http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... paper.htmlgerald wrote:So they are voting in the Crimea
The Crimean Referendum Vote: A Photo Summary
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-03-1 ... to-summary
How interesting --- So in the Crimea you need a photo ID to vote and you are given a paper ballot which can be physically counted. That appears much better then here the US where they don't ask for a photo ID and you vote by computer which can't be verified and you can even get voting assistance if you are "literacy challenged". As Joe Stalin "said"
--'It doesn't matter who votes, it matters who counts the votes.'
There are many ways to fix a Vote, so before we get all teary eyed about how fairly the election was run in Crimea, maybe we should look at how the ballots were printed, what choices there were for the voter to mark on the ballot, what constitutes a valid vote under the counting rules that were announced before the vote,what constitutes an invalid ( spoiled ballot ) vote that will not be counted, and what options those who wanted to stay in Ukraine had to observe the counting ...
The ballot was printed with two ballot measures, but only one option for each ballot measure.
There was only a yes option on each ballot measure. There was no, NO option on either ballot measure.
There was no, REPEAT NO, option to maintain the status quo that existed before the Russian troops started invading a few weeks ago. That was not one of the Ballot Measures that was on the ballot. All the Ballot Measures required the link with Ukraine, that had existed since the 1990s be broken, immediately. REPEAT IMMEDIATELY.
Ballot Measure one ( 1 ) was a YES to dissolving the relationship with Ukraine that was negotiated between Russia, Crimea and Ukraine in the 1990s. Measure one also was a vote for giving the Crimean local parliament near dictatorial powers, including the power to join Russia without a vote by the people. The constitution for Crimea that was briefly in effect immediately after the Soviet Union dissolved would be restored ( briefly ) if option one (1) was approved, then the local parliament would vote for union with Russia without another vote by the people.
The ballot contained no, NO option for Measure One (1), the voter either voted for it, or indicated no preference at all.
Ballot Measure two ( 2 ) was a YES to dissolving the relationship with Ukraine that was negotiated between Russia, Crimea and Ukraine in the 1990s. Measure two (2) also was a vote to immediately join Russia.
The ballot contained no, NO option for Measure Two (2), the voter either voted for it, or indicated no preference at all.
If a voter marked neither option and the ballot was placed in the ballot box it was a spoiled ballot, and did not count in the totals. This voter would however count in the voter turn out number. The percentages reported for yes would not consider his ballot as part of the denominator.
If a voter wrote in a NO option on either measure and the ballot was placed in the ballot box it was a spoiled ballot, and did not count in the totals. This voter would however count in the voter turn out number. The percentages reported for yes would not consider his ballot as part of the denominator.
If a voter marked both ballot options and the ballot was placed in the ballot box it was a spoiled ballot, and did not count in the totals. This voter would however count in the voter turn out number. The percentages reported for yes would not consider his ballot as part of the denominator.
There were no voter lists, so bussed in Russian citizens with false IDs prepared by Russia indicating they were Crimean citizens, could have voted and there would have been no list to check them against to see if they were really registered citizens of Crimea, eligible to vote.
Russian soldiers already in Crimea could vote in civilian clothes, with false IDs prepared by Russia indicating they were Crimean citizens, and there were no voter lists to check them against to see if they were really registered citizens of Crimea, eligible to vote.
Finally, the counting was done in secret, under the watchful eye of armed, occupying Russian Military forces and also under the watchful eye of a militia of just one political party that wanted only one type of ballots counted.
The international monitors were hand picked by Russia.
Only media that supported one option was allowed to function in the weeks since Russia occupied Crimea.
But other than those little issues, and other than issues we may not know about, it was the epitome of the perfect, free and fair election.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... paper.html