§2670 Use of Facilities by Private Organizations; Use as Polling Places

Summary

The Secretary of a military department may give the American National Red Cross a revocable license to build or use buildings on military bases for storing supplies, under rules the Secretary sets. Supplies kept in those buildings can be used to help civilians in a serious national disaster. The Secretary of Defense or a military department may not block certain military facilities from being used as official polling places for local, State, or Federal elections, even if other laws say otherwise. A qualifying facility is one that, as of December 31, 2000, was named an official polling place by state or local officials or had been used as an official polling place since January 1, 1996. The Secretary can forbid use of a particular facility as a polling place if local security conditions make that necessary. If the Secretary of Veterans Affairs certifies them, the military Secretary must allow accredited, paid, full-time representatives of certain veterans service organizations to work on bases that handle discharges or releases from active duty, and base commanders must let those representatives use available space and equipment. Nothing in this allows breaking military security rules.