SCHUMER URGES OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR VETERANS TO REGISTER TO VOTE
May 05, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), the chairman of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, urged President Barack Obama on Tuesday to increase veterans' participation in elections by authorizing federal offices across the country that administer veterans benefits to also provide voter registration materials.

The National Voter Registration Act requires that designated social service agencies assist in the voter registration process by making materials available to eligible voters who visit their locations. The law, also known as the "Motor-Voter" Act because it enables eligible voters to register at the time they apply for a driver's license, gives the President discretion over which agencies to tap for this purpose. Veterans' offices are not currently designated as voter registration sites. Schumer urged President Obama, through an executive order, to change this policy and include veterans' affairs offices among the specially designated agencies.
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