We write to you on behalf of the men and women who serve in America’s armed forces overseas.  They have sworn to risk their lives for our nation and our Constitution.

Don’t we owe them the right to participate fully in selecting the elected officials who decide how and with what support they go to war?

The current Party Rule newly adopted in 2010, and breaking with 100 years of party tradition, takes the power to nominate Republican candidates out of the hands of voters.

Frankly, we trust voters.  A political party must be accountable to voters.  And that includes voters who are serving overseas in our nation’s military.

Men and women have died to defend democracy in our nation.  Don’t tell those risking their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq that their vote won’t count.

If the supporters of the existing rule feel that it is critical to provide a process for a pre-primary nomination, we challenge them to modify their proposal to ensure that GOP voters, including military voters serving overseas are not disenfranchised in that process.

But for now, the bottom line is simple. Most of the Republican Members of Congress, State Senate, and Assembly have proposed an alternative that allows the Party to endorse a candidate, but not the power to disenfranchise Republican voters in the process of picking our Party’s nominee.

This proposal deserves your support.

We cannot afford to take away the voting rights of voters, including military voters who are risking their lives for our nation in the process of picking our nominee.

How can we ask for the support of military voters and their families in November when we have just disenfranchised those military voters?

How can we argue for honesty and fairness in elections when we have just eliminated the voters from elections in our own nominations process?

Please help keep the GOP the party of the people and the party of honest and fair elections.

Thanks.

Sincerely,

Jill Buck
2008 CA Rules Committee Delegate
to the Republican National Convention
U.S. Navy Veteran

Jessie Jane Duff
U.S. Marine Corps Veteran

Ed Fitzmaurice
Past Chair, U.S. National Mediation Board
U.S. Marine Corps Veteran

Robert Laurie
2008 CA Rules Delegate to the Republican National Convention
Past Chair, El Dorado County Republican Party
Northern California Chair, Carly for California 2010
U.S. Army Veteran

Chuck McDougald
Chair, San Mateo County Republican Party
California Chair, Carly for California 2010

Matt Salisbury
U.S. Army Veteran

P.S.  If you would like to get involved in our grassroots efforts to protect the rights of military voters on this and other issues please contact us at Info@MilitaryVotingRightsUSA.org

We are fighting for legislation in Congress to speed up delivery of military ballots home from overseas and to improve the voting rights of military voters in the 2012 Presidential election.  We could use your help!