Posted on 06/26/2012 3:45:45 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
For the United States’ first century, Americans elected their leaders in full view of their neighbors, gathering on courthouse steps to announce their votes orally or hand a distinctive preprinted ballot or unfolded marked paper to a clerk. Such a public process made elections ripe for bribes and threats, although the scene around American polling places never matched Australia’s, where a population of criminals and goldbugs made electoral intimidation something of a democratic pastime. To end such shenanigans, each of Australia’s colonies began shifting to a secret ballot during the 1850s, and in 1872 England followed suit.
A decade and a half later, the reform crossed the Atlantic. Louisville, Kentucky, enacted a so-called Australian ballot in 1888, and 32 states did the same by 1892—over the objections of machine politicians. By the turn of the century, most of the country had changed the public spectacle of Election Day into a solemn occasion for curtained isolation. This shift coincided with a dramatic drop in turnout rates, from nearly 80 percent of the eligible population in 1896—which had been typical for the era—to 65 percent eight years later.
They have never recovered, falling to around 50 percent in 1996.
As modern civic activists have tried to increase turnout, their focus has been on reducing the hassle of participation. The most-successful reforms of the past decade, however—early in-person voting, “no excuse” absentee ballots, elections entirely by mail—appear not to have lured new people to the polls so much as merely made it more convenient for regular voters to cast their ballots.
What actually works is mimicking some part of the 19th century’s surveillance culture. The most effective tool for turning nonvoters into voters—10 times better than the typical piece of preelection mail, according to a 2006 Michigan experiment—is a threat to send neighbors
(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...
I think voting is like singing; no one who feels they shouldn’t do it should be encouraged to do it. If you don’t have it in you to vote without prodding, you shouldn’t vote.
Shame has become an archaic concept.
They appear to be a bit schitzophrenic on this.
They don’t like the Australian Secret Ballot. But they appear to have fallen in love with the Australian “voting is mandaroty” laws.
In Oz one has to provide proof that they voted in order to collect on any sort of government benefit. If they implement that here Democrats will win an unending series of landslide victories.
Of course Card Check and the Ballot Box would have similar effects.
Very scary stuff. This would be Card Check for the ballot box.
A mark of their desperation though that they apparently feel their only way to win in the future is to screw with our electoral system. This idea would have been laughed out of the room just a few short years ago.
The author correctly recounts history.
Then, having established that open ballots were rife with intimidation, violence, bribes, and other criminal acts, she suggests we would want to return to this time.
We need to start collecting names for the final days.
mark
The Left has gone full circle on this one. It was the Progressives in the mid/late 19th century who pushed for the secret, aka Australian, ballot. Now this idiot wants to abolish the secret ballot as some sort of gimmick to increase voter turnout.
I agree with you. There should be some effort involved in voting. It is a big responsibility and those who are not willing to make some effort can not be expected to make an informed choice. I think we should have to re-register each election by going to our county seat or courthouse. I think absentee voting should be rare and a lot of hoops to get the ballot. I checked if my dad who passed away 3 years ago was off the ballot in Georgia. He wasn't, and the state site gave me a link to have an absentee ballot mailed for him!!!! I contacted them and had him removed.
We need to reverse the laws that prevent testing to be able to vote. They were put in for a good reason to stop blocking of black voters 50 years ago, but that isn't needed, now. The poll taxes were stupid and need to remain illegal, but to register, we ought to show that we know a few facts about each candidate in the presidential election; 1). what state is each of the primary two candidates from? 2). Who is their running mate? 2). How many states are their in the USA? 3). Are we a Republic or a Democracy? It doesn't have to be complex. A quick test with those questions would knock out 30 or 40 percent of the voting block, but would make the remaining votes more informed and valuable. JMHO
Sort of explains why you see some crazy vote totals in pre-secret ballot America, for example nobody voting for Lincoln in entire swaths of the South in the election of 1860.
Sort of explains why you see some crazy vote totals in pre-secret ballot America, for example nobody voting for Lincoln in entire swaths of the South in the election of 1860.
This neglects the obvious liberty of not voting.
