By Madden                                       H.C.R. No. 89

      75R6035 EFD-D                           

                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 1-1           WHEREAS, The United States of America was brought forth as a

 1-2     new nation based upon the noble principles of equality, liberty,

 1-3     and justice for all, a country where the authority and power of

 1-4     government, from the pinnacle of the presidency to the building

 1-5     blocks of local public office, rest ultimately with the consent of

 1-6     the governed; and

 1-7           WHEREAS, In accordance with the wisdom of the founding

 1-8     fathers as eloquently stated in the Declaration of Independence and

 1-9     the United States Constitution, it is essential that every citizen

1-10     in our nation who has met the basic requirements of suffrage have

1-11     the unabridged freedom to voice their opinion and to choose their

1-12     leaders at the local, state, and national level; this inalienable

1-13     right is imperative for a successful and open representative

1-14     democracy; and

1-15           WHEREAS, The leaders of this nation have always called on the

1-16     military to move swiftly and forcefully to defend these principles

1-17     of freedom from the tyrannies of fascism, communism, and anarchy

1-18     that have threatened to snuff out the light of liberty around the

1-19     world; throughout every major war and minor skirmish, the brave,

1-20     dedicated, and selfless men and women in our armed forces have

1-21     defended the values that our country holds dear and have put

1-22     themselves directly in harm's way, many sacrificing their lives, so

1-23     that our bold experiment in democracy would continue to flourish;

1-24     and

 2-1           WHEREAS, Since the time of the Civil War, active duty

 2-2     military voters have been accorded standing as enfranchised

 2-3     citizens of the state or community that they designate as their

 2-4     home of record, the  location to which they and their personal

 2-5     effects are to be shipped in the event of death; the State of Texas

 2-6     welcomes this declaration of residency by military enlistees,

 2-7     whether stationed here or abroad, and it is crucial that any duly

 2-8     declared resident of this state be granted the full rights of

 2-9     suffrage under the law; and

2-10           WHEREAS, Any member of the military who has designated one

2-11     location in this state as his or her home of record  has met the

2-12     criteria necessary to exercise the right to vote, and must

2-13     accordingly be allowed to fully participate in the political

2-14     process; and

2-15           WHEREAS, To deny a resident of this state serving in the

2-16     military any of the rights commonly exercised by civilian citizens

2-17     is to deprive them of the very freedoms they are sworn to defend;

2-18     moreover, the Constitution of the United States does not state that

2-19     the right to vote for one's commander-in-chief is more important

2-20     than the right to vote for one's school board president; now,

2-21     therefore, be it

2-22           RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas

2-23     hereby support the right of all military personnel to vote in all

2-24     Texas elections conducted in their home of record so that they may

2-25     exercise the same basic rights and freedoms enjoyed by all citizens

2-26     of the United States of America.