Evening star., 1944-03-31
Roosevelt Fails
To Sign or Veto
Service Vote Bill
Continued From First Page.)


his January message, the President
said that it had proved wholly in
effective in the 1912 congressional
elections, in which he said only
$4,000 service votes were counted,
though there were 100000 persons
In the armed forces.
Earlier, Chairman OMahoney of
the Democratic Senatorial Cam
paign Committee predicted that
relatively few men overseas would
get a chance to vote in November.
Senator O'Mahoney said he did
not believe the act would facilitate
service voting to any great extent.
The Senator said the provision that
would keep troops in foreign lands
from applying for Federal war
ballot until after October present.
ed an "insuperable obstacle"
Calls Provisions Confusing"
The text of President Roosevelt's
message follows:
To the Congress Of the United
States:
I am permitting S. 1885, entitled
"An act to facilitate voting, in time
of war, by members of the land and
naval forces, members of the mer-
chant marine and others, absent
from the place of their residence
and to amend the act of September
Is, 1912, and for other purposes" to
become law without my signature.
The bill is, in my Judgment, Who'll
ly inadequate to assure to service
men and women as far as is prac-
tically feasible the same opportunity
which they would have to vote If
they were at home.
Because of the confusing provi-
sions of the bill and because of the
difficulty of knowing just what will
be the practical effect of the bill in
operation, it is impossible for me to
determine whether, in fact, more
service men and women will be able
to vote under the new measure than
under existing law. That determi-
nation will largely depend upon the
extent to which the States co-op-
crate to make the measure as effec-
tive as its provisions permit. In
view of this situation, I have re-
solved the doubt in favor of the ac-
tion taken by the Congress and am
permitting the bill to become law
without my approval
Congress Shares Responsibility.
In other words, this bill might
fairly be called standing invitation
to the several States to make it
practicable for their citizens to vote
In this sense the Congress is placing
4 certain responsibility on each State
for action. But it will, of course, be
understood by those in the armed
services who want to vote but can
not that the Congress itself shares
the responsibility through the COM
plexities of this bill.
The issue regarding soldiers vot-
ing has been confused. The issue
is not whether soldiers should be
allowed to vote full ballot, includ-
ing State and local offices, or a
short ballot confined to Federal
Offices. I am, and always have been
anxious to have the Federal Gov
ernment do everything within It's
power compatible with military op-
erations to get the full State ballots
to the men and women in the serv-
ice. I always have been, and am
now, anxious to have the States do
everything within their power to get
the full State ballots to the men and
women in the service.
The real issue is whether after the
States have done all that they are
willing to do to get the full State
ballots to the men and women In the
service, and after the Federal Gov.
eminent has done everything within
It's power to get the full State bal
Lots delivered to the men and women
in the service, those who have not
received their full State ballots
should be given the right to cast a
short, uniform Federal ballot which
can readily be made available to
them. This right, which should be
assured to all men and women in
the service, is largely nullified by
the conditions which the provisions
Of this bill attach to its exercise.
Cites Bills Restrictions.
In my judgment, the right of a
soldier to vote the Federal ballot, if
he does not receive in time his State
ballot, should not be conditioned, as
it is by this bill, upon his having
made prior application for a State
ballot, or upon the prior certifcation
by the Governor of the State that
the Federal ballot is acceptable
under State law. This bill provides
a Federal ballot, but, because of
these conditions, it does not provide
the right to vote.
The Federal Government will and
should do everything it can to get
the State ballots to our men and
women in the service. But it is not,
in my judgment, true, as some have
contended, that the Federal Govern
ment can assure the use of State
ballots as readily as the use of Fed
eral ballots. No matter what effort
the Federal Government makes, in
many cases it will not be possible to
insure the delivery in time of State
ooAObo W oColSlldCcO INDIVIDUALS all
over the world or their return in
time to the respective States.
Some of the service men and
women, not knowing where they will
be month hence or whether they
will be alive, will not apply for
their ballots. Others will not re-
ceive their State ballots in time or
be able to get their ballots back
to their States in time. Remember
that a number of States will re-
ouire a special form of application
and that the postal card applica-
tlon forms supplied by the Federal
Government are only treated as an
application for an application for a
State ballot.
The Federal Government can in
sure, and in my judgment it is che
duty of the Federal Government to
insure, that every service man and
woman who does not get his State
ballot IN time shall have the right
to Use short and uniform Federal
ballot.
Says Congress Has Power.
1t Is in my judgment within the