Even More Military Voters Likely to Be Disenfranchised

Newsmax.com | 5/3/2004 | Newsmax

[JimRed]

John Kerry is fond of touting the number of people who attend his campaign events and likes to crack, "And that's not a Katherine Harris count."

But Kerry and other Democrats never mention when they whine about the 2000 election that ballots from America's military -- 75 percent of whom vote Republican -- were disqualified in greater numbers than ever before in history.

Unfortunately, things aren't looking any better for the disenfranchised military voters this year, Human Events reports.

An Internet absentee voting system was cancelled due to security concerns. And it takes sometimes up to four months for our servicemen and women to receive their mail.

After interviewing 127 servicemen in Afghanistan, the General Accounting Office released a report.

"Nearly half said that they waited more than four weeks to get their mail, and many commented that some mail took as long as four months to work its way through the system."

Much of the mail was just plain lost and at least 80 percent told the GAO they knew of some mail they never received at all. A GAO test affirmed those claims.

Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) wrote to Donald Rumsfeld complaining, "Military absentee ballots that are lost, incorrectly completed or delivered past local election deadlines disenfranchise the military voter."

And the senator's communications director, Rob Ostrander, said, "There doesn't seem to be the sense of urgency within the bureaucracy that is needed to address these problems quickly."

Worse, retired Rear Adm. Jim Carey, a former Federal Maritime Commission chairman and current National Defense Committee chairman, says "Given the sluggish military mail system that the GAO has described in its report, and with the increased military deployments to ever-more remote locations such as Iraq and Afghanistan, it's pretty obvious to me that even fewer servicemen will be able to vote this year than were able to in 2000."

Carey also criticized the cancellation of Internet voting, claiming "Both military and civilian organizations, governments and embassies, now routinely send sensitive electronic messages in a secure manner."

[JimRed]

Could we subcontract the job out to UPS, FedEx et al, for five day delivery? I'll bet they'd get it done!

[BushisTheMan]

The military should be working with the guys in Afghanistan, Iraq, and any place overseas to vote early and someone knowledgeable should be there to make sure they fill out all voting forms correctly -- or else the RATs will throw away their vote at the first opportunity.

[PetroniDE]

I have the solution to this problem.

Have members of the military PERSONALLY deliver the ballots to the units in the field. Have the unit members vote, then have military personnel deliver the ballots to the states IN PERSON.

If these brave souls are not voting, then NOBODY should be voting, IMHO.

[Old Sarge]

And verify every military vote with every means possible.

Even if the ballots must be brought back under armed courier.

I was an absentee military voter in 2000. I'll never know if my vote was counted or not.

[shezza]

That's a great idea! If cost were a roadblock, some major corporations might step in to fund it (e.g., Wal-Mart, and others who visibly support the military).

[GeorgiaMike]

That would tick me off if the very people who are fighting for democracy aren't allowed to participate in it.

[Liberty Valance]

If these brave souls are not voting, then NOBODY should be voting, IMHO.

Bump
Ditto
Absolutely
Without a doubt
Yes

[Shery]

If it makes you feel any better, we seem to have some kind of system in the works now, although I don't know about the guys on the front lines. We have "voting officers", appointed by the unit commanders to make sure everyone who wants to can vote. There are two types of forms, with one being the last-minute write in form if ordered forms don't arrive in time. I was appointed as officer of my unit. I do hope that the guys in Iraq, Afganistan, and wherever else they are have some support.

[JimRed]

We have "voting officers", appointed by the unit commanders to make sure everyone who wants to can vote.

I'm glad to hear that, and, by the way, thank you for your service!

[SkyPilot]

And the military gets screwed..........again....