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That sounds like a solid system! Thanks for explaining! Is there any way to prevent the observers from knowing who votes? I could see a scenario where a party

That sounds like a solid system! Thanks for explaining! Is there any way to prevent the observers from knowing who votes? I could see a scenario where a party chooses observers that are likely to intimidate potential voters (e.g. KKK members in a majority black polling station).

xorcist 1y ago
Having elections is in no way enough to have a democracy. You also need a functioning justice system and free media. What you describe is not part of the election system but of the justice system. If the police does not uphold the laws that guarantee just elections, if they allow intimidations or treat citizens differently, or if the military tries to influence election results, then you do not have a democracy.
okanat 1y ago
That's why participation from opposition and actual members of the public in the area of election is important. If you and your friends / family are afraid of intimidation, you show up. Gather as many people as you can as observers. In my countries (of residence), being there is your unalienable right. Nobody can legally kick you out. If 50 black people show up in a station where KKK tries to intimidate them, KKK will back down given an actual democratic state. If those people still feel unsafe, they are not living in a democracy but under an authoritarian regime. You cannot really have a non-violent, fair democracy under such regime. Democracy isn't just elections. It is creation of bunch of non-elected institutions that guarantee the fairness of the elected stuff. Judicial branch, expert organizations and regulators are all part of it. This has to come from realization that the alternative is violence. Sometimes needed violence. Most resilient democracies in the world like France are direct results of multiple violent events happened because institutions were not capable of striking the balance. Suppressing large swaths of people is just a powder keg. In true democracies, people from all views should have a good mutual understanding that alternative governance systems exist and may even be viable or more stable, but they will be murdering each other and they themselves will eventually be victims to the violence too.
arielcostas 1y ago
Representatives from multiple parties are there, and there is at least a police officer nearby in case something happens. The people doing the intimidation could be kindly asked to leave, or not-so-kindly made to leave.

xorcist 1y ago

Having elections is in no way enough to have a democracy. You also need a functioning justice system and free media. What you describe is not part of the election system but of the justice system. If the police does not uphold the laws that guarantee just elections, if they allow intimidations or treat citizens differently, or if the military tries to influence election results, then you do not have a democracy.

okanat 1y ago

That's why participation from opposition and actual members of the public in the area of election is important. If you and your friends / family are afraid of intimidation, you show up. Gather as many people as you can as observers. In my countries (of residence), being there is your unalienable right. Nobody can legally kick you out. If 50 black people show up in a station where KKK tries to intimidate them, KKK will back down given an actual democratic state. If those people still feel unsafe, they are not living in a democracy but under an authoritarian regime. You cannot really have a non-violent, fair democracy under such regime. Democracy isn't just elections. It is creation of bunch of non-elected institutions that guarantee the fairness of the elected stuff. Judicial branch, expert organizations and regulators are all part of it. This has to come from realization that the alternative is violence. Sometimes needed violence. Most resilient democracies in the world like France are direct results of multiple violent events happened because institutions were not capable of striking the balance. Suppressing large swaths of people is just a powder keg. In true democracies, people from all views should have a good mutual understanding that alternative governance systems exist and may even be viable or more stable, but they will be murdering each other and they themselves will eventually be victims to the violence too.

arielcostas 1y ago

Representatives from multiple parties are there, and there is at least a police officer nearby in case something happens. The people doing the intimidation could be kindly asked to leave, or not-so-kindly made to leave.