democracy, we've never measured up... 4/21/2016 0 Comments   by E.L. Christianson Jr. We like to think of ourselves as a democracy.  We believe in democracy so much that we are ready to go anywhere and everywhere in the world to enforce our idea that everybody should be able to vote and that the majority rules.   As we struggle toward our elections of 2016, the evidence against our own failures as a democracy become more evident.  Who can and cannot vote has become contentious as both parties vie for the white house. As a nation, we didn't start off very well and we still have a great distance to go. ​The original Constitution did determine who could vote.  It allowed each individual state to determine who could vote. Most states allowed only adult white male property owners to vote or approximately 6% of the total population. Today, the idea that we all go to the ballot box and vote for the people and policies of our choice to govern our society is very far from the truth.  In this country, those who get to rule and those policies we adopt are decided by the the 'majority' of those who our system will allow into the polling place.  To be given a ballot to cast only means that you haven't been declared ineligible to vote by the corruption of the system.   Being able to vote has three aspects, the right to vote and the opportunity to vote and the nature of the subject material being voted upon.   The right to vote is usually the focus of our concern in this country, who we allow to vote.  The opportunity to vote relates to whether or not the ruling government puts matters before the public to be voted upon, or not, and with what frequency.  The nature of subject material deals with the ability to vote for people to fill meaningful positions in government and/or voting for meaningful policy positions.  Democracy cannot function if the public is only able to vote for one who inspects cracks in the sidewalks and the election takes place every 50 years. Also, democracy cannot function if the few control the entire election process.  In contemporary 'America', the two parties attempt to control the election results through a variety of illegal and unethical methods.   In an article on 'Voter Purges' by Myrna Pérez we get to to see the corruption of the system from one particular angle. ​ Voter registration lists, also called voter rolls, are the gateway to voting. A citizen typically cannot cast a vote that will count unless her name appears on the voter registration rolls. Yet state and local officials regularly remove—or “purge”—citizens from voter rolls. In fact, thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia reported purging more than 13 million voters from registration rolls between 2004 and 2006. Purges, if done properly, are an important way to ensure that voter rolls are dependable, accurate, and up-to-date. Precise and carefully conducted purges can remove duplicate names, and people who have moved, died, or are otherwise ineligible. Far too frequently, however, eligible, registered citizens show up to vote and discover their names have been removed from the voter lists. States maintain voter rolls in an inconsistent and unaccountable manner. Officials strike voters from the rolls through a process that is shrouded in secrecy, prone to error, and vulnerable to manipulation. Gregg Palast gives more information on the purging of voters.   He says, "Buckle up, America. The voting demolition derby that was the New York primary on Tuesday was merely the crash test for the coming voting wreckage in November: a carefully planned pile up." In Brooklyn alone, over 125,000 names were quietly scrubbed from the voter rolls in the five months leading up to the primary. To put it in prospective, the number of voters purged equals about half of the number who got to vote. Scott Stringer, the New York City Comptroller will now audit the Elections Board--now that the election is over. Hey thanks, Scott. Am I saying the machine "fixed" the election for Hillary Clinton? Without further investigation, it would be irresponsible for me to pronounce judgment. Some of the purged may have moved, some may have died. But those who waited in line only to fill out affidavit ballots are unlikely to be deceased. But whether party hacks shoplifted New York or not, that's small potatoes. Scrubbing voter rolls is not a "New York value." It's a nationwide epidemic, a disease eating away at the heart of our democracy. Voting officials learned a lesson from Katherine Harris the Florida Secretary of State who purged Black voters in 2000. They learned how to repeat the purge, expand it and carefully hide it. Over time, we have passed amendments to the constitution in an effort to correct the lack of democracy in our society.  Simultaneously, we continue to pass laws that weaken the concept of democracy.  ​ As we approach the culmination of this election cycle in November of this year, it has become apparent to many of us that it will finally boil down to choosing the 'lesser of two evils' and that's not very good... and that's the truth !!!