Rokita Observes Hoosier Troops Voting in Iraq

Yesterday, I had a unique opportunity, as a blogger, to participate in a conference call with Secretary of State Todd Rokita while he was in Iraq and Kuwait observing the voting process for our Hoosier men and women fighting in Iraq.  Mostly, I just listened in to hear what he would have to say about how the absentee voting worked for our servicemen.

Three things stuck out to me about this process that Rokita mentioned.  First, that this was the first time any elected state official lower than Governor was allowed to visit our troops in such a fashion.  Second, was that voting turnout is extremely high.  He chalked that up to the improved methods of voting for troops (troops can vote by absentee, email, a secure internet process set up by the Dept. of Defense or fax) as well as the general importance of this election.  He mentioned that he’s hearing as much about presidential election in Iraq as he in the United States.  Third, he also mentioned turnout was high because of the greater importance in the handling of ballots and the importance that the military has put on connecting troops with military personnel in charge of voting.  He mentioned that the ballots are seen as a direct extension of the soldier and that the ballots are treated with the utmost care.  WISHTV.com quoted Rokita as saying:

“They take special care of the ballot as soon as it gets in the mail. They segregate the ballot, preserving the soldier’s privacy. Collect all the ballots, and it’s the first box of mail that goes on each plane, as it leaves Ballad, or other places in the theatre to come back to that soldier’s county clerk’s office,”

It was a very interesting look into the process of how our troops votes are treated and the increasingly painstaking options with which the military is making sure the votes of our troops count, especially in the light of such an important election.  He closed by saying that, as Indiana’s top election official, he doesn’t care what party you belong to as long as you vote.

(Read the press release that announced Rokita’s visit to Iraq below the fold)

(Camp Arifjhan, Kuwait) - Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita has just completed an election oversight mission to Baghdad, Iraq, and Balad Air Force Base in Iraq where he witnessed first hand how soldiers in the battlefield are preparing to cast their votes this election season.

The Department of Defense invited Secretary Rokita to travel within the battle theatre of our nation’s war on terror to meet with troops and military voting representatives. Secretary Rokita was chosen based on his national leadership in promoting the availability of the vote to troops overseas. He recently served a term as president of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) and made military and overseas voting a priority focus area of his term.

Secretary Rokita was joined on the trip to Iraq by current NASS President and Pennsylvania Secretary of State Pedro Cortes and the secretaries of state from California, Florida and Mississippi. This is the first time the Department of Defense has invited secretaries of state to travel to the area of operation (AOR) to observe the absentee ballot process.

“This is a historic opportunity tell our nation’s heroes, face to face, how important it is that they have the right and the means to vote and that their vote is important,” said Secretary Rokita. “Because the Department of Defense arranged this landmark trip, I’ve had the opportunity to hear directly from Hoosier soldiers how the voting process has worked so far. It is evident our military is committed to promoting the vote here by having well-trained voting assistance officers in place to help troops through the process.”

While in Iraq meeting with troops, Secretary Rokita took part in the taping of public service announcements to be broadcast worldwide on the Armed Forces Network.

Secretary Rokita’s trip to Iraq coincides with the approach of the October 6th deadline for all Hoosiers to register to vote. He reminds Hoosiers that they should register at the office of their county clerk or election board or go to www.indianavoters.com to download the Voter Registration form.

“Through this experience, I’m reminded of what makes our nation and our state so great,” said Secretary Rokita. “Our right as citizens to vote is our most fundamental freedom and ensures the strength of our republic. My office and the local election officials across Indiana are dedicated to ensuring that the process is available to each and every Hoosier who wishes to participate no matter their situation. And Hoosiers should take the time to exercise the right that our military members continue to protect.”