According to the Federal Election Assistance Commission overseas and absentee military voting for the 2006 elections was 5.5 percent. There are six million absentee military voters, their families, and civilian Americans living abroad.  But the quality of voting statistics is awful;we don't know how many of the 300,000 votes were actually sent in.
Retired U.S. Marine Corps Charles Henry said,"While virtually everyone involved...seems to agree that military people deserve at least equal opportunity when it comes to having their votes counted,indications are that in November 2008,many thousands of service members who try to vote will do so in vain."  Capt. Henry received his 1980 absentee ballot too late to count.
On July 8th  Rep Roy Bunt, the House Republican  Whip, introduced a resolution to help the Defense Dept. better enable overseas military personnel to vote in the November elections.  Not one Democrat joined Blunt as a co-sponsor.  In fact the act was followed by silence.
The Defense Dept. Inspector General's report of March 2007 suggested "appointment of civilian personnel as "voting assistance officers". But the Pentagon rejected that concept.
Robert Novak reported that the troubles of the 2000 absentee military voting had not been corrected for the 2004 Presidential election.Remember how Jessie Jackson cried about every vote must count in Florida.  He didn't show up for the ralley for military absentee ballots.  Are Democrats afraid that soldiers will cast too many Republican votes.
One turkey that need  to go is Under Secretary of Defense David Chu.  Chu was put in charge of the problem in 2004.  He is best known for not returning telephone calls about the military voting scandal.