How healthy is our democracy?In recent years, General Election Day has offered Americans an opportunity to give the "Health of Our Democracy" its annual exam. In this issue of The National Voter, the LWVUS LWVUS League of Women Voters of the United States checks some vital signs of a healthy democracy--election administration, election financing and the status of civil liberties. I encourage you to use the League's positions as your guide when conducting your own annual "democracy exam" this fall--as you inform yourselves in preparation for the elections in your locale (programming) locale - A geopolitical place or area, especially in the context of configuring an operating system or application program with its character sets, date and time formats, currency formats etc. Locales are significant for internationalisation and localisation. , when you go to the polls, and as you study the post-election results. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Look for signs of good health and symptoms of illness: Have the candidates debated the real issues or has the public only heard 30-second sound bites sound bite n. A brief statement, as by a politician, taken from an audiotape or videotape and broadcast especially during a news report: "The box has been spitting forth maddening nine-second sound bites" ? Who contributed the most money to which candidates? In races where public financing was available, did you see any difference in how the issues were addressed? Was your vote cancelled before you even voted because your district was gerrymandered to assure the incumbent would win? How many voters never got registered because volunteer voter registrars were thwarted thwart tr.v. thwart·ed, thwart·ing, thwarts 1. To prevent the occurrence, realization, or attainment of: They thwarted her plans. 2. by new restrictions imposed because of misguided notions of "voter fraud"? Who didn't show up to vote for fear that they didn't have the proper voter ID? When voters did go to the polls, were their votes counted? Or were their names not found on the statewide database through no fault of their own, and were they forced to cast a provisional ballot A provisional ballot is used to record a vote when there is some question in regards to a given voter's eligibility. A provisional ballot would be cast when:
These are just a few of the questions you might ask about the health of our democracy. As I write my first column after being elected League president, we are focused on the upcoming elections. But, there are threats to our democracy beyond those related to our election process; threats to the very core of our political system. Like the League of the 1950s which undertook the Freedom Agenda, today's League must be vigilant of our civil liberties. In conducting your "democracy exam," be sure also to assess the health of our civil liberties. For example, put key Constitutional guarantees, like the separation of powers separation of powers: see Constitution of the United States. separation of powers Division of the legislative, executive, and judicial functions of government among separate and independent bodies. doctrine, under a microscope. A healthy system of checks and balances among the three branches of government is vital to the protection of our civil liberties. It helps ensure that should one branch go astray a·stray adv. 1. Away from the correct path or direction. See Synonyms at amiss. 2. Away from the right or good, as in thought or behavior; straying to or into wrong or evil ways. , the other two will check the errant er·rant adj. 1. Roving, especially in search of adventure: knights errant. 2. Straying from the proper course or standards: errant youngsters. 3. branch. What can we do to prevent further erosion of our system of checks and balances? After conducting your annual "physical" exam, if you find our democracy ailing as I have, I ask you to join me in speaking out to cure its ills and assure that future generations enjoy a democratic system returned to its good health. I call upon you to seek out others who will join us to speak up and fight for a healthy democracy! BY MARY G. WILSON LWVUS President |
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