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Irregularities
and Fraud Cast Dark Shadow Over U.S. Elections
Washington, Nov 3, (RHC).-
Voting irregularities, confusing ballots,
malfunctioning machines and long lines are
already among the reported problems casting a
dark shadow over Tuesday's U.S. presidential
elections. Reports of badly managed polling
stations are pouring in from across the country,
suggesting that any victory for either Barack
Obama or John McCain will not come easily or
without controversy.
More than 130 million U.S. citizens are expected
to vote Tuesday, while others have already made
their choice at early polls that were far from
problem-free. Many people said they were voting
early, in states which allowed the process,
because they were concerned about problems on
Election Day.
According to the newspaper The Globe and Mail, a
project of the Pew Center called "electiononline.org"
released a list last week of 12 states where
voting issues are likely to arise. Among them
are important battleground states such as
Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Ohio,
Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Almost every county in every U.S. state has
variations in the voting system that present a
different set of problems, ranging from strict
rules governing voter identification to the
likelihood of computer glitches or incomplete
voter-registration databases.
For a country still feeling the repercussions of
the disputed 2000 and 2004 presidential
elections, the prospect of another contested
vote is frighteningly real. Florida, where a
controversial recount led George W. Bush to
victory eight years ago, is using its third
voting system in as many presidential elections.
Many recall that in 2000, Bush was actually
selected -- not elected -- by a decision of the
U.S. Supreme Court.
After the 2000 election debacle, Congress
decided each state would be required to create a
single voter database. But many of the databases
are deeply flawed, as people's names and
addresses were incorrectly entered and voters
are turned away when their ID doesn't match the
name in the system.
Pennsylvania, a state many believe could propel
either John McCain or Barack Obama into the
White House, uses electronic voting machines
that retain no paper record of results. If a
machine's memory fails, there is no opportunity
for a recount.
And although some areas have statewide systems,
most elections are controlled by county election
officials, some of whom are right-wing racists
who may try to tip the scale for John McCain.
It is also being reported that anti-riot police
and even U.S. Army units are on stand-by in many
parts of the country for any possible protests
and demonstrations arising from the results of
Tuesday's elections in the United States.
US
Attempts to Stop Re-election
of Governor of Puerto Rico
San Juan.- US authorities reportedly persist in
stopping the re-election of Anival Acevedo as
Governor of Puerto Rico while some 2.4 million
Puerto Ricans are ready to vote on Tuesday's
gubernatorial election.
The US prosecutor presented 24 accusations
against the Puerto Rican Governor for alleged
illegalities in financing previous campaigns.
Leaders of the New Progressive Party, who are in
favor of annexing Puerto Rico to the United
States are reportedly collaborating with US
authorities.
While Acevedo is denying accusations, he is
accusing Washington of persecution after he
ordered an investigation on the assassination of
independence leader Filiberto Ojeda in 2004 at
the hands of the FBI.
Despite the federal prosecutor having rejected
having political motives for its accusation it
attempted to stop the Puerto Rican governor last
week from offering a message on radio and
television to the people on the accusations
against him.
On the other hand, the federal prosecutor Rosa
Emilia Rodriguez announced that she will have
agents closely watching the development of the
local elections in an attempt to stop
irregularities on the island.
Political analysts do rule out a victory for
Acevedo by a close margin. The Puerto Rican
governor has achieved the adhesion of some
independence sectors that expect him to comply
with his promise of leading Puerto Rico towards
major sovereignty before the colonial control
exercised by Washington.
This Tuesday's local
elections in Puerto Rico include electing
members to the Legislative Assembly and 76
municipal majors. Puerto Ricans on the island
are not eligible to vote for US president.
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