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Andrew Cline has been editorial page editor of the New Hampshire Union Leader since October of 2001. His writing has appeared in more than 100 newspapers and magazines, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and National Review.Robert Novak: Military voting woes: Official apathy abounds
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Reader commentsRep. Roy Blunt, the House Republican whip, on July 8 introduced a resolution demanding that the Defense Department better enable U.S. military personnel overseas to vote in the November elections. That act was followed by silence. Democrats normally leap on an opportunity to find fault with the Bush Pentagon. But not a single Democrat joined Blunt as a co-sponsor, and an all-Republican proposal cannot pass in the Democratic-controlled House.
Analysis by the federal Election Assistance Commission, rejecting inflated Defense Department voting claims, estimated overseas and absentee military voting for the 2006 midterm elections at a disgracefully low 5.5 percent. The quality of voting statistics is so poor that there is no way to tell how many of the slightly over 330,000 votes actually were sent in by the absentee military voters and their dependents and how many by civilian Americans living abroad -- 6 million all total.
Nobody who has studied the question objectively sees any improvement since 2006, and that is a scandal. Retired U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Charles Henry wrote in the July issue of the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings: “While virtually everyone involved ... seems to agree that military people deserve at least equal opportunity when it comes to having their votes counted, indications are that in November 2008, many thousands of service members who try to vote will do so in vain.”
Henry, now an independent broadcast journalist, has personal experience with this enduring scandal. While serving as a Marine at sea off Iran, he received his 1980 presidential ballot too late to count. President Harry Truman said of troops fighting in Korea, “The least we at home can do is to make sure that they are able to enjoy the rights they are being asked to fight to preserve.” But the U.S. military that has so perfected the art of war over the past half-century is at a loss to enable soldiers to vote.
A combat officer has enough to do without handling the votes of troopers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. A Defense Department Inspector General’s report in March last year recommended “appointment of civilian personnel” as “voting assistance officers.” The Pentagon brass rejected the idea.
I reported four years ago that the problems of 2000 overseas military voting had not been corrected for the 2004 presidential election. At that time, Under Secretary of Defense David Chu was put in charge of the problem. During massive turnover at the Pentagon, Chu remains in place -- best known among critics of the military vote problem for his chronic failure to return telephone calls.
Congressional attention to the problem has been scattered and limited mostly to Republicans such as Sen. John Cornyn, who earlier this year decried “a lack of will” at the Pentagon to solve the voting problem. Democratic interest about tackling the problem might be tempered by apprehension that soldiers will cast too many Republican votes.
Nevertheless, at least one prominent Democrat -- House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer -- described himself to me as eager to deal with this problem. (Hoyer’s home state of Maryland is one of the worst offenders, with ballots of only 4.1 percent of overseas voters counted in 2006.) Hoyer and Blunt, who have become friendly adversaries in a bitterly partisan Congress, conferred several weeks ago and agreed in principle on co-sponsoring a resolution aimed at getting the Defense Department moving.
Hoyer wanted the resolution to cover expatriate Americans as well as the military, and Blunt did not object. They turned the issue over to their staffers and went about the business of major legislation. Blunt had instructed his staff to seek agreement with Democrats but, if not, to introduce a resolution applying only to the military, which was the outcome.
One presidential staffer who is familiar with the situation privately dismisses the Pentagon bureaucrats as “hopeless.” In a lame-duck administration counting the days before a troubled eight years finally end, American fighting men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan deprived of their right to vote constitute the least of White House worries.
Robert D. Novak is a politicial columnist and commentator on FOX News.
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YOUR COMMENTS
We''ve become a country that continually chooses the sizzle over the steak. McCain may not be as "popular" but he gets my admiration and vote for offering substance and new ideas when he speaks. Obama, meanwhile, is like the rock star who''s realized that he can just scream unintelligible words into the microphone between songs, and the entire stadium will still scream. When your fans already love you, there''s no reason to risk it by offering anything that might be controversial. Remember the Dixie Chicks?
As candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain are ironically a lot like the way the media treats them: Obama is the glitzy magazine cover that screams for people to buy the issue, and McCain is the fact-filled article buried inside that makes you glad you did.
- Lewis Hampton, Manchester, NH
Wow about bloody time. As a former Voting Assistance officer I can say I have lived through 14 years of Democratic indifference and Republican Apathy towards voting assistance for military personnel. What I find funny is the Dems are usually in the forefront of "disenfranchased" voters. Oh wait that is only in big cities where they will win the vote. I guess dead democrats are more important voters then living military members who are more likely to vote Republican or Libertarian.
- Brian, Wakefield
Robert, : Perhaps by now, the country should have learned that a "Reverend Wright" is a good enough reason not to vote for a presidential hypocrit.
- Ken Holmes, Andover, NH
This IS outrageous. What are the Republicans doing? Our military is overwhelmingly Republican/conservative. Of course the Democrats don't want our military to vote, but what is wrong with the Republicans?
- Tom, Campton
Ronald Reagan, a man who was divorced, estranged from some of his children, and completely unfamiliar with his grandchildred; rarely if ever set foot in church; invited gays to spend he night together in the White House; supported the rights of gays to teach in public schools; and, as governor of California, signed what was then perhaps Americas's most permissive law on abortion. That Reagan?
- Robert, Deerfield
Dems think they are being brave by supporting a liberal who wants to change everything , and yet, does not define anything, that is being stupid. Dems are not brave by thinking this way, they are naive to think that someone will magically change all the bad and make it good- How is that possible with someone so inexperianced and ego driven? How is that possible with someone who does not want to win the war on terror but win only the election because of race? How is change possible if Dems do not accept they are wrong, too? Bottom line, nothing will change, with Obama, that is fact. MCCAIN will win in spite of all the media''s blantant self righteous attention it is giving to the wrong man. Come fall, it will all change- drastically, Watch & learn.
- Martin Lewis, Derry, NH
Are we sure that it is just Democrats who are cold to this idea? Last time I heard, Ron Paul was leading among all politicians in votes from military personel and Dr Paul isn't even invited to speak at the Republican convention. Despite the fund raising records from individuals and his public refusal to collect contributions from lobbyists. Dr Paul was one of the only Republicans who had a large following on college campuses, something McCain wishes he could possess.
The Republican Party is dead as we know it, replaced by the Republicrats. If Ronald Reagan was alive today, even he would not hesitate to criticize these so called Republicans. Instead we have the choice of Dumb and Dumber as our next president. The leadership of this country is null and void...
- Kyle, Bedford
It is too bad Republicans such as Roy(inept)Blunt could not fix this problem after the 2000 elections when they had the majority.You know the Democrats will throw or maintain roadblocks to military members voting. We all know that when President Obama gets in we will have massive defense cuts and more hardships for military members. This will be payback for having the nerve to serve in Bush's war.
I hope military members take the time overcome any hurdles in their way and vote this November.
Oh if you work at BAE or Raytheon. Warm up the old resume and get ready for UNEMPLOYMENT. Don't ask Paul Hodes and John Lynch for help. They will be laughing at your demise. In their minds you deserve it.
- Chris, Merrimack
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