DEPARTMENTS
ANTI-WAR
DEATH PENALTY
ELECTIONS
ENVIRONMENT
GLBT ISSUES
HEMP
INTERNATIONAL
NATIONAL
REVIEWS
|
Departments Election Issues Brace yourself The looming election — the process itself, not merely the feints and jabs of the candidates — is actually getting some mainstream media attention, as in, ahem, voting public, excuse me, but maybe you should be aware that irresponsible self-interest has been detected in the vicinity of our polling places and some bad choices have been made lately (electronic voting is unreliable) and, well, how badly did you want your vote counted? In September, for instance, the Washington Post sounded this subdued, hapless warning: “Faced with a surge in voter registrations leading up to Nov. 4, election officials across the country are bracing for long lines, equipment failures and confusion over polling procedures that could cost thousands the chance to cast a ballot.” Got that? Election Day could be chaos in many places. Election officials are bracing themselves. Crazy, untested equipment, too darn many new voters. Should the rest of us be bracing ourselves too? On Oct. 5, the Lakeland, Fla. Ledger put a little more urgency into a story about the state of Florida’s — and the country’s — election system, and even suggested that the process was being sabotaged by more than just well-intentioned, bipartisan bungling: “Voting used to seem pretty simple,” writes Joe Follick. “Citizens showed up on Election Day. Candidates and political parties focused on their campaign messages. State officials urged folks to vote and tabulated the results quietly. “But all that has changed since 2000’s historic election. Now the weeks preceding an election have become critical battles with the deployment of lawyers and angry accusations of bureaucratic chicanery aimed at keeping voters away.” Power transfer is no different in a settled democracy than anywhere else, it turns out. It’s as messy, greed-driven and trouble-prone as an unregulated free market. Probably the biggest threat to fair and free elections is our faith-based belief that on this one occasion, when the stakes are highest, no one in America — no one who has power to lose — is going to cheat. This is a fool’s mythology. In point of fact, our future is up for grabs in less than a month, ladies and gentlemen. The struggle to control it is raw and primal. Furthermore, whatever the sins of the Democrats, they are not — after eight years of George W. Bush, the cheater in chief — the minority party. That is the status of the GOP, which absolutely cannot win unless it can choke the surge of change-demanding voters who intend to cast a ballot on Nov. 4. God knows, they have no chance of winning on the issues, the strength of the disastrous McCain-Palin ticket or even their ability to spin and lie. Their best chance to win is by keeping Democrats from voting. Consider a few of the ways they are trying to do this: 1. Use the bureaucracy of the state to kill, or at least maim, the democratic process. In Florida and other states, as the Ledger reported, something known as the “no match, no vote” law is being used to strike as many voters as possible from the rolls. Where voters’ registration information doesn’t precisely match driver’s license and other information in state data bases to a T, sorry, you aren’t eligible to vote. Think of it as disenfranchisement by typo. And certain ethnic groups, such as Hispanics and Asians, would likely be disproportionately affected (which is the point), because their surnames are more likely to be transposed or bungled at least once. 2. Send out bad information to target groups, such as out-of-state students. For instance, the Republican clerk of El Paso County, Colo., informed local students: “. . . if your parents still claim you on their income tax returns, and they file that return in a state other than Colorado, you are not eligible to register to vote or vote in Colorado.” Not only is this an outright falsehood, it’s virtually the same falsehood that Republican bureaucrats tried to fob off on students in Virginia and South Carolina as well, belying their protests that this was somehow an honest mistake. 3. Spread creepy misinformation anonymously. According to the Philadelphia Daily News, fliers in black neighborhoods of Philadelphia recently showed up warning residents that undercover cops would be prowling the polling places, arresting would-be voters with so much as an unpaid traffic ticket on his or her record. 4. Balance every accusation of vote suppression with the charge that Democrats are perpetrating voter fraud with their hugely successful registration drives. Throw as many obstacles as possible into the voting process, especially in low-income, ethnic and student neighborhoods. Find as many legalistic excuses as possible to challenge voters and, win or lose the challenge, you slow the lines and cause people to leave without voting. And of course, supplementing these and many other dirty tricks will be the X-factor, the hackability of touchscreen and other forms of electronic voting. When — or, let us pray, if — the vote confounds polls and expectations, shrug and call it closet racism. --- Robert Koehler, an award-winning, Chicago-based journalist, is an editor at Tribune Media Services and nationally syndicated writer. You can respond to this column at bkoehler@tribune.com or visit his Web site at commonwonders.com. © 2008 Tribune Media Services, Inc. |
