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| The Global Freedom Institute |
| Florida 2000: Democracy in Jeopardy Colonists in the New World fought the British for representation in their government and their decisions in life. World wars have been fought for democratic principles. Korea and Vietnam were fought in the name of preventing the spread of communism, to preserve democratic values. Billions of dollars in foreign aid have been given in the name of democratic promotion around the world. Americans monitor elections globally to ensure democratic practices. Our business leaders have focused on consensus building for effectiveness of workers. Our schools teach and promote democratic practices to our children. With all of that, why isn�t the media reporting the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights� report on election law violations in Florida? At the very core of democratic values is the sanctity of the election process. This assumes that politics stops at the process of the election. When it comes to the election process, the rhetoric is �we are not democrats or republicans, but Americans.� This is supposed to mean that regardless of outcome, regardless of our ability to alter the election on that day, we put the sanctity of democratic practices above party. However, it appears this is not the case in Florida. The preliminary report from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights points to several problems. To quote the list: � Key officials anticipated before Election Day, that there would be an increase in levels of voter turnout based upon new voter registration figures, but did not ensure that the precincts in all communities received adequate resources to meet their needs; � At least one unauthorized law enforcement checkpoint was set up on Election Day resulting in complaints that were investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol and the Florida Attorney General; � Non-felons were removed from voter registration rolls based upon unreliable information collected in connection with sweeping, state sponsored felony purge policies; � Many African Americans did not cast ballots because they were assigned to polling sites that did not have adequate resources to confirm voting eligibility status; � College students and others submitted voter registration applications on a timely basis to persons and agencies responsible for transmitting the applications to the proper officials, but in many instances these applications were not processed in a timely or proper manner under the National Voter Registration Act (�motor-voter law�); � Many Jewish and elderly voters received defective and complicated ballots that may have produced �overvotes� and �undervotes;� � Some polling places were closed early and some polling places were moved without notice; � Old and defective election equipment was found in poor precincts; � Many Haitian Americans and Puerto Rican voters were not provided language assistance when required and requested; � Persons with disabilities faced accessibility difficulties at certain polling sites; � Too few poll workers were adequately trained and too few funds were committed to voter education activities. This report is based on Commission investigations and over 100 witnesses testifying under oath, including Jeb Bush and Katherine Harris. While the report does not directly implicate either of them, and falls short of directly stating election laws were violated, it does point to the laws and how they were not acted upon. It also points to resource allocation issues that �may have operated so that protected groups may have had less of an opportunity to have their votes counted.� These issues are significant, and should be addressed. However, there is an equally as great concern. One would think this would be all over the news. Especially if the �liberal media� theory is true. However, prior to writing this, we did searches on the internet, at MSNBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, LA TIMES, NY TIMES, and found zero stories. The preliminary report came out on March 9, 2001 without any media reporting. When democratic values are challenged by the people who run the government, the parties, it is vital that those practices are exposed to the public. Without such exposure, there becomes no impetus to change and correct the election process. There is no public outcry. There is no public outrage. There is no public concern. There is no public momentum to correct the flaws. There is no longer a �watchdog� of the government elites and parties. Democratic values are in jeopardy. American soldiers have died for democratic principles. American�s have worked hard to have their tax dollars used to promote democratic principles. 225 years of work to maintain democratic principles may be slipping away. Regardless of which side one supports, the sanctity of those democratic principles must be ensured. --Chris Knight 3/12/01 U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Preliminary Report Return to Main Page Chris Knight is a Sr. Fellow at the Global Freedom Institute |
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