"Lost" Voters?
Michael Powell (not that Michael Powell) and Peter Slevin of the Washington Post wrote a great article Tuesday titled ‘Several Factors Contributed to ‘Lost’ Voters in Ohio.’
Not to put too fine a point on it, Mike, but voters are not ‘lost’ as are arctic explorers or climbers of Everest. They are disenfranchised, manipulated, discouraged, discriminated against and otherwise mishandled, but never lost, Pete. Their ballots are often destroyed or ignored and then claimed to have been lost, but when the facts are known, misplacement is the least of the misdeeds. And we treat this fact as if it were the newest of electoral sins uncovered only in the recent elections of 2000 and 2004.
Goodness folks, along with the invention of the ballot came manipulation of the ballot. In this country it’s a foundation of our democratic principles that the sanctity of the secret ballot is held above all other rights of man. It’s only after that freedom has been defended to the last drop of blood that we’re …