Draft Dodgers

Ignoring Uncle Sam

When draft registration for 18-year-old men resumed in the summer of 1980, after a five-year hiatus, more than 3.5 million youths, or 93% of those eligible, went to post offices and filled out Selective Service forms certifying their availability for military service. Since then, compliance with the law has gone downhill. In the first three months of this year, only 69% of those required to sign up did, even though the absence of a draft law means that they cannot be inducted into the armed services. That was considerably below the rate of compliance in 1973 and 1974, when antiwar feeling was still running high. Thus far about 600,000 men from the current crop of 18-year-olds have ignored their obligation to register.

Some military experts blame the Administration for the decline, arguing that President Reagan has yet to clarify whether or not he favors a draft to beef up the armed forces. Selective Service officials say the main problem is youthful sloth. "There's a procrastination factor involved," says Assistant Director Brayton Harris. "I have a 17-year-old son, and I can't even get the kid to put out the trash on time." Others attribute it to ignorance. Since the passage of the new registration law (and a subsequent Supreme Court decision upholding the exemption of women), there has been little public discussion of the draft. Officials believe that many youths are simply unaware that they must sign up during a 60-day period surrounding their 18th birthday.

In fact, dodging draft registration is relatively easy. The Privacy Act of 1974 prohibits the use of Social Security records to determine who is eligible. The Selective Service now takes action against alleged draft evaders only after receiving complaints from individuals that someone has failed to register. So far, the service has turned over to the Justice Department a mere 134 cases for possible prosecution. Registration evasion is a felony, with a maximum punishment of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The Selective Service is belatedly becoming more aggressive in notifying eligible men. It bought a mailing list from a company that compiles the names of high school graduates and sent post cards to 1.2 million 17- and 18-year-olds. In the past week, it says it has seen an upsurge in registrations because of increased publicity. This fall Congress is expected to approve a bill that would allow the search of Social Security files by computer to produce a list of potential registrants. They, too, will receive a notification that even if Uncle Sam is still not sure he wants them, he wants to know where they are--just in case he makes up his mind.

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