Get the Pentagon to Investigate Potential Troop Disenfranchisement

We the undersigned petition the Secretary of Defense to order a Department of Defense review of all proposed and recently enacted state legislation and rulings which seek to limit access to electoral ballots.

Evidence has pointed to the fact that at least some of these efforts would restrict the right to vote of active duty members of our Armed Forces, yet no comprehensive review of all proposals in the states has estimated how many of our troops would be disenfranchised.

For example, we know in Colorado that many troops would be disenfranchised by the decision of Secretary of State Scott Gessler to order no ballots be sent to so-called “inactive voters” – those voters who did not vote in 2010. We know from news reports that this would disenfranchise 64 active duty troops in one county in Colorado. But, there has been no review done on how many troops would be disenfranchised state-wide.

We know that in Missouri, legislation passed through the State House that would eliminate mail-in absentee ballots for all members of the military, who are unable to cast their vote in person. For those in combat zones, the legislation allows them to submit their ballot via fax or email, which can make it nearly impossible for many who are in the field. There is no such provision for those who are stationed at overseas bases, such as in Germany or Korea, or at US bases far away from the state. We know that about 11,000 troops from Missouri voted by absentee ballot in 2008, but there has been no review to determine how many troops potentially would be disenfranchised in 2012.

And in Florida, as the Center for American Progress discovered, we know of at least one case where a veteran was wrongly booted from the voter rolls, in a purge that supposedly was supposed to target non-citizens who are registered. We have no idea how many troops may have been affected by the purge, or if the state has been able to contact any deployed troops who were, to allow them to appeal.

There are dozens of other efforts, both under consideration and already enacted, which may disenfranchise troops from a number of states, from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin. Citizens, lawmakers, and judges who may consider any legal action against these measures should know how many troops each of these efforts would disenfranchise.

The Department of Defense, after conducting a review, should determine if any of these proposals are in violation of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. As the Department of Defense is charged with administering the Act under the Federal Voting Assistance Program, and a Presidential Executive order signed by President Reagan on June 9, 1988 ordered the Secretary of Defense to be the designee for enforcement of the Act, we believe conducting such a review of these enacted and proposed voter suppression efforts is not just under your purview, but your legal responsibility.

Respectfully,