Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1954-06-05
|'nslp Soldiers
Vote Stin
Congress Again.

Cong Te8 again.
f. MA the November. election h
the offing, Congress is hearing
pleas to "help the soldiers vots."
President Eisenhower, In his STATE
Of the Union message, said: Il
hope that the states will cooperate
with the Congress In adopting uni
form standards in their voting
laws that will make It possible tor
our citizens in the armed forces
overseas to vote"
According to Con gressional
Quarterly, \ non.partisan research
service, "a million members Of the
armed services will b Of voting
age this November. How many Of
these are overseas is classified in
formation not given out by the De-
tense Department.
Holly Debated
What Congress can and should
do to help servicemen vote has
been holly debated over the years.
Since 1912 a serviceman's vot-
ing act has been in effect. Critics
charge it is sadly devoid of teeth.
In 1914, after a nip-and-tuck bat
tie on states rights" Congress
enacted a law which permitted 4
federal ballot for servicemen in
chat years election only. Presi-
dent Roosevelt, calling the bill
wholly inadequate" let it become
law without his signature.
Only 80 per cent Of eligible SER
vicen.an voted in 1914. The law
was amended in 1916 but no pro-
vision for a federal ballot was in
cluded.
In 1861, President Truman asked
the American Political Science As
ISOLATION to make study Of laws
dealing with armed forces voting.
The report, compiled by q nine
member committee of the associa-
ton which included Robert Cutler,
now q Special Assistant to Presi-
dent Eisenhower, was the basis Of
! a message Truman sent to Con-
gress on March %, 1862. It showed
that "a states did not provide ads-
quately, in the committees opinion,
for absentee soldier voting.
Urging Congress to provide .
temporary" federal ballot for the
1862 election, Truman said Con-
gress should exercise "its Consti-
,tutional powers to give soldiers the
right to vote wher the states fail
to do so."
Bill Pigeonholed
| A bill sponsored by the Truman
Administration was passed by the
Senate on June 20, 1862, but was
pigeonholed by House Rules sub
committee. Under the terms Of
that bill, q federal ballot would
have been made available to SER
vicemen from states with made
quate absentee voting laws. Rep.
John w. Mccormack d., Mass.)
introduced the same bill on Jan.
II Of this year. :
Four criteria for q satisfactory
state law are set out in the bill:
1-Provision for absentee vot-
ing by all qualified voters Of the
state who are serving in the armed
forces.
"A waiver Of personal appear
ance for registration or any other
voting purpose.
\ 3-Acceptance Of. special federal
post cards as valid applications for
absentee ballots. (The post cards
are authorized under present law.)
Availability Of absentee bal
lots for mailing to voters at least
d. days before they are to be
counted. (The armed formes found
during World War II that q 90
day deadline was insufficient for
many overseas voters.)
Since the Political Science Asso-
cations report Of early 1862,
number of states have changed
their absentee voting laws. But a
majority do not fulfill in all re-
spects the criteria for an "ade-
quate" law.
State Laws Vary
A list compiled in January 1854
by the Defense Department indi-
Gates that only IL states have to-
tally satisfactory provisions for
servicemen's voting. There are II
other states which allow 80 or
more days for ballots round-trip
from the state to the voter and
back again, but which fall short
of the desired 45 days.
Seven others allow less than 80
days minnesota has the shortest
.deadline-12 days. and six more
set no specific limit. In those cases
It depends on when ballots are
printed and made available to state
officials.
Three southern states require q
voter to register in person Though
Florida permits re-registration by
mail. Ten others demand sepa-
rate registration on a special state
form.
Five eastern states do not per-
init absentee voting in primary
elections. Two others specifically
restrict voting by servicenen. New
does not permit absente>
that will help educational institu-
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