11.22.2004
Crying Reform, Not Wolf (TomPaine.com)
David Moon and Rob Richie
November 19, 2004
The wildfire popularity of recent articles alleging fraud in the 2004 election may not prove that Kerry was "robbed" of a victory. But they do prove one thing beyond a doubt—many Americans feel a deep mistrust toward the U.S. electoral system that erodes the integrity of our democracy. Voting experts Richie and Moon blame this lack of faith on the inept response by elected officials to the 2000 election debacle. They argue the real crime this year was that so many problems identified years ago have yet to be fixed.
Make no mistake about it, this year’s elections were rigged against fair elections—we saw it unfolding before our very eyes. Before any ballots were cast or counted, thousands upon thousands of voters were disenfranchised throughout our nation. But the true culprits were not shadowy political operatives stuffing ballot boxes or rigging voting machines. Instead, our archaic electoral rules and structures themselves disenfranchised eligible voters—albeit too often with the aid of unscrupulous partisans. These partisan operatives, though, are merely faceless constants in our flawed electoral machinery. The true culprit in the 2004 elections was our electoral system itself.
But that reality has less dramatic appeal than charges of a stolen election. You’ve probably seen the e-mails headlined “Kerry Won” or “Florida Vote Totals Don’t Add Up.” They’re almost as constant and as sensational as the “Get Rich Quick” or “Miracle Weight Loss” ads that flood our inboxes. The allegations grow at a furious pace—some based on valid concerns, many not.
Rob Richie is executive director of FairVote—The Center for Voting and Democracy. David Moon is FairVote's program director. For information, write to info@fairvote.org
(More ... TomPaine.com - Crying Reform, Not Wolf) ¶ 17:29
November 19, 2004
The wildfire popularity of recent articles alleging fraud in the 2004 election may not prove that Kerry was "robbed" of a victory. But they do prove one thing beyond a doubt—many Americans feel a deep mistrust toward the U.S. electoral system that erodes the integrity of our democracy. Voting experts Richie and Moon blame this lack of faith on the inept response by elected officials to the 2000 election debacle. They argue the real crime this year was that so many problems identified years ago have yet to be fixed.
Make no mistake about it, this year’s elections were rigged against fair elections—we saw it unfolding before our very eyes. Before any ballots were cast or counted, thousands upon thousands of voters were disenfranchised throughout our nation. But the true culprits were not shadowy political operatives stuffing ballot boxes or rigging voting machines. Instead, our archaic electoral rules and structures themselves disenfranchised eligible voters—albeit too often with the aid of unscrupulous partisans. These partisan operatives, though, are merely faceless constants in our flawed electoral machinery. The true culprit in the 2004 elections was our electoral system itself.
But that reality has less dramatic appeal than charges of a stolen election. You’ve probably seen the e-mails headlined “Kerry Won” or “Florida Vote Totals Don’t Add Up.” They’re almost as constant and as sensational as the “Get Rich Quick” or “Miracle Weight Loss” ads that flood our inboxes. The allegations grow at a furious pace—some based on valid concerns, many not.
Rob Richie is executive director of FairVote—The Center for Voting and Democracy. David Moon is FairVote's program director. For information, write to info@fairvote.org
(More ... TomPaine.com - Crying Reform, Not Wolf) ¶ 17:29
