Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Iraq: "Unusually High" Yes Votes Being Reported

NYTimes: Iraqi election officials said Mon that they were investigating "unusually high" vote totals in 12 Shiite and Kurdish provinces, where as many as 99% of the voters were reported to have cast ballots in favor of Iraq's new constitution. The investigation raised the possibility that the results of the referendum could be called into question. the Independent Election Commission of Iraq said the results of the referendum on Sat would have to be delayed "a few days" because the apparently high number of "yes" votes required election workers to "recheck, compare and audit" the results. Well, this article from the SanFranGate tells this story: "Less than 2 hrs after polling stations opened Sat morning, potential voters in the Sunni town of Ishaki were convinced the Iraqi govt had rigged the referendum in favor of Kurds, Shiites and Iran. Dozens of locals, all planning to vote against the draft constitution, had been turned away from the single polling station in town. According to election officials here, all those rejected were registered at another polling station 3 miles away (the only place they would be allowed to vote under the referendum's stringent rules). But a driving ban inside all urban areas, designed to stop suicide bomb attacks, meant these Sunnis, entering the democratic process for the 1st time, had effectively been disenfranchised." Hmm... disenfranchising a minority group of voters? Sounds like the 04 Election all over again. Wonder if Diebold helped steal this one, too? Oh that's right... Iraqis are allowed to have 2 things we Americans will never have: Paper ballots and national healthcare.
Posted by Tina :: 12:15 AM :: 2 Comments:

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