By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
A New York based political committee has been accused of sending what many see as an intimidating letter to party voters who have chosen not to vote in previous elections. Whether this is considered peer pressure, inducing worry, or encouraging others to vote has not diminished the controversy and shows an insight into some of the tactics political parties use to generate more votes to their cause. Letters such as this raise questions as to the ethics of shaming voters to vote. The right not to vote is considered a lawful option of the electorate.
The New York State Democratic Committee mailed a letter last week to voters reading:
Dear [voter]:
Our records indicate that you are registered to vote in Kings County:
Who you vote for is your secret. But whether or not you vote is a public record. Many organizations monitor turnout in your neighborhood and are disappointed by the inconsistent voting of many of your neighbors.
Here is some of the information you may need to vote:
- The polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- You can confirm your voter registration status by visiting
- https://voterlookup.elections.state.ny.us/votersearch.aspx
- If you have any questions about voting, please call 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683).
We will be reviewing the Kings County official voting records after the upcoming elections to determine whether you joined your neighbors who voted in 2014. If you do not vote this year, we will be interested to hear why not.
The letter reportedly included a voter report card grading a voter’s participation. Reportedly, these notifications were mailed out to one million registered Democrats who did not vote in previous mid-term elections. The grades consisted of: excellent; good; fair; and incomplete.
Included was a phone number for Election Protection, a nonprofit, nonpartisan voting resource organization. Election Protection spokeswoman Marcia Johnson-Blanco said the organization had nothing to do with the letter, but has received 400 calls from voters concerned about it.
The political committee, chaired by Governor David Patterson, defended the letter calling it a common practice throughout the country.
In a deflection, Peter Kaufman, a spokesman for the committee stated:
“This flier is part of the nationwide Democratic response to traditional Republican voter-suppression efforts, because Democrats believe our democracy works better when more people vote, not less. The difference between Democrats and Republicans is they don’t want people to vote and we want everyone to vote.”
The Associated Press reports:
“The letter relies on peer pressure and the possibility of surveillance to encourage turnout – a tactic that research shows is highly effective compared to more costly and time consuming get-out-the-vote efforts like phone calls and door knocking, according to Costas Panagopoulos, a political science professor at Fordham University.
The practice is becoming much more widespread, and similar letters have been reported this election year in Alaska, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Colorado and Iowa.
Panagopoulos noted that while they succeed with many voters, “these heavy handed social-pressure messages do generate considerable backlash.”
‘Shaming people to vote works,’ he said. “It’s remarkably effective. … It’s not enough to ask people to be good citizens. What you have to tell them is that their actual behavior is being monitored.”
Such a system does however lend credence into the notion that, like the political tactics used in the mailing of such letters, some of the practices that could come light if voter choices are ever made public, and if in the immediate sense should the right to vote or not to vote be not be subject to public records requests.
By Darren Smith
Sources:
Washington Times
Associated Press
The views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not those of the blog, the host, or other weekend bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays or art are solely their decision and responsibility.
What is TOP? Ugh no thanks to Lem’s. Most of them are here now anyway, lol.
This sorta reminds me of the TOP. People sure do love to argue with the usual suspects. Annie why don’t you come back to Lems? Then you could excite people there too.
The hypocrisy and double standard and the continuous misinformation or outright lies just continue to roll in. I will be calling them out and asking for proof as I see fit. We all have that right here. I don’t believe we must just accept assertions like the one Haz made about union threats to Wisconsin union members or former members. This stuff has been circulated on right wing radio talk shows, with no one coming forth with hard copy proof. It’s baloney.
Karen I told him to REDACT any personal info. I have no interest whatsoever in his personal life. Really, how dare you insinuate I do. I wish I could say the same for you folks. Talk about double standard.
Michael H:
How did you get the link to post as a photo without just being a link?
Michael H:
Anyone who doubts that unions engage in threats and violence need only casually review news stories with the bare modicum of effort. “Scabs”, for example, get physically assaulted and threatened routinely. And there are many news stories and articles about teachers unions’ illegally blocking teachers from opting out, or creating hurdles for them, such as only allowing opt outs on particular days, or collecting dues from non members.
