March 28, 2006

SPECIAL DETAILS FOR TEXAS RUNOFF PRIMARY ELECTION OF APRIL 11, 2006

The State of Texas will hold the following federal runoff elections on April 11, 2006:

Democratic Party

*       Gene Kelly and Barbara Ann Radnofsky will meet for the nomination for the Senate seat currently held by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson.
                                                           
*       Congressional District 10- Ted Ankrum and Paul Foreman will meet for this seat currently held by Representative Michael McCaul.

Republican Party

*       Congressional District 30- Wilson Aurbach and Amir Omar will meet for this seat currently held by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson.

Uniformed service members, their family members, and overseas citizens who have not yet received their requested state absentee ballot may use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (Standard Form 186) (FWAB) to vote for candidates for Federal, state, and local offices for the April 11, 2006 runoff election.  All ballots must be returned to the local election official by 7:00 p.m. Central Standard Time on Tuesday, April 11, 2006. For voters outside of the United States, all ballots must be placed in delivery by 7:00 p.m. Central Standard Time on Tuesday, April 11, 2006 and received no later than April 17, 2006.  The FWAB is available from unit Voting Assistance Officers (VAO), at embassies or consulates, and is also available from the FVAP website at http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/ofwab.pdf.

This section applies only to Armed Forces voters receiving hostile fire pay, imminent danger pay or in a combat zone.  Texas voters who are members of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty overseas, or the spouse or dependent of a member, and casting the ballot from an area in which members of the Armed Forces are eligible to receive hostile fire pay or imminent danger pay, or that has been designated by the President of the U.S. as a combat zone, are authorized to submit the voted ballot, including the FWAB, by fax or email.  Voters should be aware that by faxing the ballot they are waiving the right to secrecy of their vote for this election and must sign a waiver that will be included in the faxed ballot materials.  A voter returning the voted ballot by fax which was either received by mail or by fax should refer to Appendix B of the 2006-2007 Voting Assistance Guide (located at http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/vag/pdfvag/
appendix_b.pdf) for instructions and a cover sheet (which includes a secrecy waiver) for use when transmitting the voted ballot by fax.  Voters should be sure to fax the entire ballot including any oath or signature required on the ballot-mailing envelope.  See below for FVAP toll-free fax numbers.  Voters must provide a return transmission fax number (including international prefixes) on all documents sent via fax.  Additionally, voters in the above category may scan the voted state ballot or the voted FWAB with the completed Voter Declaration/Affirmation, and e-mail them to ets@fvap.ncr.gov.  All faxed or emailed ballots must be received by 7:00 p.m. Central Standard Time on Tuesday, April 11, 2006.

VAOs should contact those citizens they assist who are Texas voters and inform them of this news release and provide help to them in returning their absentee ballot.
The FVAP can be contacted through the DoD Voting Information Center (VIC). Citizens may reach the VIC toll-free from 67 countries using the toll-free numbers listed on the FVAP website, www.fvap.gov. The VIC provides recorded messages from candidates, as well as other information concerning elections, 24 hours a day.

Questions regarding the above may also be referred to the Director, Federal Voting Assistance Program, Department of Defense, 1155 Defense Pentagon, vote@fvap.ncr.gov and on the World Wide Web at www.fvap.gov.

Additionally, the Consular Section at the U.S. Embassy in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia is available to answer questions about absentee voting.  To contact the Consular Section, call (976-11) 329-095 or send an e-mail to cons@usembassy.mn.

U.S. Embassy Ulaanbaatar Contact Information
--------------------------------
Consular Section
U.S. Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Ikh Toiruu, Micro-district 11
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Or

Consular Section
U.S. Embassy Ulaanbaatar
PSC 461 Box 300
FPO AP 96521

Tel: (976-11) 329-095
Fax:(976-11) 320-776
Website:  http://mongolia.usembassy.gov
E-mail: cons@usembassy.mn