eternal vigilance

[electricland]

Morning all!

I have had great long screeds running through my head for days, but I'm at work, so I'll keep it short. This one's for all my American friends.

Here in Canada, we have a non-partisan federal agency, Elections Canada, that's in charge of running elections and accountable to Parliament. It ensures that our elections are free, fair, and run the same way across the country (our ballot design, for instance, is set by an Act of Parliament). We also have a Commissioner of Elections, who you can complain to if you think there's a problem. We find this works pretty well.

For a variety of reasons -- mistrust of government bureaucracy is a big one, but there are others -- you don't have a similar agency, so how an election is conducted seems very much up to the local authorities. When everyone involved is of good will, this works fine. However, as you know, there have been a number of stories already about election shenanigans (and not all on one side either -- texaslawchick posted a disturbing story a couple of days ago).

jmhm has posted a long piece from MoveOn that you should really go read. The important links from it are here:

Election protection card
Find your polling place
Know your rights

On November 2, please vote. Please encourage your friends, family, neighbours, co-workers to vote. And please be vigilant -- watch for any signs of intimidation, deception or whatever else that might interfere with the democratic process.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't care who wins this election (although -- or especially because -- as a Canadian, I don't get a say). But I care more that it should be free and fair. If either candidate wins as a result of dirty tricks, vote stealing, intimidation, or any other shenanigans, I will be outraged and upset and angry and sickened and dismayed and frightened. Presidents come and go; democracy is very fragile. If this election is stolen by either party, America really will have lost something important, and I don't know if you'll be able to get it back.

What I'm getting at here is: Your government isn't equipped to ensure a free and fair election. Sadly, many of your politicians and their staff don't seem to be interested in having one. So it's up to you. Tell your friends. Please, please do everything you can to make sure that everyone votes who is eligible to vote, and every eligible vote is counted.

Comments

[raithen.livejournal.com]

someone was listening to the Current this morning, wasn't she? *s*

[electricland.livejournal.com]

actually no... what did they say?

[raithen.livejournal.com]

they are talking extensively about the concerns with the touch screen voting machines in Miami-Dade county, and the concerns over voter manipulation/fraud etc.

[mr-weasel.livejournal.com]

We are going to hell in a handbasket. Anyone want to go for drink?

[electricland.livejournal.com]

sure! when's good for you?

A nice cold one will certainly help me feel better about the flames of hell...

[calebbullen.livejournal.com]

well, we're at a slight disadvantage of having been the first country to try out this whole style of government. A lot of the newer Constitutions do set up independent election commissions to oversee elections but ours is like the Model A Ford of constitutions, notable for being first but the more recent models have a lot more bells and whistles.

This election looks like it's going to be so close and it's so heavily monitored by partisans on both sides, that whoever wins is going to be accused of stealing the election by the other side. There are armies of lawyers gathering already and there's the potential of there being a situation here that makes Florida 2000 look like nothing.

there is some good news though, it sure seems like record numbers of people are registering and voting (at least in places where early voting is allowed) the more new voters there are the greater the chances of dethroning Bush.

Anyway, it should all be very interesting and I'm optimistic about the whole thing because even if it is a train-wreck of legal wrangling, it seems to be getting more and more people interested in the process and out to the polls. Which is exactly what this country has been missing for a long time. I don't think that in my lifetime there has been a president who was actually elected by a majority of the population. The majority, don't vote.

[electricland.livejournal.com]

This makes me hopeful (especially since you're out there working for the devil on the front lines this week). I guess what I'm getting at (can you tell I've started reading Letters to a Young Activist?) is people shouldn't rely on "other people" to see that the right thing gets done -- especially in the U.S., which seems to me to have been very much founded on the notion of rugged independence, constant vigilance etc. The result is that rugged independence and constant vigilance have become necessary parts of the process even though most people don't have the time, energy or interest, so people who DO have the time, energy and interest can really get in there and take over if the other people aren't careful.

/incoherence
/mouthy rambling about things that really aren't my business

Anyway. As I said, it's cheering that you're hopeful about it!

[bryghtboy.livejournal.com]

You say:
" If this election is stolen by either party, America really will have lost something important, and I don't know if you'll be able to get it back."

Which, not to go into hysterics, but when do you think the Americans ever had a real unilateral and fair sort of democratic process?

The number of Americans who weren't really enfranchized until the 20th century is staggering. Women being one major group, but there are more than a couple others. Which makes me sad but at the same time at least gives me a little hope that sometime in the future things will get better. I mean at least they are more aware of vote fixing, so maybe that will spur them to do something about it.

[electricland.livejournal.com]

Sure, but you could say the same thing about pretty much every Western democracy. (Women in Quebec didn't get the vote until... 1948 or so?) Which is why I say it's fragile.

[monkeycommando.livejournal.com]

Other point I found interesting on the current:

Local ballots are often so freakin' jam packed with referenda propositions that it can take 15 minutes to read and complete a ballot--and that's if you already know what all the propositions are about and have already decided--before you enter the polling station--exactly how you're going to vote on each one!!!!

OMFG what a nightmare!

On the other hand, its a more direct for of democracy, but man, the USians should put those referenda issues into another election day or something.

[electricland.livejournal.com]

Eeee!

I have seen the new Manchurian Candidate, which means I have now seen a lever voting machine in action. I still don't get how it works.

[electricland.livejournal.com]

...which is to say, I understand the drive towards touch-screen voting if that's the alternative, but maybe what's needed here is LESS technology, not more.

[raithen.livejournal.com]

well, I know one of the people on the Current this morning -- eithr the woman advocating reform or the guy who is responsible for Miami Dade's new touch screen voting machines -- was saying that there was tonnes of fraud with paper ballots, too.

[electricland.livejournal.com]

did they say where?

[raithen.livejournal.com]

um, I think they were still referring to Miami Dade, but I was getting ready for work at the same time, so I may have missed something....

But they have a partial transcript and real audio bites available on the website.

CBC's website also has one article on the probs they are already having counting the vote

[monkeycommando.livejournal.com]

Just occured to me that your post could have fallen under one of Samantha Bee's "Would you mind if I told you how we do things in Canada?" columns the the big Daily Show book.

[electricland.livejournal.com]

I was gonna do a longer and more involved one. Maybe later.