|
Recent Election Issues Articles Why Al Franken should NOT be riding private planes The suspicious, disturbing death of election rigger Michael Connell Last US House seat filled on grave of stolen 2004 election What happened this year in Ohio Imaginary numbers persist in our presidential elections The GOP attack on democracy continues in Ohio The 2008 Presidential election: a preliminary analysis Election protection in Ohio (and America) isn't over Recount fictions in Virginia's Fifth The Pits: Georgia's GOP swipes the Peach State Grant Park on Election Night Can the grassroots Internet-based election protection movement win the White House? How and why I just voted No time for Nader: A letter to Nader McKinney voters 'Vote stealing imperils democracy': former Montague resident charges election manipulation Will this Presidential election be stolen? It didn’t happen by chance... The time has come Beware the Twin Towers of electronic election theft Sarah Palin and the new Apostolic reformation Antidotes to complacency: four reasons to act Redesigning democracy A McCain "win" will be theft: resistance is planned Critical US Supreme Court ruling against Rovian GOP vote meddling may prove temporary Our national juncture Suppression Cuyahoga's witch hunt Videos from Ohio Election Protection Conference The Palin-Biden debate: high time to move beyond clichés Struggle: A Documentary GOP attacks on American voters turn desperate, ugly and dangerous Warming to Palin Brace yourself Cindy, Charlotte, and our Constitution Rainbow PUSH Coalition registers 2090 new voters this week Big presidential vote count error found and fixed in New Mexico Ohio 2008 opens with a subpoena, a surge and calls for election protection North Carolina: The new Ohio? Foreign policy debate all about war Be a poll worker and save American democracy Why hurricane Ike demands paper ballots on November 4 Death becomes her: let's make her our president Ten ways the McCain/Palin GOP is now stealing the Ohio vote John McCain: Morally, mentally, and emotionally unfit Logical consequences Rovian politics chose Sarah Palin Shocking choice by John McCain Ron Paul endorsement of Don Young "shocking and disappointing" The DNC platform: belief you can change in Obama doesn't sweat. He should. Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. applauds Sen. Obama’s speech before the NAACP Three key ways YOU can help protect the 2008 election Colleges, voter registration, and a historic opportunity: a more detailed proposal Obama must learn from Kucinich's election theft impeachment Clinton only needs 153% of remaining delegates The buried Florida story: why campaigning matters The myth of Clinton's popular vote lead Did the Limbaugh effect also flip Michigan? Edwards just put Obama over the top Did the Limbaugh effect also flip Michigan? Obama-Clinton funny math: Guam update Did the US Supreme Court deliver the Indiana Primary to Hillary Clinton? Did the US Supreme Court just elect John McCain? The 2008 election will be stolen The done deal Letter to Hillary: remember when John McCain slimed your daughter Fire and race Keep the Republic What it's all about... Can SuperDelegates stop the scorched earth campaigning? An election without meaning We have a dream Hope, change, and pissing in the wind: "Of Obama, Democrats, and the Power Elite" Ohio's voting machines are now an official crime scene Did Republicans give Hillary her victory in Ohio? Primary day at the polls in Columbus, Ohio Obama & Clinton: who's more likely to confront global warming? If you think Karl Rove is evil, make phone calls today Obama's talking points Adventures in inaudible audio with Senator Barack Obama Attention all voters: this is a must-see video On the campaign trail in the Buckeye State stalking the candidates: John McCain Will Clinton's advisors tell her the hard truths? How much damage will Clinton do before she folds? The Hillary nutcracker Behind Obama's wave of victories: the more they know him….. Hillary's hawks -- How Obama's and Clinton's advisors mirror their stands on the war Poll shows John McCain faces tough road in gaining conservative support The Obama Factors Vote against Clinton Why this Edwards voter Is now backing Obama Liveblogging Obama v. Clinton v. CNN It's all about Hillary, not her party The South Carolina you won't see on CNN - South Carolina primary colors: black and white? The South Carolina you won't see on CNN - South Carolina primary colors: black and white? Conspiracy theorist Hillary Clinton's sleaze parade Bob & Harvey's 3-Step "Ohio Plan" for fair and reliable voting and vote counts Media misses story: Obedwards wins New Hampshire Primary concerns Clear evidence of widespread vote fraud in New Hampshire The Kudzu Effect: The Voting-Industrial Complex chokes our democracy Still true to ObEdwards: Why I keep donating to both Edwards and Obama Clinton campaign office re-occupied by peace activists on day of Iowa voting Read Election Issues Articles by Year: |
FREE PRESS EMAIL UPDATE
Donate to the Free Press Election Protection Fund to help us investigate and monitor election fraud in this year's election.
FOLLOW US ON
twitter
facebook
SEARCH THE FREEPRESS
1021 E. Broad St. Columbus, OH 43205 | 614.253.2571 | truth@freepress.org
All content © 1970-2012 The Columbus Free Press
Disclaimer