Dingell VA to offer Voter Registration Assistance to Veterans

Voter registration assistance will be offered under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and an agreement between VA and the State of Michigan.

DETROIT, MICHIGAN, USA, January 22, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- One of 3 VA sites in Michigan offering assistance

The John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit will offer voter registration to eligible individuals who receive certain services from a VA Office. Voter registration assistance will be offered under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and an agreement between VA and the State of Michigan.

“Supporting Veterans includes making sure they can participate in our democratic process by voting,” said Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Tanya Bradsher. “Veterans fought for the rights and freedoms that define us all as Americans, and we are proud to be working with the state of Michigan to make sure they can enjoy those rights and freedoms here at home.”

The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), 52 U.S.C. § 20501 et seq., requires states to designate all offices in the state that either "provide public assistance" or "that provide state-funded programs primarily engaged in providing services for persons with disabilities" as voter registration agencies (VRA). States must also designate additional, undefined state agencies as VRAs, and states may request that Federal agencies or non-governmental agencies accept the designation.

In addition to the Dingell VA, the VA Regional Office in Detroit and the Saginaw VA Medical Center have been officially designated under the agreement with the State of Michigan. Veterans, who are eligible voters, seeking to process a change of address in their medical record at the Dingell and Saginaw VA will be informed of their voter registration options. VA staff will offer assistance in completing and submitting applications to the MDOS, Bureau of Elections, or the Veteran may submit their applications on their own.

Under the agreement, the Michigan Department of State (MDOS), Bureau of Elections is providing voter registration training for VA staff.

"We believe it is our duty to ensure Veterans receive access to register to vote,” said Chris Cauley, executive director for John D. Dingell VA Medical Center. “Voting is a right for U.S. citizens has been afforded by the sacrifice of the men and women who have served our country.”

Through this partnership with the state of Michigan, VA is working to make it easier for Michigan Veterans to exercise their fundamental right to vote, as part of implementing Executive Order 14019, “Promoting Access to Voting.” This joint effort will “expand citizens’ opportunities to register to vote and to obtain information about, and participate in, the electoral process to make voting more accessible to all Americans.”

This is a fully nonpartisan effort to help Veterans exercise their fundamental right to vote. Staff will not take any action or make any statement that may lead the applicant to believe that a decision to register or not to register has any bearing on the availability of services or benefits.

About Detroit VA: Since 1939, the Detroit VA Healthcare System has been improving the health of the men and women who have so proudly served our nation. In 1996, the medical center moved from Allen Park, Michigan to the current location on John R. in Detroit. One of the newer VA facilities in the country, we consider it our privilege to serve the health care needs of our Veterans. Services are available to more than 330,000 Veterans living in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, and St. Clair counties. This population represents approximately forty-four percent of the Veteran population in the lower peninsula of Michigan. For more information, visit www.detroit.va.gov.

For more information on Detroit VA, please contact Bill Browning, Chief, Communications and Community Affairs william.browning@va.gov or 313-244-7707

Bill Browning
Detroit VA Healthcare System
+1 313-244-7707
william.browning@va.gov
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