In this presidential election year — with such huge issues in play as Iraq, the flailing economy and soaring energy prices — it seems self-evident that voting will be important.

That's why it's unfortunate that the Department of Veterans Affairs would fight provisions of a U.S. Senate bill that make it easier for veterans at VA facilities to register to vote and cast absentee ballots.

The VA refuses to allow voting rights groups, nonpartisan or otherwise, to conduct voter registration drives at its facilities. If veterans want help, they must ask VA staffers for assistance.

For disabled veterans who can't get out much — such as those in the VA's nursing homes, medical centers or rehabilitation facilities — their options would be more limited than a similarly encumbered civilian, who can get better access to such voter services.

Surely this is unfair, especially for those who have served our country in defense of this fundamental freedom.

It's also unreasonable, considering that veterans take this freedom more seriously than most. In the 2004 election, veterans had higher rates of registration and voting than nonveterans, regardless of age or level of education.

The VA contends that requiring it to allow nonpartisan voter registration drives would interfere with its ability to provide quality care, and could violate the Hatch Act.

This is debatable at best. Besides, a veteran shouldn't have to choose between good medical care and his full rights as a voting citizen.

The bill would also require VA facilities to serve as voter registration sites, providing resources as well as forms, in states that request it.

This requirement could prove an unacceptable burden — Sen. Daniel Akaka thinks so. But it's not unreasonable to expect the VA to adopt common-sense proposals that make it easier for veterans to cast their votes. It's not only reasonable, it's patriotic.