Government backs off on Indian Heath Service voting drive prohibition

• Says Voter Registration is OK Now -  BUT the Deadline has Already Passed!

The federal government has rescinded an order that prohibited voting drives at Indian Heath Service clinics. The issue first came to light when the Washington Post published a memo that revealed IHS officials refused to allow even non-partisan get-out-the-vote efforts at their hospitals and clinics. The apparent reasoning was that since so many Native Americans vote Democrat, the drives would have amounted to partisan politicking. A law on the books prevents federal workers from using government resources for partisan work. Critics argued that the law was unfairly applied because the Department of Defense is allowed to conduct voting drives on military installations. New Mexico Democrat Senator Jeff Bingaman, citing the military base rule, publicly called on Heath and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson to repeal the IHS voting ban. Thompson agreed. Bingaman said the victory was bittersweet. Several states with large Indian populations have already seen their voter registration deadlines come and go. [more ]