October 20, 2004
Voting Shenanigans
Are you as distressed as I am about the controversies that have already cropped up for the 2004 elections? In Michigan, an unknown group has been calling people to tell them that the deadline to apply for absentee ballots has already passed, when in fact the deadline is the day before the election. Michigan already, in a 2000 law, made it more difficult for college students to get absentee ballots. There are similar issues in at least a half-dozen other states.
In a conversation with my favorite art historian, she pointed out that you never hear about Democrats attempting to keep people from voting or registering. (Democratic voter fraud usually consists of fraudulent votes or fraudulent registrations.) This is because there is a correlation between increased registration and increased Democratic votes. Does anyone think the unnamed callers who were telling people that the absentee deadline has passed were Democrats? Of course not, because absentee ballots are cast mostly by college students, who tend to lean Democratic.
I'm convinced that we're going to have an even longer period between the election and the determination of the winner than we did in 2000. I'm told that the two sides already have their lawsuits written up. What happens if it goes past January 20?
Posted by mike, October 20, 2004 3:27 PMPretty scary, huh? You should pick up last week's Newsweek, if you can. It had several articles dedicated to the elections and potential problems.
Posted by: shane at October 21, 2004 8:19 AMtest
Posted by: travis at October 22, 2004 9:34 AMYes, I am as distressed as you are. Check www.dailykos.com often for the latest updates. I wish I still lived in Michigan or Pennsylvania.
On a happier note, I think my dad (who lives in Michigan) may be seeing the light... a few months ago, he was a Bush supporter. Now that he's been laid off and my parents are paying $750/month for health insurance, using their retirement money, he says he'll decide "when he's in the voting booth." I'm visiting them this weekend and will do my best to sway him.
Posted by: Amy at October 22, 2004 11:16 AMI always thought the Republicans loved the absentee voters because of the military vote. Of course, this time, they might not want them voting either. I can't for the life of me think why. :)
Posted by: Shawn at October 23, 2004 9:25 AMI don't know if Michigan and Pennsylvania will be much better. They are both supposed "swing states." A close election in pretty much ANY state is going to be a problem this time around. I can almost guarantee it won't just be Florida this year! That said, Florida is going to be pretty messed up. Again.
Posted by: shane at October 25, 2004 9:03 AMWell, I wish I still lived in MI and PA so my vote for Kerry would "mean more." Because they're swing states, and Illinois definitely isn't.
When I was in Amsterdam last month, I met a Dutch guy who started an organization to help American ex-pats register and vote. There are a LOT of ex-pats out there who usually don't vote, but I think that might be different this year. They definitely trend Democrat, too.
Posted by: Amy at October 25, 2004 10:18 AMAl Gore was down here in Florida this weekend trying to get more black people to vote. So many of the votes that got tossed before were from black voters that it likely would have made a difference. Unfortunately, this doesn't make many people very confident in their vote. Hopefully Gore's speeches made a difference. I suspect, however, that even if someone wins by a landslide down here there will be lots and lots of questions and problems.
Posted by: sahne at October 25, 2004 10:37 AMI believe UN observers will be in Florida.
F'in unbelievable.
Posted by: Stevis at October 25, 2004 11:52 AMAnd I think they will have little to no effect on the results. ;-)
Posted by: shane at October 25, 2004 1:04 PM