The people entering the voting location with many cedulas in there pocket, all bought for a rum to a mil peso. In the campo sometimes it's a bag of cement or a peace of roofing. It's not a mater of who will do the best for the community. It's a competition of who can buy the most votes
- Thread starter mart1n
- Start date
Fraud in elections
very very true...
i witnessed elections in santiago rodriguez, it was pretty amazing how openly they buy the votes. a little while before the elections the negotiations started - they went to peoples houses to offer their services, the lady i was staying with got 10 bags of cement, her neighbor got 1000 pesos in cash, and so on. and the voters know how to "vote" very well. the lady told me - if you ever vote, don't vote in the morning, wait till the afternoon, because that's when the politicians get more desperate and start handing out cash. she came home that day and pulled a whole stack of billetes out of her pocket, a total of almost 2000 pesos....
i witnessed elections in santiago rodriguez, it was pretty amazing how openly they buy the votes. a little while before the elections the negotiations started - they went to peoples houses to offer their services, the lady i was staying with got 10 bags of cement, her neighbor got 1000 pesos in cash, and so on. and the voters know how to "vote" very well. the lady told me - if you ever vote, don't vote in the morning, wait till the afternoon, because that's when the politicians get more desperate and start handing out cash. she came home that day and pulled a whole stack of billetes out of her pocket, a total of almost 2000 pesos....
Many people take the money and still vote for whomever they were going to anyways.
They can't vote without a cedula. The cedula is in another persons hand it is returned after the election
Not a particularly Dominican thing election shenanigans.
Everywhere I have lived over the last 10 years has been affected.
I saw this in Italy where poor rural folk were bought. If they did vote contrary to their "promise" they would have hell to pay. And the politicians knew which way they voted.
Haitian elections are hilarious. They banned the single most popular party from taking part. All overseen and approved by the UN. (That is mine and your representatives, by the way)
And then there was Florida......
So Dominican elections - beers, cash etc for votes. It does not seem so outrageous in comparison. At least the voters get something out of it.
:bunny:
Everywhere I have lived over the last 10 years has been affected.
I saw this in Italy where poor rural folk were bought. If they did vote contrary to their "promise" they would have hell to pay. And the politicians knew which way they voted.
Haitian elections are hilarious. They banned the single most popular party from taking part. All overseen and approved by the UN. (That is mine and your representatives, by the way)
And then there was Florida......
So Dominican elections - beers, cash etc for votes. It does not seem so outrageous in comparison. At least the voters get something out of it.
:bunny:So Dominican elections - beers, cash etc for votes. It does not seem so outrageous in comparison. At least the voters get something out of it.
Yes they get a bottle of rum and four more years of being taken advantage of with no improvements
As opposed to the other countries I mentioned...?
Yeah it sucks, "Democracy" when the "people" are in charge of it.
that is still better than no bottle of rum and four years of being taken advantage of. as somebody statet in another threat, people seem to sell their votes not because they are stupid, but because they are smart.
lets face it, in a country like this, oligarchy and foreign interests are allways going to make sure things will stay the same. if they didn't, there would have been change long time ago. in my opinion, the last real chance for change was in '62, and everybody knows how that turned out. ever since than, hopes have been betrayed, so you might aswell sell your vote, even if it is for a salami, that is still smarter than believing campaign promises.
Democracy? what flavor is that!
Democracy is like philosopy is an unknown thing among Dominican, as quoted in Diario Libre about Philosophy, what flavor is that. Only by handout and intemidation we keep the old regime in power .Those of us voting in Licey in Cruz de Isalguez by the airport, were harrased and had to basically fight for the right to vote freely. I as a person value my civil right to vote for he who is less corrupt. By the time I walked to the polls I had to push my way by at least three hundred"Citizen" namely those that had sold their vote,who where blocking the area. The going rate was 500pesos for those mopeds boquers to remain on the area. That is what I think of most Dominican Politicians and this goes on at every election every polling place.
Democracy is like philosopy is an unknown thing among Dominican, as quoted in Diario Libre about Philosophy, what flavor is that. Only by handout and intemidation we keep the old regime in power .Those of us voting in Licey in Cruz de Isalguez by the airport, were harrased and had to basically fight for the right to vote freely. I as a person value my civil right to vote for he who is less corrupt. By the time I walked to the polls I had to push my way by at least three hundred"Citizen" namely those that had sold their vote,who where blocking the area. The going rate was 500pesos for those mopeds boquers to remain on the area. That is what I think of most Dominican Politicians and this goes on at every election every polling place.
It is supposed to be a secret ballot - but just by figuring it out, a little intimidation, bribery and whatever else is required, people can easily know how you voted in a small provincial polling booth.
Like I said, I have seen blatant election corruption happen in all the countries I have lived in apart from the UK.
I like to think it did not happen there but I was not looking for it at the time.
Not a big conspiracy - just normal life for most.