Nashville Eye: Voting machine without paper trail bodes ill for democracy

[Uncle Joe]

Please click on link for full column, including the four universal standards.

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060830/OPINION03/608300404/1054

Shortly before the 2004 presidential election, a great hope of mine was dashed. After the Florida debacle of 2000, when five unelected Supreme Court justices overruled 51 million voters, I like many others had lost faith in our electoral system and felt only impartial, international observers could restore my confidence that next time every vote really would be counted.

The Carter Center, world recognized for impartially monitoring some 50 international elections, had decided however, they could not act as observers of America's election. Former President Jimmy Carter explained that the foundation's reluctant decision was because our system lacks four universal standards essential for transparent, honest elections.

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Ironically, our government has committed hundreds of thousands of our troops and hundreds of billions in our tax dollars to bring America's democracy to Iraq. We've paid with the blood of nearly 2,600 beloved killed and 20,000 wounded so our president can tout Iraq's free elections as progress towards that ideal.

At the same time, this president has demonized Hugo Chavez, duly elected leader of Venezuela, as a supposed enemy of freedom. The Carter Center was not able to monitor Iraq's elections for obvious safety concerns. Nevertheless, they found Venezuela did meet the above four standards, and they led an international team to oversee both their 1998 and 2000 national elections.

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