Home
Archive
Columnists
Video
Blogs
Discuss
About
Search
Donate
Advertise
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Register to Vote: Rock the Vote, powered by Working Assets Wireless
Advertisement
  • AlterNetYour turn

Support AlterNet
Do you value the information you're getting from AlterNet? Please show your support with a tax-deductible donation.


Feedback
Tell us how we're doing.

Block the Vote: The 10 Worst Places to Cast a Ballot

By Sasha Abramsky, Mother Jones. Posted September 13, 2006.


American democracy's glaring weak spots include machines that count backward, slice-and-dice districts, felon baiting, phone jamming and plenty of dirty tricks.
091306story

Share and save this post:
Digg iconDelicious iconReddit iconFark iconYahoo! iconNewsvine! iconFacebook iconNewsTrust icon

More stories by Sasha Abramsky

Get AlterNet in
your mailbox!

 
Advertisement

We used to think the voting system was something like the traffic laws -- a set of rules clear to everyone, enforced everywhere, with penalties for transgressions; we used to think, in other words, that we had a national election system. How wrong a notion this was has become painfully apparent since 2000: As it turns out, except for a rudimentary federal framework (which determines the voting age, channels money to states and counties, and enforces protections for minorities and the disabled), U.S. elections are shaped by a dizzying mélange of inconsistently enforced laws, conflicting court rulings, local traditions, various technology choices, and partisan trickery.

In some places voters still fill in paper ballots or pull the levers of vintage machines; elsewhere, they touch screens or tap keys, with or without paper trails. Some states encourage voter registration; others go out of their way to limit it. Some allow prisoners to vote; others permanently bar ex-felons, no matter how long they've stayed clean. Who can vote, where people cast ballots, and how and whether their votes are counted all depends, to a large extent, on policies set in place by secretaries of state and county elections supervisors -- officials who can be as partisan, as dubiously qualified, and as nakedly ambitious as people anywhere else in politics. Here is a list -- partial, but emblematic -- of American democracy's more glaring weak spots.

#1 The New Poll Tax

Atlanta, Georgia

In 2005, Georgia state legislators passed a bill requiring voters to present either a driver's license or a state-issued photo ID that costs between $20 and $35 and is available only from Department of Motor Vehicles offices. Supporters claimed this was necessary to keep people from casting votes in someone else's name, even though Georgia secretary of state Cathy Cox noted that her office had no evidence of this happening. Either way, the measure is likely to have a dramatic effect on who can vote. Two-thirds of the state's counties don't even have a DMV office; Atlanta, the state's largest city, has just one, where waits at the ID counters often run to several hours. In late June, the secretary of state issued a report finding that more than half a million active-status, registered voters in Georgia don't have valid photo IDs. Fully 17.3 percent of African American voters, and one-third of black voters over age 65, wouldn't be able to cast a ballot under the law. When the federal Department of Justice had five experts examine the ID legislation in 2005, four of them objected to it, as the Washington Post discovered. But higher-ups at Justice overruled them and the measure (pushed by conservative think tanks such as the American Center for Voting Rights) went on the books. In October of last year a judge blocked its implementation, and the law -- along with another version that offers free voter IDs -- remains in limbo as appeals continue.

At least two other states, Wisconsin and Missouri, have passed similar ID legislation. (Wisconsin's governor has since vetoed it.) University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor John Pawasarat has found that fewer than a quarter of 18-to-24-year-old black men in that state have valid driver's licenses, the most common state-issued ID. In Indiana, a new law requires valid IDs to bear an expiration date, ruling out Veterans Affairs cards, among others.

"In my view it's an orchestrated vote-suppression strategy by less scrupulous strategists in the Republican Party," says Dan Tokaji, associate director of election law at Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law. "It's pretty clear to me that these are disenfranchisement strategies. I try not to use that word too often, but in this case it fits."

Runner-up: Arizona voters in 2004 passed Proposition 200, which requires "proof of citizenship" when a person registers to vote. There's no evidence that noncitizens had been flocking to the polls, but the measure is bad news for Native Americans, the poor, and the elderly, who often don't have the requisite documents. Driver's licenses issued prior to 1996 don't count -- a not-insignificant fact, given that Arizona licenses are valid until a person turns 65. Officials say that 14,000 voter registrations in Phoenix and environs have already been rejected because of the law.

