Evening star., 1952-03-28
Text of Truman Message on Service Voting

'eNice Voting
to assure our service people of
their right to vote is through State
action. e. .'
Defense Department Duty.
Some of the recommendations
of the report are directed at the
executive branch Of the Federal
Government. and are designed
particularly to strengthen the adj
ministration of soldier voting In
the Department of Defense. I am
sending the report to the Secye-
tary Of Defense, requesting him
to consider these recommended
tions, to act on them where pos
sible, and to report progress to
me. The Department of Defense
has the important duty, not only
to facilitate voting, but also to
see to it that the 'informaion that
service voters receive is presented
in a completely fair and nom
partisan manner. .
The members Of the Congress
will be particularly interested in
the recommendations made for
Federal legislation. The commit
tee recommends long-range pro-
gram which will encourage Service
voting, provide adequate voting
information to service people, and
require regular reports to the
Congress on the manner and ex-
tent Of soldier voting.
AS a first step, the Committee
recommends that the Congress
continue in effect existing satu-
tory provisions affirming the right
OF service. people to vote. These
provisions which are contained
in the first two sections OF the
|Servicemen's Voting Act Of 1946.
are, by their: terms, effective only
lin time Of war. y and will there-
fore lapse when the Peace Treaty
with Japan comes into effect. I
have already called this problem
to the attention of the Congress
in my COMMUNICATION to the vice
President and the Speaker of the
House concerning the proposed
Emergency Powers Extension Act.
Report RecOsY,smended.
In addition, the Committee rec
ommendS that the Secretary of
Defense report biennially to the
Congress. commencing in Janu-
ary, 1858, on action taken by the
respective States in carrying out
the Servicemen's Voting Act. The
Committee further recommends
that the Secretary of Defense, in
co-operation with the Bureau of
the Census and the several States,
be required to compile and pub
lish statistical reports on the
number of applications and exc
cuted ballots received from serv-
icemen in each State, as we'll as
the number of servicemen of vot-
ing age in each State. Such
information will serve as a basis
Tor improving existing laws and
procedures in the light of expe-
rlence. In order to acquaint serv-
icemen with their voting privileges
and responsibilities, the Commit
tee recommends legislative sup
port for an effective informa tion
and education program DESIGNED
to bring to absent servicemen
some OF the voting informatio
available to all citizens in their
own communities.
With one dissent, the report of
the Committee recommends the
use OF a Federal ballot this year
In those cases where State laws
are not sufficiently improved in
time to give soldiers from those
States the right to vote. There are
administrative and legal diff
cultieS in the use of a Federal
ballot, and our experience with
1t under the cumbersome pro-
cedures set up by the Federal law
OF 1914 was not encouraging, but
the findings of the Committee
point out ways of avoiding some
OF the difficulties experienced in
that year.
Agrees With Committee.
agree with the Committee
that, in spite of the obvious diff
cultieS in the use of the Federal
ballot, the Congress should not
shrink from accepting is respon-
sibility and exercising its consti-
tutional powers to give soldiers
the right to vote where the States
fail to do so. OF course, if prompt
action is taken by the States. as
it should be, it may be possible
to avoid the use of Federal bal
lot altogether. I believe, however,
that the Congress should consider
this matter with great care. and
provide emergency legislation
which will overcome the obstacles
to soldier voting that may still
exist in State laws as the elections
draw near. Any such legislation
by Congress should be temporary,
since it should be possible to make
all the necessary changes in State
laws before the Congressional
elections of 1854.
Our experience during and after
World War II conclusively demon
strates that unless early action is
taken, hundreds Of thousands of
servicemen and women of voting
age win be deprived Of their con-
stitutional right to vote this year.
am confident that all members