Helping vets vote should be law, senator says

[unhappycamper]

Helping vets vote should be law, senator says
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Sep 16, 2008 5:37:41 EDT

Last week’s promise by the Department of Veterans Affairs to allow voter registration drives in its facilities has not stopped key lawmakers from pushing VA to do more.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who heads the Senate committee responsible for election law and is the chief sponsor of a bill requiring veterans’ officials to do more, said she does not have confidence that a VA policy change seven weeks before the November general elections will be very effective.

With just three weeks left in most states to register to vote in November, “serious questions still remain” about how quickly VA might open the doors to voter drives, Feinstein said.

“Credibility of VA on this issue is very low right now,” she said.

Paul Hutter, VA general counsel, told Feinstein’s Senate Rules and Administration Committee Monday that VA is being “proactive” in working with state and local election officials and with nonpartisan groups to allow voter registration efforts as long as they do not interfere with patient care at VA hospitals, clinics and nursing homes.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/military_veterans_voterregistration_091508w/%2e