Maat following monitoring the American Elections as part of its activities which support the right of participation

Regular propaganda for elections …And the black boxes of ballots

1/11/2008

 

 In a field visit to the headquarters of that absentee voting Vervks a city in Virginia State, the governmental center which oversees elections.
We noted that "the absentee voting is very organized manner, and there is no interference of any security or the presence of security forces to hinder the electoral process, and the Center allows for the police to vote absentee with their uniforms, there are paper or electronically voting and civilian officers supervise the elections not Judges.

 

Letters and ballot forms were sent to homes for those who requests it, and when the voter sends the form after filling it and confirming his signature before depositing in the special election absentee boxes, and counting of election cards, on Tuesday after the closure of the committees.

 
  The number of voters until noon Thursday, 30 October to about 80 thousand votes in the Vervks city we note that most voters, if not all are elderly people who have something to prevent them from attending on Tuesday, November 4 for example, illness or travel or work.

 

Through this visit we have most important observations are that:
The ballot boxes are black not transparent, with electronic counter to determine the number of forms found in the box.

 

There is an electronic voting device of support as the utilization of this state to vote electronic or e-paper can be used in the Nov. 4 to face the crowd on the electoral boxes.
With regard to electoral propaganda, there are no manifestations of propaganda which repeated in the Egyptian and Arab election generally, but most propaganda phases are the publicity of the small publications, posters and banners advertising in the size of 25 cm and 40 cm almost to be developed on the ground between roads, as well as conferences and debates .And no electoral propaganda within and outside polling places until now.

 

But on Tuesday, Nov. 4, there may be wide propaganda on the electoral commissions, taking away 30 meters from the headquarters of the voting. The delegates of the candidates in handing out some paperwork and wearing a t-shirts named their candidate, for example.

 

There is oversight in each of the electoral commissions (we are talking about prior absentee balloting), where delegates from the Republican Party candidate and another candidate for the Democratic Party and resides within commission permanently and there are also NGOs control that are allowed without problems with the responsible institutions for the electoral process. There are in the state of Virginia (4000) Four thousand lawyers and students from the Faculty of Law of volunteers to monitor the elections.