Every Vote Must Count, Unless the Liberals Win
By Justin Darr (11/20/05)
Every have that feeling there is something missing, but you cannot quite remember what it is? The weather is getting colder; did I forget to check my washer fluid? No. Check the tire pressure? No, it is fine. Any anniversary, birthdays, or doctor appointments I might have missed? No, all are up to date. Oh, now I remember, we just had an election cycle and I am still waiting to hear the hysterical screams of the left claiming that voters were disenfranchised by the cruel and heartless Republicans.
So where is it? Where are the wild conspiracy theories? Are you trying to tell me the oil industry was not purposely inflating the price of gas to make it harder to reach the polls? Every single voter in the United States knew exactly where their poll site was located and its hours of operation? Every poll opened and closed on time with adequate staffing, no chads where found to be hanging, every voter clearly understood the ballots and filled them out in an unambiguous manner? And, what about absentee and provisional ballots? Are you actually trying to say that the Republicans let a chance to thwart the will of the people through fraud and intimidation slip by?
It must be so, because for the first time in several years the post election news coverage has not been dominated by accusations of voter disenfranchisement. The media and Internet are still, and probably always will be abuzz about the 2000 and 2004 elections, but there is almost nothing regarding the 2005. How could this be? Maybe electronic voting machine manufacturers should start taking out some ads.
There were, of course, problems with some elections and polling places around the country. Just a quick survey of the two most hotly contested elections in New Jersey, and Virginia, shows that there were several serious issues with the 2005 election.
For example, election officials in Hudson Country, New Jersey, were hand-counting votes late into the night after the electronic voting machines malfunctioned, making it impossible for them to be electronically counted. In Spotsylvania, Virginia, election officials, also, had to hand count votes due to a faulty paper ballot reader that kept rejecting valid ballots. In Morris County, New Jersey, a bilingual poll worker was ordered not to speak Spanish to voters if they had a question, even if they did not speak English. In Richmond, Virginia, a publicly funded advocacy group for the disabled, The Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy, was barred from inspecting polling sites to ensure they were handicapped accessible and in compliance with the 2002 Help America Vote Act. And, in Edison County, New Jersey, the Department of Justice actually had to monitor the elections due to repeated violations of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. So, despite the complete lack of attention and news coverage, the last election has many of the same issues as both the 2000 and 2004 elections.
What is the difference this time? The liberals actually won an election, for a change, for one. So what cares if all the votes where counted. The left certainly does not.
The complete absence of the left’s prepackaged “outrage” regarding allegations of voter disenfranchisement verifies what many already know. The left does not care about voters’ rights, or accuracy in poll tallies, only winning. All the hysteria of the past few years is nothing but a disingenuous propaganda tool to try to cover up the left’s inability to appeal to mainstream voters and cast unfair dispersions on freely elected officials.
Do not worry. All the personal attacks, libelous smears, and insane accusations are still there. They have just been tucked away until the next time a Republican wins an election, and then you will most certainly get to enjoy them again.
If you are a poor, disabled, or minority voter, what has made your vote this year any different than in the previous elections? Why is it not just as important to ensure your vote was counted as it was a year ago? The reason is plain. Your vote is taken for granted. You are seen as nothing but a vote factory, coming out every year to unthinkingly pull the save lever time and time again, then it is back to the box with you to stay quite and out of site until the next election cycle. If you happen to decide to vote for someone other than a Democrat, your vote is looked upon as a “mistake” made by someone too stupid to read the ballot or follow directions, that must be corrected if the left loses. And, completely ignored if they win.
It is said one of the most accurate ways to judge a person’s character is by how they deal with victory and defeat. When the Republicans lost the latest election, they accepted the truth, that less than a third of the electorate disagreed with them, congratulated the winners and vowed to fight again another day. When Democrats lose, they come unhinged, accusing the victors of cheating and deceit. It is quite clear that the left has no character or integrity, just a massive lust for power.
©2005 Justin Darr
Staff writer for The New Media Alliance, and a proud member of the Move Off Network.
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