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Edited on Thu Jan-10-08 09:07 AM by riqster
I have been reading a lot about the NH results, and it has become very clear to me that, like Americans in general, many DUers do not understand how elections operate in 21st century America. So here's a brief primer on the process:
{1} Jane Q Public registers to vote. It might be by mail, in person, at the BMV, etc. Her registration is taken by a government employee (at the Board of Elections) and typed into a computer. After this, her original registration card is kept in a file box for a certain amount of time, but usually isn't seen again until it is disposed of. That computer links to a database that is designed, installed, and maintained by a private company, almost all of which are owned by Dominionist Republicans.
{2}From this point forward, that private entity controls whether or not Jane is allowed to vote. It or another of its ilk also sets up the means by which she votes, counts her vote, all the while keeping the entire process a a secret. The government has exactly zero control of the electoral process: it has been privatized. (Note: there are a few exceptions, and it is interesting to note that results from these limited areas that hand-count ballots often do not match those of the rest of the nation, which operates as above.)
What this means is very simple:NO ELECTION (THAT USES A COMPUTER) HELD IN THIS NATION CAN BE VERIFIED TO EVEN A REASONABLE DEGREE OF CERTAINTY.
We are left to draw inferential conclusions, based on exit polls (also done by private firms, and 'adjusted' before release to the public), advance polling data (likewise), and historical data, none of which have any real truth value with respect to the specific contest.
When your candidate wins, it may or may not be true. When your candidate loses,it may or may not be true (unless,like me, you back Kucinich. :P ).
So when questions are raised, remember these basic facts, and be supportive of election reform efforts. It is NEVER a bad thing to know the truth about an election. Look at the current paradigm, built on opacity and falsehood, and prove me wrong.
(edited to fix smiley)
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