Evening star., 1944-10-12
Vote Of Servicemen
In at Least # States
May Decide Election
Ey the Associa TED Press.


NEW YORK, Oct. 12.-The sol
dier vote may decide the election
in at least II States-includinf
the 5 with the largest number ol
electoral votes.
1t may be the margin of victor,
In New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois
California and Ohio, which cast {
combined vote Of 16G In the electora
college, as well as in Colorado, Ken
lucky. Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon
and Rhode Island. The last si,
have a total of 46 electoral votes.
Thus. CT Joe and his sister Ii
arms already are casting the ballot.
which may determine whether 2Ot
of the 531 electoral votes will 10 tt
President Roosevelt or to Gov
Thomas e. Dewey, an Associated
Press survey indicates.
Three times since 1904 the win.
ner's plurality has been less thar
206. In 1916 it was %.
New York Figures.
Election officials and party lead
ers In each OF the IL States except
New York have expressed the opin-
ion that the military vote may be
decisive. In New York the figures
speak for themselves:
Nearly $4,000 New York service
men and women have applied for
ballots. Republican estimates of the
number who actually will vote range
up to 100000. Even Democrats most
critical Of New York's soldier vote
system, which does not provide for
the Federal ballot, agree that well
over 100000 GI votes will be case.
Nearly $4,000 had been returned q
month before election day.
Mr.. Roosevelt's New York State
plurality in 1910 was 224, ,440. Herbert
Hoover's in 1928 was 103,4 ,481. The
margins run as close as Grover
Clevelands 1,149 in 1884. And as
late as 1888 Gov. Dewey lost his first
campaign for the New York COVER
norship by less than $4,000 votes.
Pennsylvania, where Democrats
and Republicans collaborsted on
drawing up soldier vote plan, ex-
poets some 10000 military ballots
more than enough, Gov. Edward
Martin has said, to swing the elec-
ton.
4 Illinois Secretary of State Rich
ard Yates Rowe looks for 350,00O
soldier enough" he says, Ito
win or lose any election, and par
ticularly important this year in
close race"
From Ohio's Secretary of State
Edward j. Hummel, who declined to
estimate how many service persons
from his State might vote, comes a
statement that 125 900 soldier votes
might easily decide the election.
Nearly 10000 already have been
received
Secretary of State Frank M. Jor-
dan says absentee votes in his State
California, could easily swing the
election" Californians in the serv-
Ice have requested some 275.O00
ballots.
The situation in California and
Pennsylvania underscores the posi-
bility, suggested in a previous A. P.
survey, that in the event of close
election the result might not be
known for some time after Novem-
Der 7. Pennsylvania counts It's SOL
der votes November %, California
two days later.
100000 Applications.
Well over 100000 men and wom-
en- in the armed forces have applied
for absentee ballots and the best
estimates of State election officials
indicate that more than 1900, 900
of the ballots will be cast Novem-
ber T.
In the Is States which have kept
q record of them, more than 600 600
CT ballots already have been marked
and returned. The percentage Of
service men and women who have
cast the ballots they requested-or
received without asking-ranges
from S per cent in Wisconsin toI
around so per cent in Ohio.