs forms with envelopes.

For online ordering of the large Priority Mail APO/FPO Flat Rate boxes featuring the "America Supports You" logo and information about mailing letters and packages to military destinations, go to Supporting Our Troops.

"Shipping holiday packages early helps ensure that they arrive in time for the holidays," said Pranab Shah, vice president and managing director, Global Business. "They are a great morale boost for those men and women serving their country in places far from home."

To ensure delivery of holiday cards and packages by Dec. 25 to military APO/FPO addresses overseas, the Postal Service recommends that mail for service members be sent no later than the mailing dates listed below. Mail addressed to military Post Offices overseas is subject to certain conditions or restrictions regarding content, preparation and handling. APO/FPO addresses generally require customs forms. To see an online table of updated APO and FPO addresses and mailing restrictions by individual APO/FPO ZIP Codes, click here, select "Pull-Out Information" and click on "Other Information."

MILITARY MAILING DEADLINES

Military Mail Addressed To	Express Mail Military Service (EMMS)1/	First-Class Mail Letters and Cards	Priority Mail	Parcel Airlift Mail (PAL) 2/	Space Available Mail (SAM)3/	Parcel Post
APO/FPO AE ZIPs 090-092	Dec-18	Dec-10	Dec-10	Dec-3	Nov-26	Nov-12
APO/FPO AE ZIP 093	N/A	Dec-4	Dec-4	Dec-1	Nov-20	Nov-12
APO/FPO AE ZIPs 094-098	Dec-18	Dec-10	Dec-10	Dec-3	Nov-26	Nov-12
APO/FPO AA ZIP 340	Dec-18	Dec-10	Dec-10	Dec-3	Nov-26	Nov-12
APO/FPO AP ZIPs 962-966	Dec-18	Dec-10	Dec-10	Dec-3	Nov-26	Nov-12

1/ EMMS is available to selected military post offices. Check with your local Post Office to determine if this service is available to an APO/FPO address.

2/ PAL is a service that provides air transportation for parcels on a space-available basis. It is available for Parcel Post items not exceeding 30 pounds in weight or 60 inches in length and girth combined. The applicable PAL fee must be paid in addition to the regular surface rate of postage for each addressed piece sent by PAL service.

3/ SAM parcels are paid at Parcel Post postage rate of postage with maximum weight and size limits of 15 pounds and 60 inches in length and girth combined. SAM parcels are first transported domestically by surface and then to overseas destinations by air on a space-available basis.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no direct support from taxpayers. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world's mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.

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Secretary of State Kemp Announces Increased Voting Opportunities for Georgia’s Military and Overseas Voters

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp announced today (September 20) that, for the first time in history, ballots are being delivered electronically to Georgia’s military and overseas voters for the 2010 General Election. On Saturday, September 18, Georgia’s military and overseas voters began receiving notifications that their ballots are available for downloading and printing.

The system which will deliver these blank ballots was developed in-house within the Secretary of State’s Office at no additional cost to Georgia’s taxpayers.

Secretary Kemp stated, “We were able to leverage our existing technology and resources to better serve Georgia’s overseas and military voters without having to incur any additional costs or expense.”

To access their ballot, military and overseas voters will log on to a secure webpage on the Secretary of State’s website, print and vote their ballot, and then mail it back to their county election office. This will save weeks of time previously lost to delivery of blank ballots by mail.

Secretary Kemp added, “One ballot cast by a member of our military that is not counted due to slow mail service or a missed deadline is one too many. This e-government solution increases Georgia’s commitment to our men and women in uniform, who fight to protect our Constitution and our freedoms, by providing them additional opportunities to vote and fully participate in our elections.”

With this new advance in ballot delivery, Georgia is in full compliance with the federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act (also known as the MOVE Act) and Georgia House Bill 1073, signed into law this year by Governor Perdue.


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Pew Commends Uniform Law Commission for Military and Overseas Voters Act

/PRNewswire/ -- The Uniform Law Commission (ULC) took a major step toward improving state election systems by approving the Uniform Military and Overseas Voters Act at its annual meeting July 15. The model law would resolve longstanding, widespread voting problems in all federal, state and local elections for American military personnel and citizens overseas. In 2011, many of the commissioners will work to enact the model law through legislation in their respective states.

