NationStates Jolt Archive

Enough evidence suggesting strong probabilities of some kind of voter fraud (primarily concerning the U.S.) has been bandied about in this forum that I'm not going to bother. Debate here if you'd like. Primarily, I just want everyone's impression of voter fraud.

(poll to follow)

I can only speak for my locality. It's pretty consistent around here, though the last really bad incident was the 89 mayoral race.

The gerrymandering is worse however.

i have to question if there was voter fraud in the last australian election.... John Howard got back in. i dont think he will have a chance next time though

I think it depends on the country, and the vote. I don't think I'm wrong in believing Canadian elections appear to be fraud free, although I think they ought to be more pro-active about clearing away dead names, and people listed twice because they moved. I took a peek at the voting numbers, and several times the voter turnout had to be revised upward by 3% after Elections Canada finished a voter audit.

On the other hand, the high stakes of the last Quebec separation referendum apparently led to a certain type of voter fraud. At the time, it was reported that some "non" ballots were arbitrarily discarded because they didn't fill the box in quite right.

A good case of voter fraud is in Washington State. Democrats stuffed the ballot box in King County(Seattle) a liberal stronghold. A Republican candidate won the first count. The dem's forced two more recounts until there candidate won. Then the election was over. It was really a sad state of affairs. I think though that next time around the Dem's are going to get there ass handed to them in the elections in Washington. People were a bit pissed.

It's not a true election unless there's voter fraud. It's a tradition. *wipes a tear from his eye*

The only voting irregularity I know of was for a mayoral race in Upstate NY, where I live. It probably wasn't intentional fraud, either. What happened was that the information strip was misplaced on a voting machine, leading hundreds to vote for the wrong candidate. It resulted in a revote.

I think that every party commits some sort of voter fraud, if it can. There will always be special interests or pure conviction that causes someone to 'miscount' a ballot or two (dozen).

However, just because everyone commits this fraud doesn't mean that we should turn a blind eye to it. I think that election fraud should be fought wherever it happens, no matter who it favors.

It's not a true election unless there's voter fraud. It's a tradition. *wipes a tear from his eye*
Damn straight. Voter fraud is a tradition as important to America as mom, apple pie, and invading the 3rd world.

Damn straight. Voter fraud is a tradition as important to America as mom, apple pie, and invading the 3rd world.
*gets all patriotic and shit*

I'm told our zombie overlords always vote in record numbers.

It's important to distinguish between voter fraud and holding down the vote through legal, if unethical means.

For instance, if you're the person in control of an election, and you get to assign voting machines to the various polling places, and you assign one machine to the most populous area of the opponent's party while assigning ten to your own party's most populous area, you haven't done anything illegal (unless there's a law specifically banning that action), but you have certainly suppressed the voter turnout of one party in favor of another. It's not fraud, but it might as well be, and it's a more effective way of rigging elections than most fraud is.

Then there are other tricks, like the one that guy Tobin pulled in New Hampshire where he jammed the Democratic Party's (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.nation16dec16,1,2241153.story?coll=bal-nationworld-headlines) phone lines for their get out the vote effort on election day using robo-callers. He could get seven years and up to $500K in fines, but he was cleared of the most serious charge of violating the civil rights of New Hampshire voters.

Then there are the stories of mysterious fliers showing up in neighborhoods reminding people to vote on the day after election day, saying things like you better not have any parking tickets or have your electric bill paid because people will be there to take you away if you don't. Voter suppression--unethical, but not technically illegal.

My biggest concern with fraud comes from electronic voting machines, which have been shown time and again to be easily hacked. The Miami Herald had a story just this past week where a test group hacked the machine and changed the vote count without ever violating the physical integrity of the machine, using stuff you could buy from a local hardware store. That's what really worries me--the votes go in one way and come out another and no one knows what happened in the middle.

The only voter fraud is leading people to believe that who they vote for will actually make a difference. All voting does is legitimize the system, not the candidates.

The only voter fraud is leading people to believe that who they vote for will actually make a difference. All voting does is legitimize the system, not the candidates.

Nice.

A good case of voter fraud is in Washington State. Democrats stuffed the ballot box in King County(Seattle) a liberal stronghold. A Republican candidate won the first count. The dem's forced two more recounts until there candidate won. Then the election was over. It was really a sad state of affairs. I think though that next time around the Dem's are going to get there ass handed to them in the elections in Washington. People were a bit pissed.

Yeah, do you live here? If you had actually paid attention to the story, the initial count was so close that a recount was manditory. Then the second, and third counts put Gregoire ahead, and the third margin was bigger than the second. Rossi bitched, pissed, and moaned, and in the end the right thing happened. He's welcome to try again, though I'm pretty sure the results will be the same or worse for him.

Yeah, do you live here? If you had actually paid attention to the story, the initial count was so close that a recount was manditory. Then the second, and third counts put Gregoire ahead, and the third margin was bigger than the second. Rossi bitched, pissed, and moaned, and in the end the right thing happened. He's welcome to try again, though I'm pretty sure the results will be the same or worse for him.
I'm glad someone from the area replied. I followed the story from a distance, but knew what you said was factually the case, and that the republican party there was making unsubstantiated claims of fraud, but as I've never lived there, didn't want to get into it unless I had to.

I'm glad someone from the area replied. I followed the story from a distance, but knew what you said was factually the case, and that the republican party there was making unsubstantiated claims of fraud, but as I've never lived there, didn't want to get into it unless I had to.

No worries. And, I'm tired of hearing the words "liberal stronghold", such a bullshit phrase. 3 out of 4 major cities in the country, by that logic, would be "liberal strongholds", look at how voting goes county by county, the closer to most major cities you get the blue-er the field becomes. The closer to podunk BFE deliverance-town you get the red-er (ok that was a deliberate stab at rednecks, and small town folk and I appologize;) )