BELTON (October 23, 2012)—After a local election official raised concerns about an omission in an e-mail that urged troops to vote absentee by mail, soldiers have been given the correct instructions on the process depending on the requirements of their home states, a Fort Hood spokesperson said Tuesday.

Bell County Clerk Shelley Coston said her office got information that troops were being encouraged to vote using a Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot, but an e-mail that was sent out to soldiers left out an important step involving what’s called the Federal Post Card Application.

In an Oct. 15 e-mail, Col. Jason Evans, the Army's adjutant general, urged soldiers to vote by completing and mailing in the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot, which is available online, but Texas law requires a request for a ballot in writing by mail.

"An FPCA is equivalent to an application for a ballot by mail so in order for those write-in absentee ballots to be validated we were required to receive the FPCA first," Coston said.

Coston said that if soldiers cast ballots that can't be matched with a request, their votes won't be counted.

Requests by mail for ballots must be received by Oct. 30.