Evening star., 1944-11-03
Yanks in Britain Get
Every Chance 10 Vote
Dewey Little Known
By WALTER McCALLUM,
Star Staff Corresnondent

Star Staff Correspondent.
LONDON (By MaiD Before the
votes are counted next week no
estimate can be made or given by
responsible officers in the United
Kingdom and in territory con-
quered by United States forces as
to the size of the soldier vote in
next Tuesdays election.
know. I tried 1t and was threat
ened with court-martial, jail term
and heavy fine.
had an idea that some estimate
Of the size Of the soldier vote might
be had by taking poll Of chow
line In London, after first securing
permission Of the commanding off,
Ger, and by asking each of 100 men
If they had voted for President.
Not how they had voted, but only
II they had voted. I asked the
onicer In charge of soldier voting
in the United Kingdom If that
would be proper.
Good gosh, no." he exclaimed
"Any quizzing Of men or officers on
soldier-voting Is out. You cannot
ask any questions under the law.
If you do you are liable to court
martial, year in Jail and a fine
Of $1,000"
So, having something better to
do with my time and money, I
didn't proceed with my plan. Nor
could the voting officers help me
out even on the matter Of what
proportion of the millions of men
are voting in this years election.
Even Officers Don't Know.
Security reasons, Of course, are
back of some phases of inability to
talk. 1t might help the enemy If
he knew approximately how many
men the United States has in the
European theater. But, frankly, the
voting officers, hard-working gen.
tlemen that they are, do not know
They simply are the agents who get
out the vote, see that every officer
and man finds free facilities for
recording and casting his ballot,
and then are the agents who ship,
through the Army post officers, the
ballots back to the United States,
where they 60 to the States and are
counted. Thousands have been cast
and shipped back to the United
States, long in advance of Novem-
ber 7.
No effort Is being spared to get
out the vote. Thick pamphlets ex-
planning every detail OF the voting
adorn the walls of every billet and
mess. Throughout mealtime at one
Of the larger officers messes in Lon
don-the one called willow Run"
because Of its production efficiency
loud speakers drone out details on
soldier and officer voting. Voting
officers themselves are ION the ball"
In the effort to get out the vote.
The lengths to which the voting
officers 60 is impressive. No effort
is too great, no expenditure of time
or travel too much. Several have
been killed by enemy action in the
act of getting ballots to front-line
soldiers who could not leave their
posts.
Ballots Get Priority.
Ballots of soldiers in this theater
are given top priority in transfer to
the United States.
In London I bumped into an
American soldier.
I'm hurry, buddy7" I asked.
Eyes, sir" he replied. I'm going
In to sign up tenant for the White
House" 1t Is all casual, but very
impressive. 1t is democracy at work.
Here in London you sense the
feeling that the British want to
see Roosevelt back in Office again.
The well-bred British people in
the main show intense interest
in the election without indicating
their preference. But between the
lines of British conversation you
can sense their preference. They
know nothing about Gov. Dewey
except what they have read in dis
patches from their own correspond
ents in the States, and it isn't
altogether always f1attering to. the
Republican candidate. But they
do know the Roosevelt of the At
lantic Charter, the friend Of their
Prime Minister, the Roosevelt Of
Cairo and Teheran and uncondi-
tional surrender and lease-lend and
the representative (officiaD of the
great Nation across the sea which