Military Families: Perceptions, Challenges, and Barriers to Voting Participation and Absentee Voting Table of Contents Authors .......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Abbreviation ................................................................................................................................................. 4 Overview of the Research Effort and Findings.............................................................................................. 5 Literature Review ........................................................................................................................................ 10 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 10 Motivations to Vote - Service Members ................................................................................................. 11 Methods of Voting .................................................................................................................................. 11 U.S. Federal Legislation ........................................................................................................................... 13 U.S. Supreme Court Cases ....................................................................................................................... 14 FVAP Literature: Implementation and Analysis ...................................................................................... 14 Discussion................................................................................................................................................ 15 Methodology ............................................................................................................................................... 17 Sample: Demographics ........................................................................................................................... 17 Sample: Service Member Characteristics ............................................................................................... 19 Results: Voting Motivations, Perceptions, and Influences ......................................................................... 21 Motivations and Perceptions .................................................................................................................. 21 Military Influences .................................................................................................................................. 44 Voter Registration Drive ......................................................................................................................... 54 Foreign Interference ............................................................................................................................... 64 Results: Party Affiliation and Important Issues ........................................................................................... 71 Party Affiliation ....................................................................................................................................... 71 Important Issues ..................................................................................................................................... 75 Sources of Information ........................................................................................................................... 77 Results: Voting, Registration, and Process .................................................................................................. 79 Voter Registration ................................................................................................................................... 79 Voting During Election ............................................................................................................................ 82 Problems While Voting ........................................................................................................................... 95 Absentee Ballot ....................................................................................................................................... 98 Knowledge........................................................................................................................................... 98 Absentee Voting During Election ...................................................................................................... 106 Valuable Sources of Information ...................................................................................................... 119 Absentee Voting Preferences ........................................................................................................... 121 Information about Voting ..................................................................................................................... 129 Results: Media ........................................................................................................................................... 142 Results: Multivariate Analysis ................................................................................................................... 144 Active Duty Service Members ............................................................................................................... 144 Presidential Election Voting and Military Influence ......................................................................... 144 Presidential Election Voting and Civic Duty ...................................................................................... 146 Presidential Election Voting and Voting Makes a Difference ........................................................... 148 Presidential Election Voting and Motivation .................................................................................... 150 Presidential Election Voting and Materials Received During PCS ..................................................... 152 Presidential Election Voting and Political Party ................................................................................ 154 Prepared by the IVMF 1 | Page September 2018 Presidential Election Voting and Informed about Political Matters ................................................. 156 Presidential Election Voting and Number of Times Registered to Vote ........................................... 158 Presidential Election Voting and Problems Encountered Voting ...................................................... 160 Presidential Election Voting and Knowledge .................................................................................... 162 Presidential Election Voting and Absentee Ballot ............................................................................ 167 Active Duty Spouses .............................................................................................................................. 170 Presidential Election Voting and Military Influence ......................................................................... 170 Presidential Election Voting and Civic Duty ...................................................................................... 172 Presidential Election Voting and Civic Duty ...................................................................................... 174 Presidential Election Voting and Motivation .................................................................................... 176 Presidential Election Voting and Materials Received During PCS ..................................................... 178 Presidential Election Voting and Political Party ................................................................................ 180 Presidential Election Voting and Informed about Political Matters ................................................. 182 Presidential Election Voting and Number of Times Registered to Vote ........................................... 184 Presidential Election Voting and Problems Encountered Voting ...................................................... 186 Presidential Election Voting and Knowledge .................................................................................... 188 Presidential Election Voting and Absentee Ballot ............................................................................ 194 Conclusion and Recommendations .......................................................................................................... 197 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 197 Recommendations ................................................................................................................................ 201 Education and Awareness: ................................................................................................................ 201 Procedures: ....................................................................................................................................... 201 Policy: ................................................................................................................................................ 202 References ................................................................................................................................................ 203 Prepared by the IVMF 2 | Page September 2018 Authors