US elections too f'd up even for Carter Center to try to monitor

[TheDormouse]

a blast from the past, but, sadly, none of this has changed

Originally published March 28, 2005

MANY ASPERSIONS were cast in the wake of the 2000 presidential election debacle. A common theme involved former President Jimmy Carter, trusted monitor of more than 50 elections around the world, and how his talents were more needed at home.

Indeed, Mr. Carter and former President Gerald R. Ford were both quickly pressed into service to recommend election reforms. But they were mostly ignored.

Now, four years and another messy election later, Mr. Carter, 80, is being drafted for help again. Congress would be smart to listen to him this time if American elections are to rise above global laughingstock.

By the criteria Mr. Carter applies to other nations, U.S. elections are nowhere near fair. Candidates don't have equal access to the public through the media. There is no central election commission viewed as nonpartisan. Voting procedures aren't uniform, even on a statewide basis. And many places using electronic touch-screens, including Maryland, have no paper backup for recounts.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x354797

[TheDormouse]

1. petition asking Carter Center to monitor the 2016 election

Someone started a petition asking the Carter Center (via Jimmy & Rosalyn Carter) to monitor the US election last fall, but only about 1,500 people signed it.
I hadn't even heard about it.

https://www.change.org/p/president-carter-carter-center-president-carter-please-help-us-monitor-the-u-s-2016-presidential-election

[Cheese Sandwich]

2. planned chaos is a thing.

[nc4bo]

3. They (1% ers, politicians, Dems, Repubs) do not want to change a thing.

It's all working as designed. The rare voices that do are treated as outcasts, outsiders and labeled conspiracy theorists and there will be great efforts to silence them.

Complacency, in this regard, is the same as consent with the conspiracy to undermine a democracy.

[TheDormouse]

6. then why have GOP been so busy changing state election laws?

Witness Rep Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell's cutting voting sites for the presidential preference primary election down from 200 to just 60.

All these new laws passed by GOP-controlled state legislatures & signed by GOP governors mandating that IDs be shown to be able to vote, and only certain types of IDs (like gun permits but not state university student IDs) be allowed.

Florida GOP governor illegally kicking people off the voting rolls--to the poin that even GOP county election officials refused to comply with his directives.

The GOP & the 1%ers actually do want to change things--they want to make the US election process even more undemocratic.

[nc4bo]

7. And what has The Democratic Party been up to? I remember when all Democrats stood up

and made this a BFD even made it part of the agenda while working to get elected over the years. ? Did a fine job too..................oh wait....... Nope.

Hell, this party couldn't even be bothered helping Democrats get elected nor GOTV during mid-terms.

[BKH70041]

4. Yeah, well that's not how they work here.

That's not how they worked when he was the nominee either, so he knows the system and how it works. When has any of this ever been a secret to anyone willing to open their eyes?

The bosses control both political parties and if they don't want you to win, you aren't going to win. Having said that, this is hardly ever an issue because both parties usually have several running for the nomination of whom the bosses would accept, but this year is different. The Republican bosses don't want Trump and the Democratic bosses don't want Sanders, so they aren't going to be the nominees.

Yeah, it'd be romantic to think that it would be the choice of members of the party who the nominee will be, but the Democratic and Republican parties are private organizations, the bosses have a lot of money and power at stake, they've spend years and years getting to where they are, and they aren't going to give it up without a major fight. And they make all the rules and they'll change the rules if it doesn't suit them. This is no secret, It never has been. If you voted for the Democratic Party all your life, you supported this system whether you want to admit it or not.

Carter knows all this. The questions is how many of you just recently figured it out or paid enough attention to now understand? Because if you haven't and it's suddenly a surprise to you, you're the only one there is to blame for not knowing how the system has worked for a damn long time .

[azmom]

10. So your answer is to blame voters?

[BKH70041]

11. Ignorance of how the system works.

That's the culprit. And the voters who didn't educate themselves.

So, yeah.

[azmom]

12. I thought so. I can see why you

are a Hillary supporter. Carry on.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. It's gotten worst actually

Why I call them pretend elections

[TheDormouse]

8. so what to do about it? nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. People need to wake up

And this election is doing it well. Then people need to work for both federal and state electoral reforms. Vote by mail, DMV based motor voter bills, we need to modernize the whole system to tje 21st century. (Our electoral system is archaic). Get rid of black box voting. Proportional representation, run off...any of this, except the first two will be fought tooth and nail