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July 11, 2004
Relieving
An election held three days after a massive terrorist attack can't be a fair one - whoever won would be dogged by speculation that the choice was illegitimate because it was based on panic. From the article Rachel cited:The government needs to establish guidelines for canceling or rescheduling elections if terrorists strike the United States again, says the chairman of a new federal voting commission. Such guidelines do not currently exist, said DeForest B. Soaries, head of the voting panel. . . . Soaries noted that Sept. 11, 2001, fell on Election Day in New York City -- and he said officials there had no rules to follow in making the decision to cancel the election and hold it later. . . .This just doesn't read to me as "The Bush administration looking into what would be required to postpone or cancel the November elections." For one thing, Soaries is clearly aware of the delicate nature of such a proposal. Second, it's a real issue - should we not try to anticipate such a situation? Third, it's a bipartisan commission. I'm glad they are trying to learn from what happened in Spain."Look at the possibilities. If the federal government were to cancel an election or suspend an election, it has tremendous political implications. If the federal government chose not to suspend an election it has political implications," said Soaries, a Republican and former secretary of state of New Jersey. "Who makes the call, under what circumstances is the call made, what are the constitutional implications?" he said. "I think we have to err on the side of transparency to protect the voting rights of the country." Soaries said his bipartisan, four-member commission might make a recommendation to Congress about setting up guidelines. . . .
Soaries also said he's met with a former New York state elections director to discuss how officials there handled the Sept. 11 attacks from the perspective of election administration. He said the commission is getting information from New York documenting the process used there.
UPDATE: A roundup of opinions.
UPDATE: Vodkapundit weighs in. I notice everyone is reacting to the MSNBC article, which doesn't include the full quote from Soaries, and therefore spins the initiative as a shady power grab by the Bush admin instead of an attempt to open up the issue to discussion.
UPDATE: The Volokhs render an opinion.
Judith | 07/11/04 at 10:33 PM | Categories: - Across the Pond
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