The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1943-12-21
Soldier Vote
BY PETER EDISON

An ex-congressman from Mississippi who
for mingled reasons of local pride and self
defense wishes to remain nameless tells the
story about visE+'f in little southern town
who was admiring an old cannon mounted
on the town square
Don't suppose it's ever been fired since the
Civil War;" said the visitor
"Oh, yes it's been fired some' admitted
the native, who was hin1sel, veteran of
the war between the States. But he seemed
little reluctant to tell just when Pressed for
an answer, however. he finally explained:
Every votin' day. he said, I'VE fire off
this cannon just to let all the nggers in this
community know that we're about to conduct
free, fair and strictly constitutional election"
Action by the U. S Senate in refusing to
pass the Green-Lucas bill intended to give the
soldiers and sailors a vote is just about the
equivalent of firing off shot to be heard
round the world, notifying men and women
IN service that there's going to be national
election, but that people in uniform aren't
wanted as voters. For an examination of the
absentee voting laws of the separate states,
made by the Congressional Legislative Refer
ence Service, shows that it will be practically
impossible for eight nine million of the
service people to vote at all particularly the
several million overseas. Leaving it up to
the states won't work because the varying
AZ codes on absentee voting simply don't cover
the present situation.
Thirty-nine states require registration of SOL
dlers before they can vote The Green-Lucas
bill would have waived registration require
ments, but under the Rankin Ea stand amend
ment, registration is made mandatory so this
throws the problem back OF existing state
laws Only Arkansas Colorado Illinois, Ne
Vada, Oklahoma Oregcn. Texas and some
parts of Kansas and Minnesota would thus
permit voting without registration.
In most cases, registration requirements are
written IN the state constitutions, and only
eight states have their state legislatures in
regular session during 1914. Thus the other
six would have to call special sessions of
their legislatures to remedy this situation,
even II 1t were possible 10 amend consti-
tuition before election
Eight southern states require payment of
poll taxes before voting, so this would mean
payment of from 81 to 50 by money order
or payroll deduction or other cumbersome
detail. In Mississippi absentee voting is per-
mitted for primaries only and requires the
assistance of four disinteresteo Witnesses
The effectiveness of all these varying state
laws In blocking soldier voting is perhaps hest
shown by experience in the 1912 elections,
when only 1886 men ano women in service
took the trouble to apply for ballots, and Of
lACoS, OIl1y Ao,UOl we're Counted, DIS Gl1eCClVe
ballots.
The greatest obstacle to soldier voting under
state laws is the time factor. There simply
are not adequate air mail facilities to the
overseas theaters of operation to 60 through
all the red tape required under existing and
conflicting state election laws. At a mini
mum, it is a six-step operation. First, the
soldier must apply for registration forms. Sec
ond, secretary of state sends folms to soldier.
Third soldier fills them in and returns them.
Fourth, soldier applies for ballot Fifth, Sec
rotary of state checks registration and sends
ballot. Sixth, soldier sends ballot to secretary
of state.
1t takes six days, at minimum, for air
mail to reach a soldier outside the U. S. but
in North America. It's is days to the Far
East. Multiply those times by five trips re-
CURED for the six operations above and you
have lag of from month to three months
just to complete the .'aperwork.
Yet in u states, voter can apply for a
ballot only 80 days before election. In Wis
consin it's IL days, and in Oklahoma it's TO-
Vermont, Arkansas and West Virginia have
other time limits
| The whole thing is hopeless.