Veterans Criticize Whitman's Voting Record
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A small group of veterans on Tuesday pressed Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman to more fully explain why she failed to vote for most of her adult life, saying it showed apathy toward a democracy they risked their lives to protect.
"Voting is a very sacred thing for us," said Mark Starr, an Army veteran of the Gulf War and Iraq. "Some of us have seen comrades killed in action. I seriously question Ms. Whitman as to why it took her 20 years to register to vote in California."
Clutching U.S. flags and posters reading "Meg MIA on election day," the veterans delivered an oversized letter to Whitman's East Los Angeles campaign office.
Luis Alvarado, an Army veteran who is senior adviser to the Whitman campaign, said he respected the veterans' position and would deliver it to the candidate.
Records in counties where Whitman lived in Massachusetts, Ohio and California show she was a registered voter on and off over the years and voted sporadically. Whitman said she remembers voting in the 1984 and 1988 presidential elections.
Her spotty voting record has come under repeated criticism since she announced her run for governor, her first bid for public office. TV ads from her opponents during the GOP primary and since then have focused on the issue.
Whitman has called it inexcusable and has apologized for "not voting as often I should." The former eBay chief executive has said she was busy with other concerns, such as running a company and raising two sons.
"The truth is, I was not as engaged and connected as I should have been," Whitman said during a debate last spring. "Like so many Californians and so many of us, I had lots of things going on."
The veterans say Whitman's response is inadequate.
"My mother, a farmworker raising six children, can find time to vote, but Meg Whitman can't?" said Roberto De La Cruz, who served three tours of duty in Vietnam in the Navy. "She owes us more than a brush-off apology."
Whitman campaign spokesman Hector Barajas said the candidate has already addressed her voting record and is focusing on the state's pressing issues, such as the high school dropout rate and unemployment.
He noted the veterans' letter had no return address or contact information for a response.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
