The Washington times., 1918-08-23
SOLDIER VOTE IS
PUZZLE TO STATES

Much activity on the part OF State
legislatures next winter is expected
here in the enactment of laws provid.
ing for voting by members OF army,
navy and marine corps who are out
Of the country at election time or alb
sent from their places OF residence.
The attention of Congress has been
called to the subject by Senator
TrammeII of Florida who has just
got a resolution adopted expressing
| il as the sense of the Senate that the
! legislatures be urgently requested at
| their next sessions to enact suitable
| laws for such voting.
| As is well known, comparatively
few States have enacted legislation
providing for balloting by members
| of the military and naval forces.
Moreover, there is little machinery
| available for the purpose. Such leg
! islation as has been enacted was put
through with little or no conception
that the United States in the year
1918 would have a million and half
troops in Europe and more than that
many in training in this country
with plans about matured FOR raising
the army to 100000.
Senator Trammelrs resolution. OF
course, cannot compel any State leg
islAture to act The Federal Govern
ment has no authority to exercise
any such compulsion.
But the moral influence of the Sen
ate's request will undoubtedly be
marked What is more, IL there is one
subject, about which the politicians
of all stripes are sensitive, tbs the
good will of the American land and
naval forces at the present juncture,
Proposals for laws for voting by
these forces need only be brought up
in any legislature to command care
full notice.
It is not expected here there will
be much participation by soldiers and
sailors in this falls Congressional
elections. Particularly is this true
of the forces in Europe. For one
thing, the Conversational contests are
not arousing as much political inter
est as usual. For another, the Ameri
can expeditionary forces nave other
things to think of. Besides, the
States that have laws to permit vot-
ing by the members of the army and
navy, overseas or absent. have done
little to arrange for the machinery
for the actual casting and handling
of ballots. The War Department has
announced it will not be responsible
for taking the vote, but will do
everything possible to assist the
States
In fact. the War Department is
charged by some who are interested in
having troops and sailors vote with
passing the buck" up to the States.
and assuming as little burden in the |
matter as possible. The department has |
ruled that the ballots taken in France |
will not be submitted to the regular
military censorship. Authorities in New
York and Illinois raised the question
whether the censoring OF the ballots
would not invalidate them since it
could be charged the secrecy of the
voting had been violated.
Politicians with long heads are not
so nnDch concerned over the voting by
the soldiers and sailors in this falls
election as they are over 1920 campaign.
OF course, the war may be over then.
And then again IT may not be over. II
there are 100000 men in the fighting
fronts in 1920, II will mean something
to the result to have their votes cast
They could easily swing an election il
shown for one OF the candidates for the
Presidency.