Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Simulated Competition
Sunday's Washington Post ran "Behind the Scenes, Officials Wrestle Over Voting Rules."
The thing here is that disputes among partisan voting officials should be resolved in the open, not behind the scenes. These myriad controversies inevitably involve the courts, and not all will be definitively resolved before the election. AP reports:
There are two aspects to what I now propose. First, local politicians not up for re-election should be asked to go on the record with a commitment to hold accountable the state and national officials we'll need to have calling BS on our behalf. We also need to be preparing our own collective statements within our communities, identifying before the election, standards we expect to be upheld - for news reporting and civil rights enforcement, at a minimum.
I am back on this and will be reaching out to a few local officials this week.
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The thing here is that disputes among partisan voting officials should be resolved in the open, not behind the scenes. These myriad controversies inevitably involve the courts, and not all will be definitively resolved before the election. AP reports:
"Republican and Democratic lawyers both say at least one court challenge seems inevitable. Both sides are far more ready for the fight this year, and unlikely to let any viable challenge slip through their fingers. Instead of one Florida, the country could wake up on Nov. 3 to three or four."The real competition occurs in these battles while Bush vs. Kerry is simulated competition perpetuating the myth of democracy. This is the only point that now really needs to be made on behalf of the No Confidence Movement - if both major parties are preparing and planning for the uncertainty, so too must we plan and prepare.
There are two aspects to what I now propose. First, local politicians not up for re-election should be asked to go on the record with a commitment to hold accountable the state and national officials we'll need to have calling BS on our behalf. We also need to be preparing our own collective statements within our communities, identifying before the election, standards we expect to be upheld - for news reporting and civil rights enforcement, at a minimum.
I am back on this and will be reaching out to a few local officials this week.
0 comments
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