#2 Machine Meltdowns

Beaufort, North Carolina; Fort Worth, Texas; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (tie)

In 2004, a touch-screen voting machine in Beaufort, North Carolina, erased 4,439 ballots cast during early voting two weeks before Election Day; they were never recovered. A similar problem in Burke County, North Carolina, resulted in several thousand votes for president not being counted. And, according to the San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation, a voting machine in Ohio managed to add 4,000 extra votes for Bush. But those episodes, voting experts say, are just a preview of balloting debacles to come: The federal Help America Vote Act requires most counties to replace punch-card or lever machines with newer technology by the end of this year, and election officials are scrambling to meet the deadline. Already during this spring's primaries, reports of trouble multiplied: Initial results in Fort Worth, Texas, showed 150,000 votes being tabulated in a county where only about 50,000 people voted. In Pottawattamie County, Iowa, machines suddenly began counting some candidates' votes backward. In Philadelphia, more than 5 percent of voting machines broke down on primary day.


Digg!

Sasha Abramsky is the author of Conned: How Millions Went to Prison, Lost the Vote, and Helped Send George W. Bush to the White House (The New Press, 2006). Abramsky is currently a senior fellow at the New York-based Demos institute.

Liked this story? Get top stories in your inbox each week from AlterNet! Sign up now »


Advertisement

 

Comments Turn comments off sitewide Give us feedback »
Comments closed.
The comments for this story have been closed. Thank you to everyone who participated.
View:
joke
Posted by: rsaxto on Sep 13, 2006 12:25 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The American electoral system is a joke with CEOs laughing all the way to their inevitable control of public offices at every level. We no longer have votes of, by and for the people, we have votes of, by and for the richest corporations. We need UN officials to come in and monitor the elections and make suggestions on how to reform the system and if the reforms are not implemented then all decent voters everywhere in the USA need to boycott elections and demonstrate in the streets until we have a real democracy with real voting and real vote counting.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: joke Posted by: willymack
» RE: joke Posted by: rsaxto
» RE: joke Posted by: Dboy
Ed, Florida
Posted by: edpaz on Sep 13, 2006 4:14 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
In 2004, I was a volunteer for the Kerry-Edwards campaign. I worked over 1,000 hours in Broward County, Florida doing, among other things, voter registration. Your article in "The 10 Worst Places to Vote" states "In Broward County, Florida, waits stretched to four hours even during early voting in 2004; on Election Day at least one polling station didn't open until the early afternoon, and poll workers frantically calling the county elections office got nothing but busy signals." I can attest to the accuracy of this statement because I was also a poll watcher on election day. It was the most chaotic situation that I have ever been involved in. I watched as Democrats cast their votes for Kerry and in the proof of their vote prior to pressing the "vote" button, the screen reflected they had voted for Bush. Some of these incidents were caught prior to the vote cast, but no one knows how many were cast incorrectly because of the inattention of the voter to read the summary screen.

This is just one of hundreds of examples why our volunteer work sometimes seems to be in vain. I believe that the Rhode Island Election, where individuals prepare written ballots and personally insert them in scanning machines immediately, is the only ideal method to guarantee an accurate vote with a paper trail providing the voter is provided a receipt for the ballot. I am not in favor of printed ballots from electronic voting machines because they too can easily be rigged.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: d, Florida Posted by: Basenjis
» RE: d, Florida Posted by: willymack
» RE: d, Florida Posted by: Basenjis
» RE: d, Florida Posted by: mishanti2
» RE: d, Florida Posted by: Basenjis
VOTE BY MAIL !!!
Posted by: paul_revere on Sep 13, 2006 4:15 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
To start a non-violent revolution, what we need is a change in the way we vote on Election Day.

I am in Oregon, the first and only state to vote exclusively by mail. It was sad to see people in Ohio getting the shaft by having to stand in the rain and cold waiting up to 9 hours to vote. No doubt this treatment, along with the secrecy behind the vote count, demoralized some Ohio voters to the point where they probably feel that their vote doesn't make a difference.

Oregon had the highest percentage of registered voters to cast ballots. In 2002 we had 81% participation by registered voters. In 2004, it was up to 83%.

My wife and I sat at our table, readied our pens and then cast our votes. We were able to discuss the issues with the information books at hand, and, along with our own convictions about the candidates, make decisions and mark our ballots. Then we placed the ballots in the appropriate envelopes. We could have mailed the ballots, but we opted to drive over to a designated drop box at a County Elections Office. It was one of the easiest things we have ever done.

