On July 22, nine U.S. Senators, including Majority Leader Harry Reid, introduced S.3308, to require the Veterans Administration to permit voter registration drives in its facilities. The VA operates 155 medical centers, 135 nursing homes, 717 ambulatory care and outpatient clinics, 45 residential rehabilitation programs, and 289 nonmedical vet centers. Voter registration activities are prohibited in all of them.
Earlier this month, Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz and Connecticut’s Attorney General Richard Blumenthal were turned away from the doors of a VA facility in Connecticut, when they wished to enter to register residents of that facility.
Senator Reid said, “We must make it as easy as possible for all people to vote”, when he co-sponsored the bill. Reid seldom co-sponsors bills. The lead sponsors are Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.). The other co-sponsors are Hillary Clinton, Patrick Leahy, Patty Murray, Barack Obama, Charles Schumer, and Ron Wyden, all Democrats. Thanks to ElectionLawBlog for this news.
I had no idea there was a problem with this and just amazed that the VA would have a problem with those who fought for and injured in battle not having the right to easily and conveniently registering to vote.
Will this bill simply “allow” voter drives in VA facilities, or it will “require the VA to conduct the drives”? There is a difference.
I see this as a good sign. Things like this and having our paper ballots come back, with a bar code like those on the cereal boxes for example that way your vote can be scanned and at the same time inserted in a traditional ballot box.
As a former ‘Voter information officer’ in active duty life, it is so strange to have voter registrant types blocked from VA facilities. In southern california there sure are lots of pro voter registration posters on the wall[s] in similar institutions! Oh well.
I am stident on CALVETS. They [and Govenator Schwart En Faker] are evil and need to be destroyed! USDVA, which I have a page of short falls, on the other hand, has saved my life thrice!
Life is not perfect, but government can be so horrible!
But can we then perform ballot access petitioning there?
And what about rest homes and homeless shelters? According to a recent voter registration list for my area, the local rescue mission has 60 registered voters.