Not voting is also a choice, and often a good one, because it can deny a “mandate” to either a candidate or an idea.
Elections are seen by many as a statement of “Quick! Choose between getting a nail through the hand or a nail through the foot! If you don’t choose you are a bad person!”
How about no?
And for many candidates and issues, often the typical voter is intentionally not provided adequate information to make a good judgment, or is offered a repugnant choice, such as voting for a RINO, or voting for a Democrat.
By refusing to vote for a RINO who has been forced on you by the party leadership, it may undermine them enough to lose, and be scraped out of their entrenched seat, which means that in the next election, a much better Republican candidate will have a chance.
Again, the power of not voting.
We had “Prop two and a half” some time ago in Massachusetts, which requires any vote to raise property taxes in a town by more than 2.5% per year be subject to a plebicite using a secret ballot, just like a regular election. Officials are reluctant to call such an election, and probably more than half fail. Since the 1980’s overall state and local tax burden (as a percentage of income) has actually fallen to the point that Massachusetts is now about median for the U.S., which is remarkable considering voter registration is more than 2:1 Democrat to Republican.
Because or declining real estate values, my real estate taxes have fallen considerably over the past several years, yet we do not hear horror stories about shutting down the one fire house or laying off police. Of course, it helps to live in a town with only 5,000 inhabitants. They are talking of closing down our only school (k-6, 7-12 are regionalized) but I think we would approve an override to keep it open.
The problem with schools is that there are so many State and Federal mandates that impose a huge overhead, so small schools become expensive on a per pupil basis.
Totalitarians hate the secret vote - Saddam would NEVER have had a second term, Dear Leader of North Korea would have been shining shoes on some street corner.
And the Atlantic? Bullsh*t artists - faking a love of traditional American history. Would they want to go back to only land owners voting? NO. No women or blacks allowed the ballot? NO.
Liberal elite bullies want to pick and choose - whatever supports them... trick the people with lies like this... eff 'em.
In the district at which I work the polls we actually had a write-in for "none of the above" in this month's primary.
Exactly! The left tends to gain when the electorate is dumbed down.
The idea of ending the secret ballot is preposterous. In an age of leviathan government, the voter who exposes himself by voting against the winner faces the possibility of many reprisals by the powerful interests who he voted against when his vote becomes public knowledge. And there would be a mass of electioneering and manipulation of the vote counting at the polling location.
Instead of eliminating the secret ballot - one of the last great bulwarks guarding the integrity of the electoral process - the leftist author of the posted piece should consider eliminating more modern left-endorsed "reforms" like Motor Voter, early voting, same day registration, "no excuse" absentee voting, and everyone votes by mail.
“Instead of eliminating the secret ballot - one of the last great bulwarks guarding the integrity of the electoral process - the leftist author of the posted piece should consider eliminating more modern left-endorsed “reforms” like Motor Voter, early voting, same day registration, “no excuse” absentee voting, and everyone votes by mail.”
Only tyrants and imbeciles want to abolish the secret ballot..
Coming soon: Online voting!! Just like voting for the MLB All-Star game you can vote 50 times!!!
This author is insane to suggest abolishing the secret ballot. Why do you think the unions hate making unionization votes by secret ballot? Cause it makes them more fair when you can’t intimidate people into voting your way.
And a grander point, to hell with low turnout. Turnout is low? GOOD. GREAT. Why should I want to convince idiots who don’t care to go and vote? I don’t work for the DNC so there is no reason.
I just saw a NYTImes article suggesting non-partisan elections (for city elections) to combat the WOEFULLY LOW turnout like that’s some huge problem.
Even looking at it from an non-partisan perspective I don’t see the problem, they don’t care enough, and they don’t vote, GOOD, so what? Not everyone is cut out for democracy. Let them vote for American Idol where the consequences of their poor choice don’t destroy the country. I don’t want some 18 year old reefer head to choose my leaders any more than I would want him to be on the jury at my murder trial.
Later in the editorial at the link the author suggests methods (that work) of public shaming citizens into voting. She has a agenda furthered by this end is my guess, She assumes that apathetic voters will vote Democrat if you can get them to vote.
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