Imagine if all those Ohio voters did this on Election Day? They would feel empowered because they could take part in our electoral process without taking off work or standing in the rain.

Our Secretary of State had an article published in the Washington Post on January 10, 2005 under the title: "Vote-by-Mail: The Real Winner Is Democracy" (Reposted at my website under the Blog.) Unfortunately, nobody listened and most keep squawking about a paper trail. Sorry, but the time has come to change the process. It does no good to cast a vote at a computer terminal. Mail is the easiest and best method. Any concerns about the counting can now be solely focused upon instead of also worrying about the casting of the vote. It wouldn't take much to establish bi-partisan or non-partisan counting groups within each state.

It's not too late for citizens of many states to begin a direct initiative and start collecting signatures in order to get it voted on in the 2008 elections. The difference in citizen trust, confidence and empowerment will be remarkable!

Go to www.electionsbymail.com

Here are some other points:

With more people voting absentee, using mail balloting exclusively avoids election administrators from essentially conducting two elections – an absentee election and a polling place election. There is more room for corruption when election administration officials have to basically conduct two parallel systems.

Voter lists are much easier to accurately maintain with mail balloting. This is because ballots that are returned to election officials as undeliverable indicate registrations that must be checked. This helps election officials purge their registration rolls of ineligible voters.

A more informed voting public is cited as another advantage of mail-in balloting. If an individual has two weeks between when he or she receives a ballot and when it must be returned, this allows a better opportunity for voters to study the issues, to clarify any points of confusion, and get questions answered."

In the effort to reform the voting process as soon as possible and change the election system to vote-by-mail, it would be best to target those states that allow direct initiatives and begin to structure and promote a ballot measure in those states.

Go to www.electionsbymail.com

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: VOTE BY MAIL !!! Posted by: willymack
» RE: VOTE BY MAIL !!! Posted by: paul_revere
» RE: VOTE BY MAIL !!! Posted by: RavenSteele
» RE: VOTE BY MAIL !!! Posted by: makeadifference
» RE: VOTE BY MAIL !!! Posted by: philsexton
» I like it. Posted by: WhatNow?
Voting failures
Posted by: KUCING on Sep 13, 2006 4:41 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Why does the technologically most advancd nation in the world have all these troubles? Because noone cares enough to request the Supreme Court to rule on it.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: Voting failures Posted by: fork
» RE: Voting failures Posted by: davewuxi
» RE: Voting failures Posted by: bettyn
Pathetic Justice System
Posted by: kgs1947 on Sep 13, 2006 4:51 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
We live in a country where our justice system is ruled by prejudice, bigotry, hatred, and ill-conceived laws from people who know nothing of "facts". Our own Federal Justice System has been bought by corporations and right-winged hate-mongers...including those now sitting in the White House. It's pathetic. When will it ever stop? When will the elected officials embody integrity and authenticity? When will the citizens of this country wake up out of their addiction to chaos and drama?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

How To Steal Elections
Posted by: Jamboree on Sep 13, 2006 5:44 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
There are many ways to steal an electon because there are no set standards for each state.Each state could have different laws, rules, equipment and social processes.With no set standards for determining voter eligibility, counting and recounting the votes, district maps, absentee ballots,provisonal ballots, equipment, and procedure for reporting results the
opportunities increase to manipulate the vote.
There are over 3,000 counties in all the states with just as many Board of Elections. This lack of uniformity makes detecting and protecting from attacks even more difficult. Yet the lack of central control is what makes it impossible to gain total control over every stage of voting which is a good thing if you want to limit the possibility of stolen elections.
We need to improve the standards of voting,assure more accountability in the voting process and distribute the responsibility for implementing and counting at the county level to reduce the opportunity to manipulate results.

The best way to avoid a stolen election is for ordinary citizens to get invovled at all levels of the voting process and become better informed.
We need to take back our country ,one precinct,one county and one state at a time.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: How To Steal Elections Posted by: lateral thinker
Phone blocking a surprise
Posted by: bookwoman on Sep 13, 2006 5:51 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
As a New Englander, I was embarassed by the New Hampshire phone blocking incident. We take our politics seriously here. We have had dirty politics games before, but this was a new twist on it and one which was much harder to trace.

