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This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Welcome to Democracy, U.S.A.
They were the words as spoken by an Elections Official, sitting behind a card table, in a small garage, on a small street somewhere in the San Fernando Valley.
Welcome to Democracy, U.S.A.
It didn't matter that the polling location was in a tiny space, with garbage bags draped along the walls to give it a "more professional" look. It didn't matter that citizens stood in a line that snaked its way into the street where cars tried to avoid them. It didn't matter that the rickety card-tables holding voting stations housed non-electronic "ink" voting machines. It didn't even matter that LAX star Blair Underwood showed up to drop off his absentee ballot.
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What did matter was the unsettling procedures that some officials used to verify potential voters' identity.
Here, voters were not required to show any identification before voting. As long as your name was on the list and you signed by your name, you were good to go. LAist was intrigued and had to ask about the process. Apparently - as we were told, when votes are tallied later today the powers-that-be check every signature against every name. Yet since every ballot has no one's name on it, how do the powers-that-be remove ballots for people who are not who they say they are?
And even then, how does the State of California have the time to check every single ballot against every single person's signature, through some kind of master signature roster?
They don't.
Unless LAist is having trouble grasping the inner-workings of the current voting system in California, and no matter the fact that California will undboubtedly vote Democratic anyway -- we still can't quite feel comfortable knowing that people may be voting without any legitimate checks or balances actually playing a part in the process.
Welcome to Democracy, U.S.A.
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Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
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