May 1, 2008

Election Reform

MIA: Voter I.D. and Scrapping of the Straight Party Lever

Monique Chartier

It appears that Secretary of State Ralph Mollis left the two most important reforms to Rhode Island's electoral process out of his "Voter First" Legislative Package.

The Secretary of State does not address at all his exclusion of a voter identification requirement from the package. As for the straight party lever, Secretary Mollis had this to say in yesterday's Providence Journal:

Mollis, however, said he does not want to get rid of straight party voting because so many state voters cast such ballots. In 2006 roughly 20 percent of Rhode Island voters chose to cast a straight party ballot, Mollis said.

“I’m opposed to removing something that, in 2006, one out of every five voters in Rhode Island used,” said Mollis.

Approximately one out of every five Rhode Islanders smokes, too. That is not a basis to encourage or faciliate such an unhealthy habit.

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“I’m opposed to removing something that, in 2006, one out of every five voters in Rhode Island used,” said Mollis.

I'm no mathematician, but that means that 4 out of 5 people didn't. In a democracy, doesn't 80% usually beat 20% (assuming one can convert fractions into decimals, despite a public school education)?

Posted by: Will at May 1, 2008 12:45 AM

The fact that anybody is taking anything Herman Mobster is floating for election reform seriously is laughable. He and his thugs broke all the EXISTING laws every election day. Why are we listening to him at all on this now?

Posted by: Greg at May 1, 2008 6:46 AM

Mollis is precisely the kind of good 'ol boy we need to be rid of. But he sure knows how to turn on the charm - if Sue Stenhouse had run even a quarter-way decent campaign instead of being bowled over by his raw, unbridled masculinity...
Meanwhile, I'm busy footing the bill for the mess her left behind.

Posted by: rhody at May 1, 2008 11:20 AM

* HE left behind
(that's a pretty big typo!)

Posted by: rhody at May 1, 2008 11:21 AM

Why are you afraid of the additional choice the voter has with a straight party ticket option? Voters who prefer to split their ballot still can!

Cas

Posted by: Cas Crook at May 3, 2008 1:25 PM
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