Leave it to the New Republicans to think up something new and sneaky. They can't even be honest in their cheating. Where is a good old fashioned high profile ward boss when you need one.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

The American Way.
Posted by: colinmeister on Sep 13, 2006 6:02 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
So this is the "Democracy" which the USA wants to force on the rest of the world, by military intimidation, if necessary?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: The American Way. Posted by: hellkat
With Apologies to Mr Lincoln
Posted by: NoPCZone on Sep 13, 2006 6:46 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Six years ago the NeoCons stole an election to create a new nation, conceived in secrecy, and dedicated to the proposition that not all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in an unwinnable war, testing whether that nation, paralyzed by fear-mongering and repression, can long endure. They have made the homeland a battle-field of that war. They have instilled fear of our fellow citizens and open political discussion in the heart of every American. They think it is altogether fitting and proper that they repress petition and dissent.

The NeoCons can not defend, tolerate or deal in the truth. The brave Americans who have seen the battlefields and secrets know better. The future of our nation and world will will hinge on what we do here. It is the duty of each citizen to be dedicated to the restoration of open democratic process and discourse so that the dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not be stolen from us.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: With Apologies to Mr Lincoln Posted by: albrechtkrausse
Voting fraud? You ain't seen nothin' yet...
Posted by: monkeywrench on Sep 13, 2006 7:48 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
With control of both houses of Congress up for grabs, the fallout if Democrats win being decidedly unpleasant for Republicans, and there being absolutely no chance of being prosecuted, or even spotlighted, for fraud thanks to a complete lock-down of government and the media by the neocon right, look for election malfeasance in both 2006 and 2008 on a scale that will dwarf the 2000 and 2004 "elections."

I fear that our democratic system, flawed as it was, is in danger of being completely lost – if it is not already. It is going to take a level of awareness, willpower, anger, intelligence and action that the american people seem unwilling to summon to reverse this horrendous turn of events. It is up to us. The question is: Are we up to the challenge? THAT is what will be decided in the coming elections.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

New technology
Posted by: eringhorm on Sep 13, 2006 8:22 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The federal Help America Vote Act requires most counties to replace punch-card or lever machines with newer technology

Why bother? I still don't know why we don't just vote with pen and paper. Simple, inexpensive, and time-tested.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: New technology Posted by: Basenjis
outrageddem
Posted by: outrageddem on Sep 13, 2006 10:12 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
yesterday was a primary in the great state of maryland...and the bumper sticker which has been on my car for the last six years stills stands truer than ever: IF YOU'RE NOT OUTRAGED,Y OU'RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION!

i want to add montgomery county, maryland to this esteemed list... check out the story about the voting machine meltdown JUST YESTERDAY which prevented voters from doing their civic duty for several hours after the polls opened, including those very polling places located in districts where our local delegates actually reside! what an outrage! and then, the best the republican appointed board of election could do was extend voting for one crummy hour? what about all those eligibles who did not get provisional ballots or could not make it back to vote? or didn't even know about the extension?
what totally cracked me up is that the voting machines didn't work because they were missing their "Smart Cards". perhaps it was just human error, but just maybe the repubs thought they were being really smart?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Impending Chaos
Posted by: porgygirl on Sep 13, 2006 10:50 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I'm actually pretty nervous. The midterm elections could, amidst voting fraud shenanigans like this article lists, shine an undeniable light on the tatters of our democratic process. With so many Americans fed up with the current administration, a dishonest election that fails to bring some real change could (and should) unleash massive demonstrations and who knows what other signs of voter pissed-offedness. Are we headed for our own "low-level civil war"?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

OHIO
Posted by: loril on Sep 13, 2006 10:59 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Wow. Cleveland finally makes a Top 10 List.

I'm sadly reporting in from Cuyahoga County. Let's see, where to begin?

I am sure the name Ken Blackwell is familiar to Alternet readers. This laughably corrupt gubernatorial candidate and current Secretary of State pulled so much crap last time -- and now he gets to run his own election. Polls show Blackwell's competition ahead by more than a mile but you know that miracles happen when you are God's candidate, right? Look for another "miracle" out of Franklin County: despite exit polls that show voters would, when faced with the choice between Mr. Blackwell and the re-animated head of a dead jackass, go with the donkey head every time.

My sister was a poll watcher in a depressed Cleveland neighborhood during the 2004 debacle and witnessed the sad "incompetance with a purpose" and racist duplicity first hand. As a nice white suburban girl, this was quite an eye opener for her. She has subsequently moved to Europe in disgust.

