Many Americans worst fears have come true. Election Day has come and gone -and the smoke is far from clearing, with the world again left wondering who the next president of the United States will be.
Here in the buckeye state it appears the public will have to wait at least 11 days to reach a final decision. With as many as 250,000 provisional ballots, which by law will be counted in 10 days, Ohio has made its way into the magical green color -too close to call.
And, as in 2000, the election comes down to the result of one state: Ohio. Ohio's 20 electoral votes will swing the election, with Kerry likely to have 252 electoral votes without Ohio and Bush sitting at 259 (these numbers might be slightly different, but Ohio in all permutations is the key). Iowa's seven votes are unaccounted for until later today, unbelievably, because of a broken machine and vote counter fatigue. The Iowa secretary of state said the results cannot be certified until later today.
Even after all the legislation and attempts to correct problems from the 2000 election, the country came up short. Unfortunately, the decision is now out of the hands of its rightful owners -the voters -and in the hands of the election officials and likely the courts after that. Both are now charged with sorting out what could potentially be another mess, dealing with challenges and recounts. Their decisions must be nonpartisan and strict if there is any hope to maintain a legitimate election process.
However, it is probable that, no matter the outcome of the recounts and court battles, the small chance that existed for the next president to start the healing process and bring the nation back together is gone.
In the next four years -starting tomorrow-more must be done to secure the vote's legitimacy. Paper trails must be required for all electronic voting machines; any technical discrepancies such as rules for provisional ballots and the weight of registration cards must be clear and distinct; disinformation campaigns must be stopped, and as many potential problems as can be anticipated must be addressed, no matter what it takes.
Only then can Americans put aside fears that their elections are tainted and begin to come together as a nation once more.
...well, at least the campaign's over
The electorate can breathe a collective sigh of relief. Now that Nov. 2 is over and done with, Ohio and the rest of the country can be spared the tedium and banality of politics and campaigning in the United States.
Unfortunately, politics as usual here in Ohio and across the nation involves deceit, pandering and sometimes outright lies aimed only at confusing and polarizing voters.
The presidential campaigns racked up a $240 million bill in advertising this election season, according to a report in The New York Times, one quarter of which was spent in this last week. Swing states, such as Ohio, saw visits from all four candidates and heard the same messages from them every time.
The Republicans: Kerry is a flip-flopper, not decisive or strong enough to lead America against a growing terrorist threat. His vice presidential candidate is nothing but a greedy trial lawyer out to line his own pockets. Bush is steadfast and knows where he wants to take this country -down a path of faith and healing, with America on top of the world.
The Democrats: Bush is too stubborn to realize he has mired the country in an un-winnable war while simultaneously alienating America's allies. His running mate has ties to a company given no-bid contracts by the government in Iraq's reconstruction and is out to line his own pockets. Kerry is thoughtful and wants to lead America in a world of cooperation.
As calm as the initial analysis might seem, the ads tell a different story. As the election drew closer and closer, an increasingly petty drama unfolded on TV, radio and the news pages. War records were attacked, jobs were bandied about and the Sept. 11 attacks and their victims were exploited.
The so-called journalists and pundits offered confused voters no help, giving in to screaming matches and name-calling. Polls, too, were of little use, often contradicting themselves. The state of politics in this country has reached a new low. While politicians have never been the most reliable or trustworthy members of our society, they owe it to the American people to conduct themselves appropriately. That means answering questions honestly and directly, not pandering to patriotism or fear. Both parties are guilty -and both parties must change.
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