[IP] more on RIGHT ON !!! -- Election Day Offer
Begin forwarded message:
From: Larry Tesler <tesler@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: August 29, 2004 2:28:09 PM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [IP] RIGHT ON !!! -- Election Day Offer
I have seen some of the problems that Jonathan Goldstein cites. Here
are three more.
When you move out of California, there is no way to get your name off
of the voter roles. After the next presidential election, because you
failed to vote, your name will be removed automatically. That could be
four years after you moved. But at least it is possible that one of
your neighbors may notice if someone has signed on your line in the
sign-in book, and report the fraud.
Just for fun, next time you see someone on the street registering
voters, tell him your party affiliation and pretend to want to
register. See what happens if your affiliation differs from his. When
the Democratic party trained me to register voters, I was sternly
advised to register everyone, regardless of party. But I have had
friends trying to register as Democrats turned down by Republican
volunteers. Although targeting voter registration at a certain party
violates federal regulations, the RNC shamelessly continues to do it;
see http://www.gop.com/news/read.aspx?ID=3989.
Goldstein may or may not classify it as intimidation, but sometimes,
corporate executives warn employees that they'll lose jobs unless a
certain candidate or party is elected. A cousin of mine, a lifelong
Democrat, told me once that he had to vote Republican for that reason.
These problems, and the ones that Goldstein cites, are real, important,
and hard to address. But they are unlikely to reverse the outcome of an
election as simply and drastically as a program error that swaps yes
and no votes.
Larry Tesler
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