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BY PAUL PRESTON, AGENDA 21 RADIO
Camp Pendleton Marines are asking business owners and residents of Oceanside, CA where and when do they vote on election day.
Imagine a Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton far away from home and its your first time to vote in a national election for your commander in chief but no one on base will tell you where to get a ballot to vote? That seems to be the case at Camp Pendleton as young Marines who have never voted in their lives are showing up at businesses in Oceanside, CA asking business owners and residents where they can vote!
No Military Ballots for Camp Pendleton Marines
Marines from Camp Pendleton are saying they have not received any information of how to vote in this election cycle even after going to their commanding officers. Marines have told citizens in Oceanside, CA that their commanders have been non responsive to their requests for the last several weeks.
This seems odd as one would think a young Marine might question his commanders orders in the future over more serious “orders” that could have deadly consequences.
Remember this is boot camp and these Marines will be charged with protecting our country and laying their lives on the line and should have a say in who their commander in chief will be for the next 4 years.
We called Camp Pendleton and was directed to Captain James C. Sartain.
Dear Cpt. James Sartain MSMC
We’ve gotten reports that Marines from Camp Pendleton have been to numerous business owners in Oceanside stating that they have not gotten information as to where, when and how to vote for the November 5, election. Can you comment? I understand from your staff Lt there are resources on base but there have been several Marines over the last 2 weeks that have made the same claim. Let me know.
Thanks
Semper Fi
Paul Preston
Agenda 21 Radio
Captain James C. Sartain responded to our concerns with the following e-mail:
Good Afternoon Paul,
Thank you for contacting us with your query! Our Voter Assistance Program has been actively disseminating information to servicemembers and their families. Of which do include road-side signage, local announcements, etc. to alert service members and their families to contact their Unit Voting Assistance Officer (UVAO), which every command has. These UVAOs can assist service members and their family members in all matters concerning voter registration, mail-in ballots, as well as local voting information (such as poll locations). Many tools and resources exist to support all service members and their families assigned to Camp Pendleton.
Thank you for your time Sir.
Very Respectfully,
Capt James C. Sartain
Operations Officer, Communication Strategy and Operations
Marine Corps Installations West
Camp Pendleton
Above is the response we recieved form the Marine Corp from Camp Pendleton which should explain to any Marine what to do and where to go but its odd that for the first time we are hearing that young Marines are asking merchants and citizens in Oceanside such questions.
Has D.E.I. Come Ashore at Camp Pendleton?
Agenda 21 Radio recently interviewed two military whistleblowers about their experiences with their respective military service and they both pointed to D.E.I., Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training and how the training was leading to the break down of the command structure within the ranks. One element that sticks out was a comment one of the whistleblowers made that they feared asking fundamental questions of their “superiors because of their race or their sexual orientation”.
The whistleblowers were bringing attention to a failed command structure between two commanders who were outed as gay and their relationships to child sex trafficking on base. It was feared by the whistleblowers the commanders decisions would be influenced by their own “personal” D.E.I. issues. The mission for the base involved the delivery of nuclear weapons.
Additional Concerns from the Citizens of Oceanside, CA Out of Country Voting for Marines.
The State of California Secretary of State’s office issued the following guidance:
Who Can Become a Military or Overseas Voter?
If you are absent from the county in which you are eligible to vote and you are:
A U.S. citizen living outside of the territorial limits* of the U.S. or D.C.
A member of the active or reserve components of the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard; a Merchant Marine; a member of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps; a member of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps of the United States; or a member on activated status of the National Guard or state militia;
A spouse or dependent of a person described above; or
A U.S. citizen living outside of the territorial limits* of the U.S. or D.C.
A check of Orange County, CA public records reveals the following:
A public records request dated 10/25 records from the OC ROV showed 805 military registrations and 8680 as non-military overseas registrations.
Yet that same date there were a total of 12,279 ballots issued representing an overage of 3006 ballots. As of 11/ 4 the new number of ballots issued to military/overseas is 13,190.
The State form to register as an overseas voter is published in voter guides as seen below.
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