Issa introduces bill to make voting easier for active-duty service members

Active-duty service members would be able to vote in communities where they are stationed rather than their “home of record” under legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) on Friday.

The Bringing All Servicemembers Equality in Voting Act (BASE Voting Act), H.R. 2694, aims to make voting more accessible to active duty members of the military by allowing them to cast ballots at their current duty station.

“Members of the military have long been disenfranchised from voting in the community they live and serve by restrictions that fail to take into account the unique set of challenges presented by the transitory experience of a military member’s service,” Issa said. “Men and women in uniform send their kids to school, coach little league, go to PTA meetings, use their local parks and roads, yet are often discouraged from being able to participate in the democratic process in those very same areas.”

H.R. 2694, Issa added, would remove unnecessary barriers that limit participation in one of democracy’s most fundamental rights, which service members have “already given so much to preserve and defend.”

Issa introduced the bill with bipartisan support from U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN). U.S. Reps. Charlie Dent (R-PA) and Susan Brooks (R-IN) are among the bill’s 10 cosponsors.