We moved in summer 2004 to a new address in the same suburb. I started calling the Cuyahoga Board of Elections in August to find info. on my new polling place. I also sent in our change of address forms in late July. As election day grew closer and closer we received nary a word. The people who answered the phones told us they did not have the info. we sought. Thankfully, this info about polling places was actually posted on the Board of Election web site and we found it ourselves. Our new information finally arrived by mail a few days before Christmas and almost 2 months after the election.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

don't forget closed primaries
Posted by: albrechtkrausse on Sep 13, 2006 11:36 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
In many US States the primaries are closed (you must declare your allegience to one party to vote in a primary.) The rules are also gamed against getting any 3rd party candidate onto the ballot by requiring signatures from undeclared affliation people, often in excessive numbers, to even get on the ballot. Once there its rare (unless you have a charismatic/unique personality or stardom) to get covered by the press or get into the debates. Its a fixed system to keep the voters to keep voting either/or when, in fact, both parties are just made up of the same elite parties who use their power to aggrandise their power for their family dynasties, political power, or corporate allegiences. Its a fake game like professional wrestling (but at least in wrestling they have fireworks and change the storylines occasisionally.) Wake up!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Lots of good comments
Posted by: drmeow on Sep 13, 2006 1:06 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
“We no longer have votes of, by and for the people, we have votes of, by and for the richest corporations.”

We never really had vote of, by, and for the people.

“where individuals prepare written ballots and personally insert them in scanning machines immediately”

We do the same in my district but not everywhere in Arizona. Hey, if scantrons were good enough for the SATs, why not the elections. It’s a very straight-forward system.

“vote exclusively by mail”

An initiative is on the ballot this election year here in AZ. My concern would be ballots being “lost in the mail” - on either end. What I’d prefer is a system where you receive your ballot by mail a few weeks early and then deliver it in a sealed envelope to a polling place – although ballot boxes from certain districts could still be “lost,” I’d feel safer knowing I’d delivered my ballot by hand rather than via the oh-so-reliable US mail.

“here in Australia we largely have that in place already. Our federal elections are managed and funded through, and by, the Australian Electoral Commission. Each State Electoral Commission is responsible for their respective state and local government elections. We do not yet use computers or machines in voting - just wonderful low tech devices - a lead pencil and ballot papers!”

I like this.

“The reason for our very high voter turn outs (usually around 90% or higher) is because we have compulsory voting - we are able to enrol after our 18th birthday and before the electoral rolls are closed off for a particular election. If we don't vote without a good reason, we get fined. However, there is nothing to stop someone from failing to cast their vote properly at the ballot box (a donkey vote). I would love to say that this results in a very politically aware population, but I'd be lying - we just see it as being our duty or responsibility as citizens.”

I’d like to see this implemented in the US AND one (or more) of the following: elections held over a period of two days instead of just one day; elections on weekends (or one week day and one weekend day); election day being a holiday; or the suggestion of mail in ballots as above.

“With Apologies to Mr Lincoln”

AWESOME – Abe would be proud!

“look for election malfeasance in both 2006 and 2008 on a scale that will dwarf the 2000 and 2004 "elections."”

I agree.

“a dishonest election that fails to bring some real change could (and should) unleash massive demonstrations and who knows what other signs of voter pissed-offedness. Are we headed for our own "low-level civil war"?”

Actually, I hope so but I’m not holding my breath. It may be that the only thing that will change things in this country is armed revolt on the part of the American people – but some serious-ass demonstrations (including work shutdowns and other disruptions of “business as usual” that actually cost the corporations money) might be a start. Maybe if members of Congress feared for their lives instead of just the loss of their power, something would change.

“In many US States the primaries are closed (you must declare your allegience to one party to vote in a primary.) “

As an independent, I can now vote in the primary of my choice in AZ. HOWEVER, when the democrats don’t even put up a candidate to run against some incumbent, my Democrat husband is essentially disenfranchised as the election is decided at the primary level.

Another thing I’d like to see is instant run-off elections.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Strike three
Posted by: edith on Sep 13, 2006 3:48 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
what an irrelevant list. Maryland' s Democrat legislature insisted that Marylaand use Diebold electronic machines. yesterday's primary election was a disaster. Blank screens, crashes, votes inaccurately counted. whoever researched this article showed amazing ignorance.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Don't forget exit polls!
Posted by: thoughtcriminal on Sep 13, 2006 5:30 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
These are the only way you are going to see who really won the election - by putting people on the ground outside of polling stations all over the country and having them get a representative sample (this by the way is how the networks called elections for years before the stolen 2000 election, which was actually first called for Gore on the basis of exit polls).

