glued to the box

[the_siobhan]

Mahatma Gandhi was once asked what he thought about Western civilization. "I think," he replied, "it would be a very good idea."

Intimidation Reports Flooding In

Comments

[melete.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I have classes all day. So all I can afford to do is pop in between classes and check stats. Otherwise I'd be out of my mind.

Eric got challenged today, after 3 years and two (maybe 3?) elections at this address. We think it has something to do with our ward alderman. But after some negotiating around it he got to vote and it got scanned, so his vote is among the counted.

[redcountess]

Yeah, it's being reported here that it's mainly the swing states that are having problems. But take heart, a spokesperson for Zogby just predicted Kerry to win despite opinion polls being nearly equally divided.

I have a physio appointment at 10am tomorrow, how am I going to do that if I stay up all night?!

[aidan-skinner.livejournal.com]

That's one my all time favourite Ghandi quotes. So useful in so many situations.

[panic-girl.livejournal.com]

Those reports make me so upset for the American people.

[melanie.livejournal.com]

yep. it's happening right here in my own office.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Reading your post is what made me think to go look up the site.

[inulro.livejournal.com]

Just out of interest, does this sort of thing happen in other (for want of a better word) first-world countries?

While I like to think it doesn't, I would be surprised if it did & I just missed it.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen reports of it. It certainly doesn't happen here.

I think part of the problem is that the people who volunteer at the polling stations are generally party members, and the temptation to influence the outcome must be overwhelming. Power corrupts and all that.

[montieth.livejournal.com]

Problems do not automatically equal intimidation. Come on now. Not to say that certain problems aren't there, but how much of it is political posturing?

Does everyone remember the statements about the florida intimidation that was bandied about? Did any of it pan out? Can anyone say Twana Brawley?

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Their words, not mine. (Although now that I look back at the site, the current headlines have changed.)

Are you isaying that all the reports are cases of people crying wolf?

[montieth.livejournal.com]

Sometimes they are strictly politics (the Dogs, road blocks and fire hoses used to keep black voter from polls in Florida in 2000). Or in some cases they're merely cases where the complainant is confused about the law or procedures.

I had one local DNC worker on LJ screaming about someone who moved and tried to vote at his old polling place that was a 40 minute drive away. He'd changed his driver's license address in August. Surprise for him when he's not on that old election roll. He's not only not in the same district or precinct, he's in a different county. I suspect his registration got moved but he didn't pay attention. We have registrations made a part of the drivers license process so he may well have just not payed attention. Needless to say, he had plenty of time to properly register in his new location.

No doubt there are some voting irregularities, but I withhold judgment until things are actually laid. If they're true, then in some cases they're felonies, and should be prosecuted. But if they're never advanced beyond a press release then it's just politics or might as well be.

[montieth.livejournal.com]

Oh, and some of the forms of "intimidation" are procedures for verification of the voter with the name on the registration. Because that implies that the person is trying to do something wrong.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Lawful techniques can be used as a means of intimidation if they are applied that way. Reports from black voters who say that no white people were asked to show as much ID for example.

I'm not arguing that all the reports are valid. But the stories that came out of the 2000 election, and the number of reports of registrations being thrown away prior to the vote make me much more inclined to believe that some of the stories are legitimate. And of course, first hand accounts like althaea's.

[montieth.livejournal.com]

For every time I've seen some form of discrimination, I've also been able to chalk it up to some kind of misunderstanding or projection by the discriminate. Lara has been accused of it for asking for an ID of a black customer at her store when that customer was using a credit card. They ask everyone, she even asked me once just out of habit.

A lot of the stories that came out of the 2000 election were completely bogus attempts at posturing in the media. contrast that with the multitudes of registration cards that were returned in Cayuhuga County in Ohio. The cards were undeliverable by the post office, but the registrants still can't be asked to prove they're who the are by the ideals of the DNC lawyers in Ohio. Too much lattitude in the system makes fraud far too easy.

As far as Althaea's story goes, but I can't find anything other than the provisional ballot thing. Frankly, I think they're a bad idea. They're not counted unless the race is close. They add more work for the election officials and often the person isn't valid for that area. Registration is not hard. You can do it when you change your address on your drivers license (required in Georgia after 60 days) or at numerous offices and libraries around your county. I honestly can 't understand why people get to the election and aren't registered if they want to vote.

How are registrations handled in Canada? Can you vote with out having registered and been confirmed as living in that area?

What pisses me off is that this provisional ballot thing has stolen the real show. That's the paper trail for the electronic voting machines. Noone has been talking about that and the electronic machines need a bloody paper trail.

voting in Canukistan

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

As far as Althaea's story goes, but I can't find anything other than the provisional ballot thing. Frankly, I think they're a bad idea. They're not counted unless the race is close. They add more work for the election officials and often the person isn't valid for that area. Registration is not hard. You can do it when you change your address on your drivers license (required in Georgia after 60 days) or at numerous offices and libraries around your county. I honestly can 't understand why people get to the election and aren't registered if they want to vote.

If you read the whole sage (it spans several entries) they registered a number of the students and sent the registrations in, but the names did not appear on the roles.

How are registrations handled in Canada? Can you vote with out having registered and been confirmed as living in that area?

Periodically enumerators come door-to-door. They are paid government employees. Nobody else can register you, so we tend not to get problems with registrations being thrown away or people thinking they are listed when they are not.

There is also an option you can check off when you submit your income tax forms that allows them to share your contact info with Elections Canada.

Prior to the election they'll send out registration cards in the mail, with instructions on how to get yourself on the list if the card is incorrect.

If you aren't on the listings you show up with ID that proves you live in the riding where you are voting, and you vote. Your information will be recorded for the next election.

What pisses me off is that this provisional ballot thing has stolen the real show. That's the paper trail for the electronic voting machines. Noone has been talking about that and the electronic machines need a bloody paper trail.

Totally agree.

Re: voting in Canukistan

[montieth.livejournal.com]

The thing is, there are registration groups that are not contracted through the government but are part of political initiatives. Those groups are what I tend to have a problem with. In my opinion, if you want to vote, you go to your local DMV office, library, government voter registration office or some place and get them to register you. You can even send in a letter with a copy of your address and drivers license to get a registration change done via mail. That's what I did.

Relying on someone doing a bupkis poll and registration drive is just daft. Further, demanding that you not be required to authenticate yourself for the voting process just invites more voter fraud, not less.

Re: voting in Canukistan

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

You're kinda proving my point. If they are unreliable, why use them?

Since everything there is handled on the state level, there doesn't seem to be any consistancy. It's my impression that developing a reliable and consistant method that's used across the country would clear up a lot of the problems.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Frankly, I think they're a bad idea.

Regardless, if the voter legislation for Tennessee allows for them, then nobody has the right to deny the students the right to use them.

Dumb system anyway IMO. I can't imagine why you (appear to be) required to register with a party in order to vote, either.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

What pisses me off is that this provisional ballot thing has stolen the real show. That's the paper trail for the electronic voting machines. Noone has been talking about that and the electronic machines need a bloody paper trail.

Have you seen this?

http://www.blackboxvoting.org/ (http://www.blackboxvoting.org/)