FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, September 25, 2008 CONTACT: Michael Houston, IAVA (212) 982-9699 or
IAVA Defends Voting
Rights of Ohio
Veterans and Deployed Troops
Nation's Leading Iraq and Afghanistan
Veterans Group Files Amicus Brief in OH Supreme Court Today
NEW YORK - In an amicus brief filed today, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of
America (IAVA), the nation's first and largest nonpartisan group for Iraq and
Afghanistan veterans, asked the Ohio State Supreme Court to reject a last
minute legal challenge that could disrupt the voting process and potentially
nullify the votes of thousands of Ohio residents, including thousands of
veterans in VA hospitals and deployed military personnel.
The fight centers on an Ohio law which requires a citizen to be
registered to vote for 30 days in order to be an eligible voter on Election
Day. The existing interpretation of this
law finds that registering to vote and requesting and submitting an absentee ballot
at the same time is legal as long as it takes place at least 30 days before
Election Day. A lawsuit brought against
the Secretary of State earlier this month by two individuals argues that 30
days must occur between registering to vote and receiving an absentee ballot,
seeking to prevent the two actions from occurring simultaneously. If the court
finds in the plaintiff's favor, thousands of veterans and active duty troops
could be disenfranchised.
"Disenfranchising
our brave men and women in uniform is unpatriotic and un-American," said Paul
Rieckhoff, Executive Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of
America (IAVA). "This lawsuit threatens
to deny our servicemembers the very freedoms they are fighting so hard to
defend. IAVA demands that the court
reject this last minute, politically-motivated ploy that could block the votes
of our troops and veterans."
In the brief filed today, IAVA highlighted
this issue by stating, "the lawsuit at issue challenges registration and
absentee voting procedures that both Republican and Democratic Secretaries of
State have historically implemented without incident."
Siding with Secretary of State Jennifer
Brunner, IAVA holds that Ohio
law permits voters to register to vote by October 6th and to cast an
absentee ballot any time after September 30.
As a result, during this week-long window from September 30th
through October 6th, voters can register to vote and cast an
absentee ballot on the same day. The
brief points out that the consequences of this suit would not only impede
absentee voters during the 7-day overlap period but "actually would threaten
far more sweeping harms that would impact many first-time voters, both absentee
and in-person, including significant numbers of military personnel and disabled
veterans who depend on absentee voting."
"Ohioans
have made tremendous sacrifices in the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan. Since September 11th more than
46,000 of the state's sons and daughters have deployed," said Rieckhoff. "We
owe these and all servicemembers an absentee voting process that is fair,
predictable, and clear."
To arrange an interview with IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff on
this topic or in regard to the presidential debate scheduled for tomorrow,
please contact Michael Houston at (212) 982-9699 or
.
IAVA (www.IAVA.org) is the nation's first
and largest group for veterans of the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan.
A nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, IAVA represents more than 125,000
veteran members and civilian supporters in all 50 states.
