Montgomery -- Secretary of State Beth Chapman is being featured in a Public Service Announcement (PSA), which was launched late yesterday at the Pentagon and will be aired on all eight Armed Forces Networks including the Pentagon Channel for the next two months. It will be seen around the world by members of all branches of our military encouraging them to vote an absentee ballot.
Chapman worked with the Federal Voting Assistance Program and the Department of Defense on the Absentee Voting PSA. “Since our state has such a large number of citizens serving in our military, I am honored to represent Alabama in this national effort to encourage all members of our military serving abroad to vote an absentee ballot,” Chapman said.
In appreciation of Secretary Chapman’s participation, Polli Brunelli, Director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program stated, “We thank Secretary Chapman for reminding our military and overseas citizens that no matter where they live they can vote and their vote will be counted."
Chapman, became Alabama’s 51st Secretary of State in January of this year and placed a high priority on the military’s right to vote in a more efficient and effective manner. Chapman is the only Secretary of State in Alabama’s history to gain national support for our state’s important need to provide our military and overseas voters a more efficient and effective means by which to cast their votes.
Chapman created a bipartisan coalition in support of legislation which would have allowed members of the military, their families and all Alabamians overseas to vote via the internet under a means of tight security. The legislation passed the Senate Committee with a unanimous vote, but it never came out of the House committee.
“Alabama has one of the highest percentages of men and women serving in the National Guard and in all branches at all levels of the military. If they are willing to defend our right to vote while serving abroad, then they should be guaranteed their right to vote at home,” Chapman said.
Chapman is presently working with a number of entities to further enhance and negotiate legislation that everyone can support upfront so it can have the best chance possible of passing the Legislature in their next session.
“Alabama has an opportunity to become a flagship state with regard to military voting,” Chapman said. “Our military men and women are the best in the country and our voting process for them should be the best as well,” Chapman concluded.