Obama Administration Trashing 98% of military ballots 2008 thru 2012
“Clear violation of law” says U.S. Senator John Cornyn, backed by Uniformed Service League at Freedom Leadership Conference
by John Medaris,
Wed., 3/27/13 at
Freedom Leadership Conference, Northern VA
Because of my company’s work helping provide discounted real estate services to those who wear a uniform and provide defense, police, fire and emergency first responder services to Americans, I have been asked to make this statement in behalf of UNIFORMED SERVICES LEAGUE at this Freedom Leadership Conference.
My name is John Medaris. I am honored to have been asked to make this statement in behalf of many concerned Americans. While I happen to own my own real estate firm in Fairfax, Virginia, I am here today strictly as a volunteer, and to ask this.
Why is the Obama Administration disenfranchising military voters, causing the lowest vote turnout among military voters in recent history?
Why are they ignoring the law that requires them to establish facilities on military bases to help uniformed services personnel register to vote and cast abstentee ballots in elections?
Lets look at a few facts, as reported by nationally syndicated columnist and TV commenter John Fund:
“In 2008, when election turnout nationwide was 62 percent, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission reported that only 5.5 percent of eligible military and overseas voters cast ballots that were actually counted. A survey by the Overseas Vote Foundation points to one possible explanation for the low turnout: According to its report, nearly 22 percent of civilian and military overseas voters never received their requested absentee ballot for the 2008 election, and 10 percent received their ballot less than seven days before the election.
But some paint an even worse picture of how difficult they are now making it for uniformed servicemen to vote.
In three states that were checked after the 2008 election – my state of Virginia plus North Carolina and Ohio – less than two percent of military voters were able to obtain absentee ballots.
Congress stepped in to try and defend the right to vote for uniformed servicemen with the 2009 Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act.
But the number of military voters is going down down down, in spite of this 2009 legislation and the extra $75 million appropriated by Congress for military voter assistance efforts in one recent three year period.
That means our government is effectively trashing as much as 98% of all military ballots in America for the past four years of elections. Considering that the President was reelected by a few percentage points of margin in half a dozen key states, this trashing of military voters is obviously for political purposes.
In Ohio, the Obama reelection campaign successfully blocked any special efforts enacted as state law to allow extra time for military voters. And that outrage was allowed to stand.
Asked by Congress to explain this outrage, the Department of Defense Inspector General recommends, together with the military “management” he consulted with and refers to in his report for Congress and the public, that the solution to his finding that half of the bases he checked had no such facility for servicemen, was that this law should be changed to make it discretionary for military management.
Discretionary?
Do these people really think that allowing uniformed servicemen to vote is just “optional” and even “discretionary”??
Allowing those who wear our uniform a chance to vote in American elections is the law.
One who recognizes this is U.S. Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, who “concluded that the Department of Defense stands in clear violation of a central provision of this federal law” as reported by The Washington Times.
Voting rights for military personnel is not discretionary. It is not optional.
This pattern of discouraging military voting may very well be retribution against those who do not support this Administration and his political party since 2008.
This Administration is so busy trying to secure voting rights for convicted felons and for illegal aliens. They pursue every means available to secure the right to have inner city voting precincts give 99% and 105% vote turnout of registered voters who reliably vote 90% Democrat as reported in the 2012 election.
But the Obama Administration has no time left to uphold elementary voting rights for those wearing our nation’s uniform.
It is not up to the discretion of the President and his Secretary of Defense, whether those serving our nation in uniform, so many of whom are far, far away from their town or city where they are registered to vote, will be able to register to vote and then cast their ballot. It is the law.
The President is sworn to uphold the law. He and his appointees are violating the law. It appears to be retribution against those who do not vote his party line.
The President and his appointees should do their job or be impeached if they refuse to uphold the law duly passed by Congress.
It is a requirement in law for all U.S. military bases to establish facilities where troops can register to vote and may obtain and cast an absentee ballot.
It is an outrage that the supposedly Independent Inspector General simply whitewashes what the Obama Administration and its appointed management have done to decrease the voting by our military.
It is enough that these brave men and women put their lives on the line to defend our right to vote. We must take action to demand that Congress force this Administration to enforce the law, or remove those from office those who refuse to follow their oath of office to uphold and enforce the law.
This is not discretionary. The military’s right to vote is non-negotiable.
Congress should demand that the House of Representatives hold this administration accountable and enforce the law to allow our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines the sacred right to vote.
We appreciate the work done by these House Committees and urge them to follow up and follow through:
Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, Chairman, House Armed Services Committee;
And,
Hon. Dan Lungren, Chairman, House Administration Committee
We also recommend a strong thank you note to encourage U.S. Senator John Cornyn of Texas to continue to press the Obama Administration to follow the law or be held accountable.
And finally, we urge you to mark your calendar to attend the Uniformed Services League SAVE OUR SERVICEMEN RALLY at the Freedom Leadership Conference, the day after Veterans Day, November 12, 2012.
Let us stand together, now and especially on November 12 to RALLY to SAVE OUR SERVICEMEN.
Those who go in harm’s way to defend our right to life as a country, our right to freedom, have a right to vote. We must stand together to defend this right vote in America, and when they travel abroad in our behalf, their rights as Americans which are under constant pressure from many who hate everything we stand for.
John Medaris is President of Exit-Advantage Realty in Fairfax, VA. His work helping provide discounted real estate services to those who wear a uniform and provide defense, police, fire and emergency first responder services to Americans, has been recognized by UNIFORMED SERVICES LEAGUE. He is a regular speaker at monthly Freedom Leadership Conference functions in Northern Virginia.
Sources & Additional information:
This statement and report was created based upon information and research provided by Uniformed Services League, including (but not limited to) the following.
Report: Half of military bases lack voting facility
EDITORIAL: Protecting the troop vote
House steps in where the Justice Department fails
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/24/protecting-the-troop-vote/
Results in Brief: Federal Voting Assistance Program Implementation of the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act
http://www.dodig.mil/SPO/Reports/DODIG-2012-123.pdf
Military Voting Rights Under Fire in Ohio, Overseas and military voters face obstacles to voting and deserve accommodation, By John Fund August 20, 2012:
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/314434/military-voting-rights-under-fire-ohio-john-fund