The ULC, also known as the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, now in its 119th year, comprises more than 350 lawyers, judges, law professors, and lawyer-legislators from every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Commissioners are appointed by their states to draft and promote the enactment of uniform laws designed to solve problems common to all the states.

Critical provisions of the Uniform Military and Overseas Voters Act include:

-- mandating that absentee ballots for all elections be sent at least 45
days before an election;
-- requiring electronic transmission of voting materials, including blank
absentee ballots for all elections, upon request;
-- eliminating the requirement for notarization of military and overseas
ballots; and
-- expanding acceptance of the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (used as
a back-up measure when official ballots aren't received) for all
elections.


"In 1952, President Truman urged reform of an election system that disenfranchised those who served in the military in World War II and in the post-war reconstruction," said Doug Chapin, director of Election Initiatives for the Pew Center on the States. "We commend the ULC for setting both a gold standard and developing a practical solution that states can adopt to finally answer Truman's call. This new model law will make it easier for those who defend and represent our nation's democratic ideals around the world to participate in our democracy here at home."

In January 2009, the Pew Center on the States issued No Time to Vote: Challenges Facing America's Overseas Military Voters, a report which documented that 25 states and the District of Columbia did not provide adequate time for overseas service members to vote and have their ballots counted. At that time, Pew began working with the ULC to inform the drafting of the Uniform Military and Overseas Voters Act.

In October 2009, Congress passed the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act, which removed many of the obstacles to voting and provided more time for military service members and overseas citizens to participate in federal elections. Since then, Pew has been working with states to bring their laws and regulations into compliance with the MOVE Act and expand the new provisions to state and local elections. The ULC's model act provides a clear blueprint for states to go beyond the federal MOVE law and extend key protections for military and overseas voters to any general, special, primary or runoff election for federal, state and local offices and ballot measures.

In addition to its efforts to improve the election system for military personnel and civilians abroad, the Pew Center on the States is partnering with state election officials and Google to develop the Voting Information Project, which will harness modern information technologies to get voters, no matter where they reside, the election information they need. Pew has also been examining the problems posed by the nation's outdated voter registration system and is collaborating with election officials to evaluate options for building a system that is more efficient and accurate, while reducing costs and administrative burdens.

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Microsoft Teams With Democracy Live to Assist Military Voters Secure Easier Access to Ballot

/PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. and Issaquah-based Democracy Live recently announced a partnership that aims to make voting more accessible for the hundreds of thousands of Americans who are living and serving overseas during elections and want their vote to count. The Democracy Live system has already been selected by numerous elections jurisdictions for use in the coming August primary election.

By delivering virtual ballots to voters around the world, Democracy Live and Microsoft have eliminated a long standing problem for voters stationed in the military and overseas. Using the Democracy Live technology called "LiveBallot" a voter living anywhere in the world can access their ballot immediately online. Historically voters have had to wait as long as 2-3 weeks for their ballot to arrive. The delay often meant military men and women overseas would have not have their ballot counted. LiveBallot is hosted and supported by Microsoft's Azure cloud platform.

A new federal law was recently passed (called the MOVE ACT) that aims to make voting more accessible for voters living and serving abroad during federal, state and local elections. LiveBallot is offered to states and localities to immediately comply with the new federal law.

"In the past, voting has been difficult for troops and other Americans living or serving overseas," said Bryan Finney, president, Democracy Live. "We are pleased to be teaming with Microsoft and using the Windows Azure platform to deliver the most vital tool to our democracy - the ballot. By using Microsoft Azure, LiveBallot allows states to provide U.S. voters with a convenient, safe and secure way to participate in elections from anywhere in the world."

LiveBallot allows voters to print and mail their ballot and track their ballot online to monitor when it is received and processed by their county elections office. This technology gives overseas voters the assurance their ballot is correctly processed, no matter where in the world they vote.

"Running on Microsoft's Windows Azure cloud platform, LiveBallot will help state and local governments reduce the costs associated with sample ballots, voter pamphlets and other paper-based voter information," said Gail Thomas-Flyn, vice president, state and local government at Microsoft. "By utilizing a cloud-based platform Democracy Live can scale up for elections and down once results are determined, which will only further reduce strain on limited election resources."