I would ignore anyone trying to get you to post personal information. On this blog she recently created 19 aliases, or “sock puppets”, in order to target another poster. So just roll your eyes when she attacks your honesty. It’s not a bona fide attempt at discussion.
I’m glad that everyone here gets to see the real DBQ at last.
@ Annie
If you seek to be believable to anyone, you need to provide evidence.
So….if YOU want to require proof of every statement made on this blog….then, perhaps when you reference your family members who are “supposedly” in the military or who are lawyers, then WE can demand that you provide proof in the form of photographs or enlistment documents or some sort of affidavits? Feel free to white out your “supposed” children’s faces and identifying information.
For all we know….everything YOU write is a figment of a fevered imagination and your entire internet life and various persona are illusions.
Goose….Gander.
I, for one, tend to take the entirety of a person’s writings and glean the truth or not from the totality of that work. I may be wrong. I’m usually not. Of course…….When on the internet no one knows that you are really a dog.
The labor law attorney isn’t a relative of mine Haz. You didn’t report it, I suspect, because it didn’t happen.
Anyhow, I have to go set my clocks back, so adios everyone.
Tuesday night: Walker beats Burke by approx 2.5%.
Listen Puddin’, everyone has a relative who is a lawyer, okay? I don’t give a rat’s butt that you know a lawyer. Everyone knows a lawyer. I have a (non Milwaukee County) DA in my family, and if I thought anything would be done about voter fraud in Milwaukee, I’d be on this like Scrooge McDuck on a sack of money.
LMAO! I thought so.
Why didn’t you call the police Haz…or the media?
Because it’s freaking Milwaukee. A city controlled by Democrats, and reported on by a liberal media. Nothing will be done. It’s systematic corruption, same as any city with a Dem mayor and party machine.
And I’m not posting a letter here. Piss off if that bothers you.
Or maybe I will, right after you post your BSRN diploma.
Perhaps Haz isn’t interested in providing evidence after all. I would be happy to forward the letter to a labor law attorney I’m acquainted with. Or I’d be happy to call up our local news outlets to report this.
Republicans using government to disenfranchise Democrats equals voter protection.
Nothing like the subtle racism in that statement, is there? Democrats, mostly white Democrats, believe that minorities are too stupid to get an ID card. Racist much? News flash: Everyone has or can get an ID card. They are free. And if you need a ride, a ride will be arranged.
The problem is that the voters who are institutionalized, or in nursing homes, or in Alzheimer’s treatment facilities are no longer easy votes for the Dems who go to those places to mine votes form people who are unable to understand what they are doing. It happens: I’ve seen it happen in a place where a grandparent was placed due to geriatric senility.
Haz, make a copy of it. White out your address and your wife’s name. Scan the copy with the identifying info redacted. Post the scanned pic through a web hosting site. That should be evident if you really want to prove your assertions.
Why didn’t you call the police Haz…or the media? LOL! This stuff is straight from the Vicky McKenna or Charlie Sykes right wing hate talk radio websites, I bet.
Annie – I’m not going to post a letter here that includes my wife’s name and our address, for all the obvious reasons. You either believe it or you don’t, and I don’t much care which of those you choose.
It turns out that voter fraud is real, and Republicans are guilty of doing it.
Here is link a photo taken October 23rd in Milwaukee, at City Hall where early voting was happening. I apologize for not knowing how to post it as a photo.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/65883085@N00/15067516853/
The photo is of a white Ford passenger van with Florida license plates and two signs in the rear window. One sign says “Vote Yes Minimum Wage Referendum” and the other says “Vote Burke”. There were several vans like this one. Each van dropped off 10 to 12 passengers who went in to City Hall to cast early ballots. I followed them in and wandered around in the polling area. The individuals requested ballots, were given same, and not asked for ID. They had small cards they referred to in filling out the ballot – casting votes – before folding the ballots in thirds,and putting them in envelopes provided by poll workers. The envelopes were then placed in a box to be opened and counted on election day.
Wisconsin’s voter ID law was struck down, and this is the result. Based on the window signs, I’m pretty sure the vans aren’t operated by or for Republicans.
And Haz it’s neither here nor there whether you seek my approval. If you seek to be believable to anyone, you need to provide evidence. People say things in political races that aren’t true all the time. Statements like yours are easily disproven, once proof is demanded.