Evening star., 1944-11-05
FifthofResiidents
hayUse
Absentee Ballot
Figure Ranges From
$4,000 to 100, 900
At Party Bureaus

leaders here believe not more thai
one-fifth Of the persons Of votinI
age living in the District will cas-
. ballot counted in Tuesdays elec
ton.
Onicials at absentee voting bu
reaus conducted by both Democrati
and Republican organizations. in
terviewed yesterday, estimated tn,
number Of District inhabitants VIII,
are voting in their home states thi
year at from $1,000 to 125 200.
Without exact figures, conserya
tive estimates placed the number O
persons of voting age living in lh,
District at around 625, 900.
Parties Agree ON Large Vote.
Democratic and Republican work.
ers were in agreement that keep in.
terest in the Presidential election
this year. plus the increased popula-
ton OF the District, will result in 8
record number of absentee ballots
being cast by those who maintain
voting residences In their home
states.
They estimated the number OF
such eligible" voters in the District
lin contrast to the 625, 900 or mors
potential" voters-at from 200, ,U0t
to 225,000, as compared with from
10000 to 125,000 in 1910.
Russell Balderson, chairman OF
the Democratic Central Committee
for the District of Columbia, said
the increased absentee voting from
Washington was creating a greater
interest in obtaining the right to
vote for bona fide" residents of the
District. A conservative estimate
would place at more than 400, 900
the number Of persons of voting age
barred from voting because Of their
District residence.
d. C. Needs Suffrage.
Those of us who live in WASH
ington. unable to vote because we
do not maintain a legal residence
In one of the States, cannot see why
we should be denied the right to
have something to say in our Gov
ernment", he declared. I'VE feel
that We should have our say in
who should be President.
I'VE also feel that the people
who live here are on the average
just as intelligent as anywhere else
and should be equally entitled to
govern themselves by naming the
people, who administer their local
Government"
Mr.. Balderson pointed out that
the Democratic platform called for
extension of suffrage to the District
and said I'VE are going to fight
for it," The Republican platform Is
silent on this issue, although many
Republicans in Congress favor Dis
trict suffrage.
Both the Republican and Demo-
cratic workers were reluctant to 60
on record with estimates of the
extent Of absentee voting from
Washington, due to the lack of any
precise figures. Their qualified es-
Inmates were offered as rough
guesses, based, in part, on the num-
Der Of persons seeking information
about absentee voting laws of the
various States and assistance In
executing their ballots.
Comparison Is Cited.
Mrs. Faith Gwynne Fisher. di-
rector of the Republican Absentee
Voters Bureau, with omces on the
second floor Of the National Press
Building, said that at least twice as
many persons had sought informa-
Iion and assistance there this year
than in 1910. She estimated this
number at close to 100000 for 1914
Frank Ross, director of the Alb
sentee Voters Bureau of the Demo-
cratic National Committee, with
ofnces at 906 Fourteenth street
NV, estimated the number seek
ing information there at approx
mately $4,000.
A separate absentee voters bu-
reau Is maintained by the Demo-
cratic Central Committee of the
District Of Columbia at the Bur-
lington Hotel, 1120 Vermont avenue
NV. Mr.. Balderson and other
workers said 1t was impossible to
estimate the number of persons
seeking information there, although
1t was much greater than in 1910,
1t was pointed out that there is
no way to ascertain how many per-
sons who telephone one of the alb
sentee voters bureaus for informa-
tion follow through" actually OBJ
tain their ballots and execute them
At the same time there Is no avail
able check on the number who may
complete ballots without reference
to one Of the party organization
bureaus.
Some Voters Discouraged.
Some would-be voters are dis
couraged at the amount Of red
tape they have to 60 through to
cast their vote, 1t was said. Some
are reluctant to make themselves
liable to State income tax in their
home States by getting on the vot-
ing lists there. On the other hand.
workers of both parties reported
many instances of persons who had
not voted for several years but were
so determined to play their part
In this election that they are 60
ing to extreme lengths to cast their
ballots.
Mr.. Balderson recalled that one
woman from Mississippi had to
write three letters to her home
county clerk before he was con-
vinced that recent change in the
Mississippi voting law permitted
absentee balloting.
Mrs. Fisher said the Republican
absentee voting headquarters fire.
quently had telephone calls asking
that a notary public be sent to a
home to notarize the ballots Of per-
sons who were too i'll to come to
the Office.
Gueeses Run High.
Giving due weight to all the fac
tors involved in an effort to arrive
at conservative estimates, Mr.. Bal
derson said he believed 75,0Oe or
10000 persons living here were vot-
ing this year, and 1T probably would
run more" while workers ut the
Democratic National Committee and