Multiple counties in Washington State have already used LiveBallot in numerous elections. Kitsap County, Wash., was one of the first jurisdictions to field the solution and has now used the LiveBallot technology in multiple elections.

Retired Navy Chief and Kitsap County resident Dearl Hankins stated, "When I was stationed overseas in the military, during election time it always felt like I had to fight two battles: One battle was against the enemy and one just to be able to vote. A system like LiveBallot makes voting a lot easier for us to concentrate on the mission and not have to worry if our ballot was counted."

"LiveBallot is designed to deliver each of the 200 million eligible voters in the U.S. their specific ballot and balloting information," Bryan Finney said. "The Microsoft Azure cloud provides the scalability and security required to meet the coming demand for any voter, anywhere from Dubai or the dentist chair, to access their ballot from any online screen or device."

Finney went on to say that LiveBallot is not Internet voting, but simply delivering voter information, including a voter's specific ballot. Voters still must print and mail their ballot back in, Finney stated. "Voters are beginning to use LiveBallot to access and print their ballot. This system will save taxpayers significant dollars by eliminating or reducing the number of mail ballots and paper voter pamphlets."

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Pew Applauds Congress for Including Military and Overseas Voting Solutions in Final Defense Authorization Bill

/PRNewswire/ -- Today, Congress enacted the National Defense Authorization Act which includes provisions that will resolve several key voting problems for American military service members and citizens overseas. The bill encompasses the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act, which is sponsored by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), co-sponsored by Senator Robert Bennett (R-UT) and supported by a bipartisan group of senators and representatives. It will expedite the transmission of absentee ballots to military personnel and civilians abroad to provide more time for them to vote in U.S. elections and return their ballots in time to be counted. In the last federal election, it is estimated that as many as one in four ballots requested by these voters was not counted.

"The election system has failed our service members and citizens abroad for decades. The MOVE Act marks significant progress toward making it easier for those who defend and represent democratic ideals around the world to participate in our democracy here at home," said Doug Chapin, director of Election Initiatives for the Pew Center on the States, a division of The Pew Charitable Trusts that has advocated for improvements to the election system. "We applaud Senators Schumer and John Cornyn (R-TX) for their leadership, along with Representatives Robert Brady (D-PA), Susan Davis (D-CA) and Dan Lungren (R-CA) for championing these critical steps forward for military and overseas voters."

In January 2009, the Pew Center on the States issued the report, "No Time to Vote: Challenges Facing America's Overseas Military Voters," the first-ever detailed public analysis of states' voting systems for service members living abroad. The report found that 25 states and the District of Columbia do not provide adequate time for overseas service members to vote and have their ballots counted.

In accordance with Pew's recommendations, the provisions would ensure adequate time to vote by:

-- requiring ballots to be sent to military and overseas voters at least
45 days before an election;
-- expediting the voting process by requiring voter registration
applications, absentee ballot applications and blank ballots to be
made available electronically to them;
-- eliminating the notarization of military and overseas ballots in the
remaining states that currently require it; and
-- expanding the opportunity for Americans abroad to use the Federal
Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) in all federal elections and using
technology to allow voters to access election information
electronically.


"The MOVE Act is a significant step in the right direction by Congress," said David Becker, project director of Election Initiatives for the Pew Center on the States. "To finish the job, we need to extend these reforms to state elections and modernize the means by which we register and provide information to voters. The changes will not be helpful if ballots are simply sent faster to outdated addresses of those who have been deployed elsewhere. Voter registration updates should be automated to ensure that the records for highly mobile populations, such as military personnel, are accurate."

The Pew Center on the States is working on a full complement of election system reforms for military personnel and civilians abroad. Since January, Pew has supported efforts by the Uniform Law Commission to draft a model law for states, which would extend recommended federal protections to state elections.

In addition, Pew's Voting Information Project (VIP), developed in partnership with Google, Inc. and state and local election officials, makes important voting information available electronically. Using VIP, for example, military and overseas voters could generate customized ballot listings to assist them with casting federal, state or local write-in absentee ballots.

Pew also aims to improve the nation's outdated voter registration system by examining options for building a system that is more efficient and accurate, while reducing costs and administrative burdens. Pew continues to gather data, analyze research and work with election officials to diagnose performance issues in the current voter registration system and propose fact-based, practical solutions to guide the modernization process.

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