#Soldiers November 11

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Today’s contribution to the 30-Day Election Trivia Coach4aday Challenge is on SOLDIERS voting during a war.

Today is Veteran’s Day and hopefully each of us will recognize those that are serving and who have served.

The Civil War became the first conflict in which arrangements were made for deployed soldiers to vote. 

FAQ about Soldiers Voting

After the Civil War voting by SOLDIERS serving in a war were dormant.  That meant no provisions were made at the national level for soldiers to cast absentee ballots in the 1918 congressional elections during World War I.

Congress passed bills in 1942 and 1944 during WW II intended to guarantee that American soldiers could vote in wartime elections.

One of the big hurdles to overcome with the 1942 bill was to eliminate a poll tax for soldiers.

Because of the late passage of the 1942 bill only 28,000 service members, out of nearly four million men and women in uniform in 1942, voted in the election. 

The bill that finally passed in April 1944 appeased both sides by encouraging states to amend their own absentee ballot procedures to enable soldiers to vote. Yet one step back was the states were allowed in 1944 to collect a poll tax.

The numbers increased significantly in 1944 but the congress did quibble over many aspects of the how the ballot would look.