VA Won't Help Wounded Vets Register to Vote

expatbrian

After agreeing to allow voter registration drives within the VA facilities, the VA has suddenly reversed that position.

"VA's decision, during wartime, to block voter registration for our hospitalized veterans is shameful, outrageous, and despicable," said Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense. "VCS finds it unconscionable that VA would reverse position and prohibit voter registration efforts for our wounded, injured, ill, and disabled veterans in VA hospitals and nursing homes as more and more casualties flood home from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars."

The VA is citing the Hatch Act which prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activities in the work place. However, as Senators Feinstein and Kerry pointed out, the act does not prohibit voted registration activities.

"Office of Special Counsel has made it clear that federal employees, even those who are considered to be in sensitive positions, may "assist in voter registration drives."" And they questioned how voter registration drives would disrupt VA activities.

In fact, the VA is prohibiting not only federal employees from assisting the vets with registration, it is blocking non partison groups like the League of Women Voters from lending a hand as well.

Its pretty obvious that, after the VA's initial agreement, someone in the White House realized that wounded vets might be a lot less likely to vote for another bloodthirsty, warmonger president like McCain. They have no legal basis to stop the registration but that has never been an obstacle to their agenda before. The administration, indeed the Republican party does not want wounded vets, or any vets for that matter, to vote and they will do whatever they can to interfere with the vets rights to do so.

cross posted at World Gone Mad