Free and Fair Elections?

According to a recent article in the Washington Post, “Iran's hard-liners head into Friday's [March 14, 2008] parliamentary elections burdened by the unpopularity of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad because of an ailing economy. But they have a safety net: Rival reformists are crippled after the clerical leadership threw out their best candidates.”
  Reading that article on line brought to mind an incident that took place while I was living in Rasht, the provincial capital of Gilan, during the 1960s. We, too, had parliamentary elections. Only, in one of the outlying villages, the wrong candidate won the election.
What to do?
Easy, said the people in charge. We'll void those ballots and bring in other people who live outside the district. So they hired a bus, brought in some peasants and showed them how to cast a ballot. They might even have had to register the newcomers on the spot before any balloting could take place.
They counted the new ballots. The right candidates were declared winners. And all was right with the world.
Perhaps the U.S. National Democratic Party can follow this model for the Florida and Michigan "redo" rimaries. Why not just transport a couple busloads of people to the polling places?

 

Comments

[Tara]

Hi!

I dont really know where to start, but I a, a PCV in Cameroon and want to visit the Philippines in July 2009. Can anyone put me in touch with so me PCVs in the Philippines? Please? Thanks!

Tara Smith
mlle.tara.smith@gmail.com