One of the primary ways that false election rumors take shape is through misinterpretations and/or mischaracterizations of “real” evidence. A recent tweet thread about anomalies in Washington state voter registration demonstrates two dimensions of those misinterpretations.
Today is a great day to verify that you're still registered to #VOTE!
With voter rolls being purged (especially in red states, but also by Republicans filing lawsuits in blue states), you might want to check periodically between now and November!
“The low expected turnout in the upcoming elections reflects a popular rejection of the…political system, which is suffering from a legitimacy crisis and the absence of real opposition forces to vie with the parties in power…”
We have no problem identifying low voter turnout as a consequence of political illegitimacy. People decline to vote because they recognize that voting will not produce meaningful change, because it’s not worth it and because they don’t want to participate in a corrupt system…
…as long as we’re talking about countries other than the US. When US voters withhold their participation, they’re almost certainly going to hear about how they personally want fascism to win. Haven’t you heard that this is The Most Important Election in Our Lifetime? All systemic analysis goes out the window and all we can talk about is personal failure.
“The low expected turnout in the upcoming elections reflects a popular rejection of the…political system, which is suffering from a legitimacy crisis and the absence of real opposition forces to vie with the parties in power…”
People decline to vote because they recognize that voting will not produce meaningful change, because it’s not worth it and because they don’t want to participate in a corrupt system…
You are only highlighting political apathy. That may not be the only reason in India. In mega cities of India, including Bengaluru, the calculation of low voter turnout percentage is wrong due to:
Out-of-sync voter lists in mega cities that have a lot of migration and inter-city movement. It may require significant effort to get the name added in the electoral roll after migrating to another city.
Duplicate entries and improper deletions, during an effort to clean up the electoral rolls, leading to the disenfranchisement of genuine voters.
The above does not necessarily mean that citizens can be absolved. Indian political parties must introspect why their election manifestos and candidates are failing to motivate voters to come out and vote enthusiastically.
"The Oregon #MotorVoter (OMV) registration law took effect on January 1, 2016, making #Oregon the first state in the nation to implement automatic #voterRegistration [for drivers]" and then they mail you a ballot, but how do we get non-drivers to vote? #pdxBikes#ORpol
Good morning. It’s #NationalVoterRegistrationDay! If you recently moved, changed your name, became a citizen, haven't already registered to vote, or want to make sure you’re still on the voter rolls, today is the day to get #VoteReady.
Ahoy! It may be Talk Like a Pirate Day, but 'tis also National Voter Registration Day! So make sure everythin' be in order with yer voter registration, and if ye ha'nae registered t' vote yet, what ye be waitin' fer? Raise the mizzenmast; jib the topsails! Do it now!
It's time to review your voter registration and party affiliation. Don't wait until election day to find out you've been cleared from the rolls. Ask your neighbors if they have registered and do they need any help with registration.