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Automatic recounts vital to Democracy
Published Saturday, November 21, 2009
Our entire Democracy is built on the principle that everyone gets a vote and that every vote counts.
And the Lawrence County Board of Elections is working hard to ensure that this is exactly the case. The board has counted all the provisional and absentee ballots from the Nov. 3 election and will conduct the automatically triggered recounts in five local elections.
The races are Ironton City Council, Rome Township Trustee, Upper Township Trustee, Hamilton Township Trustee and South Point School Board.
The margin in several of the races is less than a dozen. The Upper Township Trustee race is a deadlocked tie and the race for the second open spot on the South Point School Board is a single vote.
We appreciate the attention to detail and thoroughness that the board of elections is using in analyzing these races. They are working hard to ensure that every vote is counted and that the winning candidates do, in fact, win.
The board of elections is often criticized — sometimes justifiably so and sometimes not — but this is an instance where they are doing everything possible to make sure they get it right.
Some voters are quick to point out that absentee votes can be abused or manipulated by politically savvy candidates. And that is likely true.
But until the State of Ohio takes the initiative to correct its absentee voting process, something it hasn’t done in years and has actually made more ripe for abuse with law changes, this is the only system we have.
Unless someone can prove illegalities, absentees will just be part of the equation.
Maybe it is idealistic thinking, but in the end, voters usually elect the best people for the jobs.
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Comments
Posted by RabidTiger (anonymous) on November 22, 2009 at 7:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Something... I'd like an answer to...
I've heard... ((public hearsay))...
that absentee votes can be 'held up'
and not even counted if an election is deemed
already won....
How about the truth to this question Tribune...
PLEASE Let us know.
Posted by bleedingheart (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 12:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
overheard while voting... a young woman said, "How do I vote? I have always voted, just absentee and no one came around this time." The poll workers asked her how she got her ballots before and she stated last time she voted a current commissioner brought her the ballot. Before that it was a former mayor. Now explain again the purpose of absentee voting. While the Board of Elections cannot oversee all absentee voting to ensure fairness, could they not spot check? Go to the home of a comatose person and asked them who they voted for????
Posted by BigBob (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 2:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Good point IF we were a democracy. We are a republic! Why do you think the Pledge of Allegiance has this line in it: "...and to the Republic for which it stands ....?"
I'll answer it for you so you don't have that leftist nitwit Jim Crawford give an opinion piece on it.
Here you go: Article 4 Section 4, of the US Constitution states: "The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government,"
Got it?
Posted by Philo_Publius (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 11:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
O.K. bigbob, whats the difference between a democracy and a republic, hmmmmmm ?..........philo publius
Posted by Philo_Publius (anonymous) on November 24, 2009 at 5:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
we're waiting BIGBOB.........philo publius
Posted by jonferguson (anonymous) on November 25, 2009 at 8:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The point made in the constitution about a Republic was written to ensure that a government always had control, and that it wasn't relinquished to another group. This was put in as a directive to the states. So that states would abide by a national standard, and wouldn't individualize and break apart the union.
Several times in history, states have tried to define what it means to be a Republic, in which the supreme court has always held that it is non-judicious to define a Republic, so as long as there is a system of governance in place.
However, the Federal government has the right to withhold federal funding of any kind should the states not be viewed as a Republic by Congress.
So in essence, the word "republic" was a way to ensure an established government, so as not to have a total democracy where the people of the land could write, enact, and enforce laws. A way to make sure that Federal law trumped state law.
Posted by jonferguson (anonymous) on November 25, 2009 at 8:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Whereas a complete Democracy is a system where ALL people have control, without the use of representatives to speak for them..this obviously wouldn't work in a nation so large. Of course, it may not be any harder than trying to get things through congress.....
Posted by Philo_Publius (anonymous) on November 25, 2009 at 11:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
thanks bigbob.................................philo publius
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