Full Version: Military vote, Do we have numbers yet?
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Nothing major, but I was wondering if anyone has any info on the military vote. A friend of mine is on leave and returning soon to Iraq. I asked him who he voted for, and unfortunately he didn't vote. BUT, he told me that most of the soldiers he was with voted Kerry. I haven't heard anything yet about figures.
QUOTE(Kjustme061 @ Dec 13 2004, 12:30 PM)
Nothing major, but I was wondering if anyone has any info on the military vote. A friend of mine is on leave and returning soon to Iraq. I asked him who he voted for, and unfortunately he didn't vote. BUT, he told me that most of the soldiers he was with voted Kerry. I haven't heard anything yet about figures.
I'm curious too!
me too!
I haven't seen the data on who recieved more military votes, but I suspect that Bush recieved the majority and not only because more actually voted for him. When investigating voter suppresion, the military votes need to be addressed as well. Generally though, the types who volunteer for the military do tend to be conservative (ie Republican).
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/Veterans%20Vote.htm
Among Veterans: Bush 58% Kerry 35%
48% Have Family or Friends in Iraq or Afghanistan
Do you know anyone currently serving in Iraq or Afghanistan?
Yes 48%
No 51%
RasmussenReports.com
Friday October 08, 2004--A Rasmussen Reports survey shows that military veterans prefer George W. Bush over John Kerry by a 58% to 35% margin. Those with no military service favor Kerry by ten percentage points, 51% to 41%.
The potential grassroots impact of the war issue is highlighted by the fact that 48% of Americans say they know someone who is currently serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. Among these voters, Bush currently has a ten-point advantage in the poll. Fifty-four percent (54%) of veterans know someone serving in these war zones.
http://www.wisinfo.com/elections/ele_18432273.shtml
Posted Oct. 30, 2004
Soldiers’ votes could decide election, but will they be counted?
The Associated Press
During the chaotic 2000 election, thousands of troops overseas voted for president, only to have their ballots rejected. Others did not receive ballots at all. And some found the entire process confusing.
Four years later — with more than 160,000 troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan — Democrats and Republicans alike worry that the same thing will happen. They say reforms enacted by Congress after 2000 have not fixed the problems.
“I just pray for our country. We have to allow the military vote to be counted,” said Joan Hills, director of Republicans Abroad, which helps U.S. citizens vote from overseas. Her organization’s Web site has received 1,700 hits a day in the past two weeks from worried military personnel who did not receive their ballots.
Hills and other election watchers say that failing to count military ballots in this election is even more unforgivable than in 2000 because the votes now represent Americans risking their lives in battle.
“Not allowing military members to vote during wartime would be devastating,” said Duke University political science professor Peter Feaver. “They’re not sitting in comfortable offices in Germany anymore. Now they’re under mortar attack in Iraq.”
With so many troops fighting in the Middle East, members of the military could play a huge role in deciding the next commander-in-chief.
In 2000, for example, Florida officials disqualified 1,527 military votes because they lacked postmarks. George W. Bush won Florida — and the presidency — by 537 votes.
The military traditionally votes Republican. In one recent informal survey of the armed forces and their family members, 72 percent of respondents said they favored Bush over Democrat John Kerry.
Many of the problems that marred the military vote in 2000 are cropping up again.
More than a dozen states — including those too close to call — missed the recommended deadline to mail ballots overseas. One of the reasons: legal arguments over whether independent candidate Ralph Nader should be listed on ballots.
More confusing are conflicting state rules governing how to count an overseas vote.
Basically, military ballots must get to the servicemember’s local election official in the United States before a certain deadline. The cut-off dates vary. Some states also require a notary or witness to sign the ballot.
About 20 states, including California, Texas and Alabama, accept faxed ballots from overseas, but finding a working fax machine in war-torn Iraq and Afghanistan can be difficult. In Missouri and North Dakota, officials will accept e-mailed votes, but troops must complete a series of steps on their computer for the ballot to count.
“There will be thousands of military votes that don’t get counted this time,” said Samuel Wright, director of the Military Voting Rights Project of the National Defense Committee. “I hope it’s not as bad as 2000.”
Nearly 30 percent of registered military voters did not get a ballot 2000, or got it too late. This year, Wright estimates between 20 percent and 40 percent of servicemembers will not have their vote counted.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/Veterans%20Vote.htm
Among Veterans: Bush 58% Kerry 35%
48% Have Family or Friends in Iraq or Afghanistan
Do you know anyone currently serving in Iraq or Afghanistan?
Yes 48%
No 51%
RasmussenReports.com
Friday October 08, 2004--A Rasmussen Reports survey shows that military veterans prefer George W. Bush over John Kerry by a 58% to 35% margin. Those with no military service favor Kerry by ten percentage points, 51% to 41%.
The potential grassroots impact of the war issue is highlighted by the fact that 48% of Americans say they know someone who is currently serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. Among these voters, Bush currently has a ten-point advantage in the poll. Fifty-four percent (54%) of veterans know someone serving in these war zones.
http://www.wisinfo.com/elections/ele_18432273.shtml
Posted Oct. 30, 2004
Soldiers’ votes could decide election, but will they be counted?
The Associated Press
During the chaotic 2000 election, thousands of troops overseas voted for president, only to have their ballots rejected. Others did not receive ballots at all. And some found the entire process confusing.
Four years later — with more than 160,000 troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan — Democrats and Republicans alike worry that the same thing will happen. They say reforms enacted by Congress after 2000 have not fixed the problems.
“I just pray for our country. We have to allow the military vote to be counted,” said Joan Hills, director of Republicans Abroad, which helps U.S. citizens vote from overseas. Her organization’s Web site has received 1,700 hits a day in the past two weeks from worried military personnel who did not receive their ballots.
Hills and other election watchers say that failing to count military ballots in this election is even more unforgivable than in 2000 because the votes now represent Americans risking their lives in battle.
“Not allowing military members to vote during wartime would be devastating,” said Duke University political science professor Peter Feaver. “They’re not sitting in comfortable offices in Germany anymore. Now they’re under mortar attack in Iraq.”
With so many troops fighting in the Middle East, members of the military could play a huge role in deciding the next commander-in-chief.
In 2000, for example, Florida officials disqualified 1,527 military votes because they lacked postmarks. George W. Bush won Florida — and the presidency — by 537 votes.
The military traditionally votes Republican. In one recent informal survey of the armed forces and their family members, 72 percent of respondents said they favored Bush over Democrat John Kerry.
Many of the problems that marred the military vote in 2000 are cropping up again.
More than a dozen states — including those too close to call — missed the recommended deadline to mail ballots overseas. One of the reasons: legal arguments over whether independent candidate Ralph Nader should be listed on ballots.
More confusing are conflicting state rules governing how to count an overseas vote.
Basically, military ballots must get to the servicemember’s local election official in the United States before a certain deadline. The cut-off dates vary. Some states also require a notary or witness to sign the ballot.
About 20 states, including California, Texas and Alabama, accept faxed ballots from overseas, but finding a working fax machine in war-torn Iraq and Afghanistan can be difficult. In Missouri and North Dakota, officials will accept e-mailed votes, but troops must complete a series of steps on their computer for the ballot to count.
“There will be thousands of military votes that don’t get counted this time,” said Samuel Wright, director of the Military Voting Rights Project of the National Defense Committee. “I hope it’s not as bad as 2000.”
Nearly 30 percent of registered military voters did not get a ballot 2000, or got it too late. This year, Wright estimates between 20 percent and 40 percent of servicemembers will not have their vote counted.
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