I don't understand why the Democrats aren't making a united stand against Diebold electronic voting and rigged voter rolls. There seems to be a rather high level of fear about discussing elections in the US civil sector or in the US corporate media. Rigged elections and illegitimate politicians is also not a Disneyland Story. The corporate media is simply trying to preserve the illusion of a democratic system.

Exit polls won't address the pre-election monkeying with the voter rolls, however. The Democratic Party should hire an independent polling company to conduct exit polls across the country, and should not rely on what the corporate media reports.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Democracy in America?
Posted by: Lector on Sep 14, 2006 12:13 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
There is no such thing. Hate to be a Cassandra but there will be no going back to the days when there was still a chance for all Americans to be able to vote and actually have their vote count. I admire the doggedness many people have, who still believe America can become what it could have been, but the powerful forces that are changing this country (this includes most of us in the flow who are shooting ourselves in the foot) now are multiplying exponentially and those of us who can do anything about it are less and less able to. The probability of making the necessary changes in this highly complex and high tech world is practically non-existent, short of a bloody revolution and regime change like the forefathers of our country had in mind when our government and its leaders no longer serve us. History has shown that socieities go through cycles. We may have to go through another Dark Age and bleed copious amounts of blood before life gets better.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

THE FAILURE OF DEMOCRACY
Posted by: BobbyGreyFriar on Sep 14, 2006 5:06 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
As long as elections are meaningless, as they largely are (admitting some slight advantage to voting for Kerry last time), technical problems re: the electoral process don't make much difference.

But, making America democratically responsive is OUR responsibility -- not something politicians "give" us. Therefore, you might as well support all that is pernicious as to say, e.g.: "Hate to be a Cassandra but there will be no going back to the days when there was still a chance for all Americans to be able to vote and actually have their vote count." Actually a wider portion of the population are able to vote today than ever, so in terms of fact this statement is false, but it is merely the sentiment that is of interest. In this case ignorance can't be claimed, rather the assertion amounts to a willful refusal to take constructive action. But failure to do so will have dire consequences for all of us and for our children and our loved ones. Surely we do not want to renege on what we owe them.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: THE FAILURE OF DEMOCRACY Posted by: davinci
Let's remember something
Posted by: gymbrall on Sep 14, 2006 1:12 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
From the article: officials who can be as partisan, as dubiously qualified, and as nakedly ambitious as people anywhere else in politics.

Based on what we know of human nature, the only thing that nationalizing election standards would achieve is that every single voting precinct would be affected by the exact same ridiculous measures. I for one am glad that measures passed by people in Cuyahoga County, OH and Beaufort, NC only affect people in Cuyahoga County, OH and Beaufort, NC. Plus, one person's vote in Cuyahoga County has a much larger difference in the county election supervisor's race than it does in any national election.

I guess my point is that the smaller the scope of an individual's power, the smaller the scope of the evil they can achieve.

It is also worth mentioning that with local election laws and regulations, it is easier to experiment with new methods of voting (by mail, by machine, etc)

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION
Posted by: jav2d on Sep 14, 2006 1:43 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
What about Washington, DC? DC's sole Congressional representative cannot vote in Congress, and the Mayor lacks the legal authority afforded to a Governor. Residents of the District of Columbia have no voting representation yet are subject to Federal taxes. The lack of DC statehood means that DC lacks the legal means to control its own tax policy (states have specific status that DC does not), particulaly when it comes to taxing the hundreds of thousands of people from Virginia and Maryland that commute to DC every day. If we lack voting rights, how about eliminating Federal taxes for DC residents as the residents of US Territories like Puerto Rico and Guam enjoy.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

This will explain a lot :)
Posted by: joseph_mater on Sep 14, 2006 1:47 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Maybe this website will explain a lot about our civilization in general. Or at least make you laugh. ;)

NaughtyAmericanHistory.com

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Diebold *has* been hacked
Posted by: DWittSF on Sep 14, 2006 3:39 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Very recent occurrence--here's a link for your perusal:

Princeton prof hacks e-vote machine
A Princeton University computer science professor added new fuel Wednesday to claims that electronic voting machines used across much of the country are vulnerable to hacking that could alter vote totals or disable machines.


keep up the great work, and keep on getting the word out!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]