The Air Force Times reports that the Secretary of Defense is demanding proof that all the installation voting assistance offices (IVAOs) are open for business. 

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has directed military officials to provide him a report by Oct. 19 verifying that each of the 221 installation voting assistance offices is appropriately staffed to meet the needs of troops.  He gave officials three days to get it done; the memo was issued Oct. 16 to the service secretaries, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, and chiefs of the combatant commands.  “We must do all we can to ensure that service members know the steps necessary to vote, particularly those service members deployed or based away from home. This issue must be addressed immediately,” he wrote.

Interesting, considering that the acting head of the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) Pam Mitchell, in her statement to Congress, challenged the findings of the Inspector General Report that over half of the installation voting assistance offices could not be contacted and the MOVE Act requirement had not been fully implemented.  In fact, she told the Congress and the public that “voting services had never been better.”

Apparently, the Secretary of Defense is not as confident as FVAP that all the installation voting assistance offices are working as designed and says he is going to get to the bottom of it.

The Air Force Times reports that the Secretary of Defense is demanding proof that all the installation voting assistance offices (IVAOs) are open for business. 

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has directed military officials to provide him a report by Oct. 19 verifying that each of the 221 installation voting assistance offices is appropriately staffed to meet the needs of troops.  He gave officials three days to get it done; the memo was issued Oct. 16 to the service secretaries, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, and chiefs of the combatant commands.  “We must do all we can to ensure that service members know the steps necessary to vote, particularly those service members deployed or based away from home. This issue must be addressed immediately,” he wrote.

Interesting, considering that the acting head of the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) Pam Mitchell, in her statement to Congress, challenged the findings of the Inspector General Report that over half of the installation voting assistance offices could not be contacted and the MOVE Act requirement had not been fully implemented.  In fact, she told the Congress and the public that “voting services had never been better.”

Apparently, the Secretary of Defense is not as confident as FVAP that all the installation voting assistance offices are working as designed and says he is going to get to the bottom of it.