Bush Administration Rip-Off of Americans and Their Vote Washington District of Columbia

Essay: Legitimacy
Man Your Battle Stations!
For some time, I have been hearing from politicians how they are going to re-instill legitimacy and integrity to politics. They desire the trust of the People. Shively supports the idea that the People are the ones who decide when a government is acting legitimate or not (Shively 157). It is this fact that provides the support for my position. I, as well as many others in this country, believe that our basic rights - especially our right to vote, are under attack by various groups within this country, including many government elected officials.

In fact, many people around the entire globe feel the same as I do. There are many allegations presented during this debate, and I will provide a few of the most important points relating to it, like the allegations of fraud in Ukraine, questions of impropriety by Diebold, attorney general lawsuits and citizen demonstrations. For the record, and although there is no serious record of fraud or corruption with Diebold systems in general, there seems to be a great deal of voter evidence that signals the contrary.

Therefore, I have decided to concentrate on the most serious of all of our civil and constitutional rights - our right to vote.

I came across a rather peculiar quote some time ago. It has stuck in my mind ever since, and continues to haunt me, especially today. The infamous Joseph Stalin once said, It is not who votes that counts, but who counts the votes. This statement opened up my eyes to reality. His words speak the truth. The news is filled with allegations of fraud and corruption during recent elections.

For example, the People of Ukraine have observed fraud and abuse in their country and have demanded that their government respond to their requests for an investigation, and a new election. According to the BBC, Secretary of State Collin Powell addressed authorities in the Ukraine regarding their election. There seems to be some questions about integrity. While speaking to officials, Powell stated, We cannot accept this result (the presidential election) as legitimate because it does not meet international standards. This concern is because of alleged irregularities with their recent election.

As of today's news, the People of Ukraine have won. In the eyes of the People, a government who is unwilling to listen to the voices of the People does not qualify as a legitimate.

My concerns regarding voter election fraud in this country surfaced when I came across a website called the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). An article had alarmed me to the fact that our state governments were already in negotiations with companies like Diebold, who were tasked with installing electronic voting systems in our counties. The Diebold name may be familiar because their name is on almost every ATM machine in the state, if not the country. Chapman University has one in the hallway located in Argyros Forum.

Many organizations, including one persistent congressman, have challenged the Diebold e-voting machine's integrity. However, the bill that he introduced died on the floor of congress. Furthermore, Diebold says that the public should trust their computers. Diebold's integrity has not come under scrutiny until this issue surfaced. The fact that their machines do not have any way to verify voter integrity with records does not change their position.

Furthermore, Diebold officials have stated publicly that there is no easy way to install a paper trail on the machines, and the cost would be prohibitive. Certainly, I have a major problem with this statement. Like many people, I always get receipts for everything, including my ATM withdrawals and deposits. In fairness to Diebold, I have never had a problem on one of their bank ATM machines, but I don't understand why they would make such a fuss about installing paper receipts on the voting equipment? After all, our vote is the most sacred to the people of any nation-state; there should be no question as to its authenticity and integrity.

While regularly visiting this same site, I came across a story about the CEO of Diebold, Wally O'Dell, whose company received a lucrative government contract to manufacture 8 million touch-screen machines for the 2004 election. O'Dell has been a major political supporter of Bush and other Republicans for years; he is known as a Bush Pioneer. Ohio is the site of many allegations of impropriety and corruption.

According to Shively, and groups like EFF, Democracy is government by the People, and the right to vote is critical to determining what each of us wants of our government. Nearly one quarter of Americans voted on electronic voting machines in the 2004 presidential election. One third of the e-voting machines are produced by Diebold. This is a serious problem because Diebold officials had conveyed to state governments, prior to the installation of electronic voting equipment, that their machines were certified for reliability. It has been suggested that these machines are vulnerable to hackers.

Since exposing this problem, California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, as well as other state attorney generals, have filed lawsuits against Diebold. The suits allege fraud and deception on behalf of Diebold officials for their certification assurances of e-voting machines. Furthermore, following the 2000 contested presidential election, George W. Bush claimed to support a campaign to ensure the integrity of our future votes with the Help America Vote Act, which authorized funding for the purchase of new electronic voting systems. The purpose was to prevent any future Florida type fiascos. Two of the three manufacturers of e-voting equipment does not provide a voter verified paper trail.

The internet is abuzz with discussion of the federal government conducting an investigation into the complaints by voters. There are too many cases of fraud that took place on November 2, 2004; approximately 57,000 complaints of fraud registered by voters. One incident that was exposed was where an electronic voting system gave Bush 3,893 extra votes in an Ohio precinct where only 638 people voted (CNN.com).

Many people in this country and around the world are outraged by the actions of this government. It is no secret that many feel that George W. Bush is the biggest criminal in U.S. political history. Interestingly enough, a recent trip to Chile by Bush caused quite a ruckus. It was reported that Bush had to pull his head secret service agent away from a confrontation with Chilean security while entering a special dinner for dignitaries. Bush retreated, and later attended a smaller dinner with his security personnel by his side (Reuters). Bush was also met with protests by thousands of Chileans; demanding that the U.S. leave Iraq. On a similar note, while visiting the United Kingdom, the former President of Chile, Augusto Pinochet, was arrested for crimes against humanity (Shively 395). Could this be the reason for Bush's insistence that he maintain the presence of his secret service agents at all times?

Prior to Bush's visit to Chile, he insisted that the Chilean government offer him immunity while in their country. Perhaps he believed that he may follow Pinochet's example. I do not know of any other incident in history where a President of the United States needed assurances that he would not be placed under arrest for international criminal behavior while visiting a foreign country.

It appears that the people of this country, and the world, do not trust the integrity of our recent election. If the People truly decide when their government is legitimate, then the People of the United States have just made a serious claim against their government. What I find especially appalling is the comments made by former Secretary of State Powell regarding the fraud in the Ukraine election. Just as many people are screaming for an investigation in this country, but I am not hearing the objections from public officials.

It has been the pressure from citizens that has propelled the investigation so far. Is congress' unwillingness to pursue this issue a signal that there is nothing corrupt, or are they not prepared to take on a battle of this magnitude? For three and half years, the Bush Administration has been rewriting decades of important civil rights, environmental, safety and health related laws, and I have not seen substantial congressional opposition to his agenda, especially from Democrats.

So, if the People are truly the ones who dictate when a government is legitimate or not, and based on the supported evidence, there is a likelihood that there has been some level of corruption involved in our recent election, and I say that our right to vote is under attack. The people of the United States and other nations have confronted Bush with rebellious demonstrations; the upheaval of protest is welcomed because I am afraid for our civil rights and our liberties.

I fear for the public's right to government participation, and I certainly fear that my own vote won't be counted. This government has been met with major public outrage and protests. It is the right of the People to demonstrate when they feel their government is illegitimate and oppressive.

Bibliography
1. Shively, W. Phillips. Power & Choice. 9th Ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2003.
2. Kulikov, Yuri . "Ukraine Parliament Says Disputed Poll Invalid." Yahoo News 27 Nov 2004. 01 Dec 2004 http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&u=/nm/20041127/ts_nm/ukraine_dc...>
3. Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). Verified Voting Push for Post-Election Tests on E-voting Machines. http://www.eff.org/
4. "GAO To Investigate Election Complaints." CNN.com 24 Nov 2004. 01 Dec 2004

Marco
Buena Park, California
U.S.A.