Foreign election officials amazed by trust-based U.S. voting system

Big Don

Sr. Grandmaster
Joined
Sep 2, 2007
Messages
10,551
Reaction score
189
Location
Sanger CA
[h=1]Foreign election officials amazed by trust-based U.S. voting system[/h]
November 6, 2012
[h=2]Posted By Josh Rogin Tuesday, November 6, 2012 - 2:29 PM[/h]Foreign Policy EXCERPT (EMPHASIS MINE)

For the head of Libya's national election commission, the method by which Americans vote is startling in that it depends so much on trust and the good faith of election officials and voters alike.
"It's an incredible system," said Nuri K. Elabbar, who traveled to the United States along with election officials from more than 60 countries to observe today's presidential elections as part of a program run by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). Your humble Cable guy visited polling places with some of the international officials this morning. Most of them agreed that in their countries, such an open voting system simply would not work.
"It's very difficult to transfer this system as it is to any other country. This system is built according to trust and this trust needs a lot of procedures and a lot of education for other countries to adopt it," Elabbar said.

The most often noted difference between American elections among the visitors was that in most U.S. states, voters need no identification. Voters can also vote by mail, sometimes online, and there's often no way to know if one person has voted several times under different names, unlike in some Arab countries, where voters ink their fingers when casting their ballots.

The international visitors also noted that there's no police at U.S. polling stations. In foreign countries, police at polling places are viewed as signs of security; in the United States they are sometimes seen as intimidating.
END EXCERPT
The most often noted difference between American elections among the visitors was that in most U.S. states, voters need no identification.
Gee, aren't we frequently lectured about how we should be like other countries, i.e., economy wise, health care, etc?
Well, in this case we damn well should be!
 

francium

White Belt
Joined
Oct 8, 2012
Messages
17
Reaction score
1
It is an extraordinary system, when you look at it in context! Maybe it's because we have been consistently voting for so long, as compared to other nations. Either way, it's a rather remarkable fact that gets lost in all the complaints about low turn-out, etc.
 

Makalakumu

Gonzo Karate Apocalypse
MT Mentor
Joined
Oct 30, 2003
Messages
13,887
Reaction score
232
Location
Hawaii
The official was being polite. The US has holes we could drive a dumptruck through.
 

Master Dan

Master Black Belt
Lifetime Supporting Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2010
Messages
1,207
Reaction score
35
Location
NW Alaska
I had to show ID to vote.

I don't understand you have to be a registered voter? My name is in the book when I show up I am there for every vote the volunteers know me its just easier to pull out my ID so they can find the spelling of my name but anyone on assitance of any kind would have something to prove who they are? I see no dead people or zombies voting I see no dumb trucks driving though the huge holes in our elections. What I do see is bad attempts to restrict voting and intimidate people but seems to have been proven today that the harder the times the more people will turn out to vote and do what ever it takes to vote. Yeh America we proved that a few billionares and corporations could not buy the vote after all
 

Latest Discussions

Top