I voted! I voted!

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Pib

Goddess
Jan 1, 2002
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Had to drag myself out of bed by 7:00 AM, I was in the worse, most disorganized "table". Everybody was done by 9:45 and my table was still half done. For those of you that are not familiar with the electoral system in DR, women vote in the morning, men in the afternoon. Women has to register by 9:00 AM and then voting can last till noon for us.

The president of my table commented that there had being a 65% abstention in our table, ours being the most crowded of them all! That is really bad, but I feel good anyways. I may not get the results I want, but I spoke, with the mightiest weapon we have in democracy.
 
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Bugsey34

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Feb 15, 2002
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Good job Pib! I tell you, if voting meant being somewhere by 9, I would be in absentia! :tired:
 
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MommC

On Vacation!
Mar 2, 2002
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Well done Pib!

Many people do not realize just how important it is to vote. We just had a bi-election in our city for Member of Provincial Parliament. The winner only won by 9 votes and a judicial recount was necessary under the current law. The results came in yesterday and the winner was confirmed......
What was really interesting was that six of our family members were away the day of the vote (to attend an out of country wedding), but we had all made the effort to go vote at the advance polls knowing we would be away election day. We all voted for the winner......when the judicial recount was over the winner was declared by a margin of 6 votes!!! Were they ours??
 
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Pib

Goddess
Jan 1, 2002
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Re: PIB, my Goddess...

[B]AtlantaBob[/B] said:
excuse my ignorance, but what is a "table"?
Click to expand...
It is a piece of furniture with flat top on one or more legs (usually four) :devious:

Hehe, I really don't know how to say it in English, but I'll try. Each neighborhood has one or more voting centers. Each voting center is divided in many voting stations, a voting station has 4 ballot booths and 1 ballot box. A voting station is called Colegio Electoral or as most people calls it Mesa Electoral (the literal translation would be Electoral Table).

When a voter arrives in the voting station they ask for his/her c?dula, then they check that yhe/she is in the electoral register and return the c?dula. Then he/she waits until called for voting.

I noticed that an unusually high presence of old and middle aged voters. If the youth start losing faith in the system things are going to get ugly.
 
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Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
13,884
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Pib,

Do you think the fact that the President made this a superlong weekend had anything to do with the apparent low turnout?

Ken
 
Hillbilly

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
18,948
514
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My Media Naranja argrees about high abstention rate

She too left early and returned at about 12....much silly delays according to my daughter.

Folks, part of the reason is that the DR has only been having fairly meaningful elections for about 40 years, for better or for worse.

They are just beginning to understand how the votes can be used to change policy and reflect public sentiment. This is only the second time in those 40 years that there have been what England calls "By-Elections" The first time they did it the opposition won so much power that Balaguer didn't do it again, more the shame.

And there is amovement afoot to again tie in the congressional and mayoral elections to the presidential elections.

What most Canadians and Americans don't realize is the tremendous "coattail" effect in Dominican elections. There is no direct voting for Deputies, or City Assemblymen, all these ride on the coattails of the Senatorial and mayoral election.

It's a learning curve...

Hb
znaika.gif
 
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Pib

Goddess
Jan 1, 2002
3,668
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Well, voting today didn't make me an expert on electoral issues, but if my RD$0.36 (at today's rate) are worth anything, I think that the low turnout didn't have anything to do with the long break granted by His Dumbness.

Unfortunately it seems that it is the youth who feels the least committed to voting. I think they are not doing it in protest for something, because they have no faith in the parties, or because of laziness, but a combination of the above. How do you fight that?

I see that despite the wish of the parties, the Electoral Board (JCE) is pushing for separate ballots for each position. That's the future. Let's hope we get there. :ermm:
 
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giggy

New member
May 8, 2002
10
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Voting rights

I spoke to a few young people (age 22-30) and there is definitely a lack of concern regarding voting. I think people believe whatever happens will happen and their vote is not going to change anything.

It's very similar to the States. The people that should be voting are NOT and the "extremists" that you hope don't vote are taking the time and exercising their rights.
 
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MommC

On Vacation!
Mar 2, 2002
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Sad but true........

We did an informal poll before we came home to get a "feel" for what would happen on election day......
Maid:
It doesn't matter who wins-nothing will change for the better.I'm not voting...too much hassle!
Click to expand...
Cerrano:
Doesn't make any difference to me...I still have to work to eat! I'm not voting.
Click to expand...
Colmado owner:
Why should I vote? They're all thieves anyway.
Click to expand...
Beach Vendor:
Vote! What for? The gov't never did nothing for me!
Click to expand...

Very unscientific I admit but it does give an indication that something needs to change.
 
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Golo100

Bronze
Jan 5, 2002
2,138
56
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Well, if it holds true

the defeat of Peggy(Haitian lover)Cabral may have stave off a Haitian invasion to the city of Santo Domingo. Peggy will never forgive us for not letting her Haitian dead husband become President.

If as reported "Fafa" Taveras, the photoshop poster boy lost, we are finally rid of the biggest two-faced man in our political history. He proved his Dr.Jekyll, Mr. Hyde metamorphism in his now famous political posters, where he had the face of Roger Maris superimposed over his face. All his beard bumps, black age spots, and dark skin dissappeared. He must have borrowed Jim Palmer's perfect teeth. The people were not fooled.

I sure hope crossed-eye Reinaldo Rincon didn't make it either, as well a yuppie(eye-sore campaign headquarters) Neney(I am the hope of the youth in this nation-hardly any young people voted)

As a parting shot, let me say that I voted to punish, not out of conviction. This is the worst platform of candidates in the history of our nation. I voted for the best- worst of the worst-worst.
God help us all!!!

TW
 
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