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Monday, September 06, 2010 |
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Cast Your Vote! - 07/21/2004 5:45 PM A common expression used during election times is, ‘If you don’t vote, then you don’t have the right to complain’. Think about it, if you don’t care enough to cast a vote, why should anybody care what your complaints are after an election? This is misdirection and an invalid argument. To illustrate this point let me provide this classic brainteaser: Three men go into a hotel and get a room for the night; the cost for the room is $30. They each pay $10 and go up to their room. The front desk manager realizes that he made an error and that the room should have been $25 for the night, so he gives the bellboy five dollars to give back to the men. On the way to the room the bellboy realizes that the men don’t know they are getting a refund, and they can’t very well split five dollars three ways, so he keeps two dollars and gives each man back a dollar. So let’s recap: each man paid $9 for the room (9 X 3=27) plus the $2 the bellboy kept makes $29. Where’s the missing dollar? Think about that before reading the next sentence as the solution will be provided. There is no missing dollar, I have provided extra and unneeded information to confuse you with what seems to be applicable information, but it is not. What is important is who has what money at the end of the transaction. The front desk manager has $25; the bellboy has $2 and each man as $1 (1 X 3 = 3). It adds up perfectly. But if you are distracted by the unwanted “assistance”, you are hopelessly confused by a simple transaction. The argument that, if you don’t vote you have no right to complain, is intended to persuade people to vote. “It is important to vote!” is like a mantra to some, and it is wrong. What is important is not that you vote, but that you cast an INFORMED vote. There is nothing magical about going into a voting booth and casting ignorant votes. In fact, it is HARMFUL! An ignorant vote can offset an opposite and informed vote. It is better to not vote than to vote ignorantly. Now enter Georgia, and other states. Most all are ignorant voters. Not because they lack the intellectual ability to understand issues and positions, but because they are denied reasonable access to information that should be readily available. As a former Californian I can’t tell you how shocked I am at the voting process in Georgia. We were one of the first in the nation to utilize the high-tech electronic voting machines…and we’re among the most ignorant voters in the nation. Great, we have high-tech voting machines but not the information to put them to good use. California provides a voter information booklet in advance of the election. It provides the following information: 1. It has an argument in favor of the proposition/amendment followed immediately by a rebuttal. Then an argument against the proposition/amendment followed immediately by a rebuttal. Then a unbiased, plain English summary, of the proposed amendments to the state Constitution. Lastly is the actual text of the proposition/amendment. 2. Statements by those running for office are provided, which includes some basic information about their qualifications, etc. 3. A sample ballot for you to fill out in advance of voting and then you can take with you to the voting booth to expedite your voting time. 4. It tells you were to vote and when. Now let’s summarize what Georgia provides voters: 1. A postcard with your voting location. It doesn’t tell you when to vote, who’s running for what, what propositions/amendments there are…nothing, absolutely nothing. Georgians base their votes on political signs, commercials, junk mail and if they know when to look, they can buy a newspaper and get some information there – like you can expect unbiased information from most of the bias media. Is it possible for a voter in Georgia to be an informed voter? Absolutely. Is it easy? No. Will most people who are balancing jobs, family life, housework, etc. commit themselves to the research required? No, they won’t. Perhaps they’ll know a little something about one or two people/issues, but most people simply don’t know what they are voting for. Now add an extra twist…I’m a Libertarian. The place I went to vote had three choices “Democrat, Republican or non-partisan”. None of those fits…the closest was non-partisan, which meant I could only vote for judges…four pages of judges, about whom I knew nothing, not even their names. Rather than vote ignorantly, I voted a blank ballot, something I have never done before. I sent a letter to Georgia’s Secretary of State complaining about this; her response was reasonably prompt. She was polite and acknowledged that the voter information books are a great idea, but are too expensive. How expensive is it to have ignorant voters? It reminds me of a great response a trainer offered to a company owner who said to the trainer, “What do I do if I train my employees and then they leave?” His response, “What do you do if you don’t train them, and they stay?” There is no reason why a voter information “book” shouldn’t exist for all elections. The book can be online and available at no charge for viewing at selected government buildings and libraries for those without web access. Further it could be printed and mailed at a modest charge for anybody who wanted it. We are in the 21st century; it is time we started behaving that way. President Jimmy Carter goes all over the world to certify free and honest elections…my suggestion to him would be start here in Georgia kcuhC, chuck@kcuhc.com |