When a minority voter is denied their right to vote we are all aghast and we should be. So then, why is it that when minority views are denied a place on the ballot and at the same time that minority voter is denied the choice to vote for it we look the other way? Yes, the election process in the U.S. has become very undemocratic. Hard to believe that Iraq, which suffered under a brutal dictator for so long, at least for now, enjoys more democracy than America.
Kenn Jacobine is an international educator currently teaching History for the American School of Doha, Qatar. He has also taught at international schools in Ecuador, Mali, and Zambia.
Steal This Vote: Dirty Elections and the Rotten History of Democracy in America
The 2000 presidential election meltdown and the more recent controversy about computer voting machines did not come out of the blue. Steal This Vote tells the fraught but very colorful history of ...
Article comments
1 - Clavos
Not only should the Secretary of State be charged, tried, and if convicted under the law, punished, the Republicans and Democrats should also be prohibited from having their candidates' names on the ballot.
The loss of the not inconsiderable Texas electoral votes might just be an excellent object lesson for all politicians and party officials, nationwide.
And the voters of Texas, in traditional frontier fashion, should then tar and feather those party officials responsible for the oversight and run them out of the state on a rail.
2 - RJ Elliott
Well, looking at it pragmatically, if only Bob Barr is on the ballot, then Bob Barr will win the state. And this is a state that McCain would otherwise win handily in the general election.
If McCain is denied the 34 Electoral College votes of the solid-Red State of Texas, Obama is pretty much certain to win the election, even if that means it has to go to the House of Representatives (where Democrats have the majority).
So. You'd think that it wouldn't just be Bob Barr (and a few bloggers) who were pressing this issue. You'd think the Obama people would be pressing it as well, since it's to their advantage to have McCain's (and Obama's) name removed from the ballot.
And if Obama's operatives ever figure this out, things could get interesting...
3 - Dave Nalle
Oh please people. Did you not read my article about this? I talked to the Barr campaign on Friday and they were perfectly fine with letting the two major parties on the ballot. They had a very laudable attitude that it would be inappropriate to deny people the opportunity to vote for those candidates if they want to.
What's more, we don't have a statement from the Secretary of State yet. It's entirely possible that the Reps and Dems did file their paperwork on time and it just hadn't been processed yet. The law says that the SoS's office has 8 days to approve the filings.
Barr's problems in other states are a genuine issue and ballot access should absolutely be easier all-round. But the situation in Texas is not the real point here.
Dave
4 - Kenn Jacobine
Dave,
Let's not forget that McCain has still not been officially nominated. How can he appear on a ballot without being nominated? Clearly, the Barr folks corresponding with the SOS was the cause of both Obama and McCain names now appearing on the ballot. These folks are corrupt and they are not even good at it. As for the Barr campaign, they know the situation is rigged and a fight is hopeless. As for Obama's people, they know it is rigged also and will keep quiet because the system supports the two party system which most of them have made their fortunes through.