Though pundits and politicians, weary of the story, are happy to omit facts about voting systems and their private contractors running our public elections, such omissions impair voters and democracy itself.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Elections are held to delude the populace into believing that they are participating in government.
If someone says, 'Democracy is a sham, those people don't speak for me... the system's rigged,' you say, 'Vote.' Someone says, 'I was making a statement by not voting,' and then you say, 'Well I can't hear it.'
Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few.
Being adequately informed is a democratic duty, just as the vote is a democratic right. A misinformed electorate, voting without knowledge, is not a true democracy.
Trumpeting the importance of voting deludes people into thinking that they have a leash on the government.
We have seen voters denied their rights in recent elections as they have been incorrectly purged from lists, their absentee votes not counted, and voting machine integrity and security not assured.
The 2000 election exposed some ugly history in our country.
Until we totally change the way we elect our leaders, until we remove private money from public campaigns, lying will be the de facto method of governance in this country.
Practical politics consists in ignoring facts.
At least the politicians are accountable to the voters.