October 18, 2004, Vote early, vote often (if you're White and a Republican, that is...)
Florida joins a number of states today in opening up "early" in person voting some 15 days ahead of Election Day. Note that besides solid red Texas, and leaning red Colorado and Arkansas, the other key states this year have already begun in-person voting, include battlegrounds Wisconsin, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Oregon has begun mail in ballotting. That doesn't leave too many swing states following the usual tradition (like good old New York) of having people actually vote ON Election Day (off the top of my head, I think that pretty much leaves New Hampshire; West Virginia, Missouri and Arizona are considered "swing states", but I think they are leaning red this year).
This gives the Bushmen two whole weeks to think of ways to outright cheat. Of course, it gives Democrats exactly the same time to do exactly the same thing. May the best hackers win! Two additional weeks to try to bamboozle people with nonsense like the non-outing outing of Mary Cheney (former public relations specialist to the gay community for the Coors Brewery, as well as a famously open lesbian whose partner is considered a member of the Cheney immediate family), and repeating the mantra of Massachusetts liberal (you see, just being a liberal is no longer good enough; you have to be from another country-- like Massachusetts... just coincidentally, the same state in which the Texan President went to high school and business school, putting him one up on Kerry, who only went to law school there.)
I look at the extended time period as a probable good thing. The time will allow Black people (that seems to be the intended target of "keep back the vote" efforts) who will be (there is no doubt of this) once again, illegally deprived of their right to vote as if this were the South of over 100 years ago by (Florida governor and brother of the President) JEB Bush and his minions and allies in Florida and other key states like Ohio (where the disenfranchisement machinery is already in gear), sufficient time to run to court and get meaningful legal relief from this outrageous and illegal disenfranchisement. Maybe those responsible (JEB?) may even face criminal charges?
One can dream.
Comments
West Virginia opened early voting last week. No one ever pays any attention to WV. Kerry didn't even come to my area, and I live in the third largest metropolitan statistical area in the state. We deserve a little love.
Posted by irisclara at October 22, 2004 4:44 AM