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Is Virginia blocking military personnel from voting?

By: Michael Barone
Senior Political Analyst
10/04/09 12:24 PM EDT

Newly-arrived US Army troops load their bags onto a truck at Kandahar military base on October 3, 2009. (ROMEO GACAD/AFP/Getty Images)

Is Virginia denying military voters the chance to vote in its state election this November? That’s what I gather from this post from the Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder and this post from Republican blogger Soren Dayton. There’s some shabby history here. In 1944 Republicans and Southern Democrats in Congress ganged up to make it difficult for military personnel—about 12 million men at the time—to vote; Republicans believed that most G.I.s would vote for Franklin Roosevelt, and Southern Democrats feared that black G.I.s would vote and get into the habit of voting. In 2000 some Democrats in Florida tried to prevent military votes from being counted. They feared most would vote for George W. Bush. But what’s going on in Virginia is unclear. The 2002 Virginia law which allegedly makes it difficult for military personnel to cast absentee votes was passed by a Republican legislature and signed by a Democratic governor. Isn’t there something that can be done about this?

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Reader Comments

All comments on this page are subject to our Terms of Use and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Examiner or its staff. Comment box is limited to 250 words.

Joseybo

Oct 4, 2009

Have you heard about ACORN?

Commonsense

Oct 4, 2009

At first glance it seems like a another dumocrat attempt to falisfy. It certinally wouldn't be beneath them. After all, they embrace ACORN and have a leader that is historically illiterate and seems to say almost anything to make the sale. I guess you can throw the New York Times into the same mix. Most of their writers seem willing to do the same thing. It's why their going broke.

AndyJ

Oct 4, 2009

There is little difference between Democrats and Republicans. Republicans have sold out and will compromise with Democrats. Dems wisely see that the public tries and tires of Reps quickly and returns so they need never compromise... Until Reps are truly different and hold to their principles the public will swing back and forth. -OR- until a Third Party arises which will listen to the voters and honor their election promises... Which comes first a Republican or Third party candidate honoring their promises and changing direction-? The Dems are simply and proudly the party of big govt, big bis and big unions. They like big cause its easier to extort money from each group... Small extortion's take too much effort. frighten the bigs and the smalls will band together and pay up.

Geoffrey Britain

Oct 5, 2009

Any attempt, by anyone, to disenfranchise those who do or may be called upon to place their lives on the line for this country are beneath contempt.

Loathe as I am to suggest yet another law, for this there should be one: anyone found guilty of obstructing the votes of military personnel should have their citizenship revoked.

Concerned Citizen

Oct 5, 2009

The Fairfax County Registrar of Voters should be fired. It is unacceptable for him to say the law stinks, shrug his shoulders, and go about dienfranchising individuals serving this nation overseas. He should be gettting with his colleagues and figuring out some way to fix the problem instead of assuming a DMV mentality.

TexRancher

Oct 5, 2009

In 2002 the Democrats kept the Fla. military vote out because of a techicality; The postmark wasn't on each ballot. It was on the box holding them. Of course the fact that they came from a war zone didn't matter to them! They didn't want the military voting. Again in 2008 the Dems fixed it so that the absentee ballots weren't mailed out to the troops early enough for them to be returned by the deadline.
What do the Democrats fear from voting troops serving our country? Clearly, the Democrats are no friend of the people serving in the armed services. It's OK for them to go to war that the Democrats approved and agreed to, but not for them to vote for the people who send them to war. WHAT HYPOCTIES!

Don51

Oct 5, 2009

With civilian government in the abyss of public trust [outside of special interest groups] and the military at comparative stratospheric trust, these politicians seem hellbent on repeating the hard learned lessons of real history. As Shakespeare wrote, three times he was offered the crown, three times he set it aside ever gentler each time. We will welcome Caesar and the petty politicians will be aghast. They make it easier and easier with each passing day to think the unthinkable.

Line In The Sand

Oct 5, 2009

This can't happen here! Not in America!! There are laws against voter obstruction!!

Oh, wait, unless you're a Obama-supporting Black Panther thug with a club in your hand...

anon

Oct 5, 2009

ditto andyj comments above

Concerned Citizen

Oct 5, 2009

Help curb this growing problem.
http://www.projectvirginia.com/our-blog/Protecting-Military-Voting-In-Virginia.html

Jimmy Fredericksburg VA

Oct 5, 2009

Each and every year its something. In 04 it was that our ballots did not have stamps on them but were mailed from those on ships/deployed in which no stamp was needed. There is a disconnect between the rules for those deployed and those in the states (CONUS). Each unit has a voting rep but we deal with every state's election cycle but not each one's unique voting laws. I'm willing to bet half are thrown out and there is no way to tell.

Jim in Richmond, VA

Oct 5, 2009

The offending statutory provision, § 24.2-702.1, was amended by the 2009 Session of the Va.Gen.Assembly (cc. 230 & 310 2009 Acts of Assembly) to remove the most restrictive language that had a restrictive deadline for returning the federal ballot, and also removing the previous requirement that the military member to list both the name and the address of the witness attesting to the military members signature. So, in essence, Virginia permits easier absentee voting by military members to use the federal write-in absentee ballot with fewer restrictions. Republican candidate for Governor, then Attorney General Bob McDonnell, in essence, fixed the problem pointed out by Mr. Barone by introducing the legislation to amend the offending statutory provision. Please research and correct this misstatement.

randall

Oct 5, 2009

They should send the Fairfax registar of voters to Afganistan to fight so we can see the coward run and cry like a baby. Maybe he should take Obama with him.

Kevin

Oct 6, 2009

I voted from Iraq using the Fairfax County form. I don't know if it will be counted, but it looked easy enough to make sure that all was good. (My post office did "cancel" the no-postage-due printing so it would have a postmark, just in case.)

Bob

Oct 6, 2009

Could the article post what exactly the law is so we could see it for ourselves instead of the article leading us to believe that the law is against military people voting?

Brassmonkey

Oct 6, 2009

I hate to say this but it is looking more and more like the best thing that could happen to America is that the terrorist set that nuke off in Dc and let the military take over for a while maybe after that we might have enought sense to vote for some one honest.

sdparker

Oct 6, 2009

We should be screaming about this issue, forcing the changes to be made before the next presidential election. This is a disgrace to our military. Its clear that its being purposely withheld from them. It should be a legal matter. Excluding anyone, other than felons, from their right to vote, has be illegal, especially our military. Their voice should be first.

Oct 6, 2009

Bob Oct 6, 2009 "Could the article post what exactly the law is so we could see it for ourselves instead of the article leading us to believe that the law is against military people voting?"

I agree that this report was limited on what law maybe the reason for this problem. Now there was a report that the McCain campaign spoke of this problem.That the law requires an overseas citizen wants to request an absentee ballot and cast a vote with the same paperwork, it requires not only a witness signature but also the current address of the witness. The McCain campaign said there’s not even a space for the witness to list an address that the federal document was changed in recent years and the space for the witness address was removed. But the Virginia law hasn’t changed.

Allen

Oct 6, 2009

So that is why it will be a problem Virginia denying military voters. If Michael Barone was more to report more on this issue that many could understand then some of the comment would not be angry ones. Links to the bills that was sign into law on this. http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?021 ful HB640

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Is Virginia blocking military personnel from voting?

By: Michael Barone
Senior Political Analyst
10/04/09 12:24 PM EDT