The 2007 Primary: Let Us Never Forget

The polls may now be opened for the 2008 Primary here in Marion County, and the focus may be on Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, but everyone one of us would be negligent in our civic duty if we did not take a moment to remember the gross negligence that Beth White and the Democrats exhibited with our right to vote last year.

The 2008 primary will be remembered for 5 voting sites that never opened. A sickening number more opened egregiously late, some for only 90 minutes or less total out of a 12 hour voting day. As the Indianapolis Star noted last May, Beth White knew before hand when she saw hundreds (HUNDREDS!) of precincts that had voting materials still not picked up, and she consciously chose to do nothing.

Two theories abounded as to who was ultimately to blame. In 2006, moribund state Democrats did the unthinkable, with their Secretary of State Candidate Joe Pearson slightly edging Todd Rokita in Marion County, largely due to the Libertarian pariah in the race. That gave the Marion County Democrats the statutory control of the Election Board and, by law, the responsibility of appointing inspectors for every Marion County voting precinct.

It was a responsibility Democrats were surprised to have and woefully unable to accomplish. Or were they just unwilling? We are not the only ones who heard the stories of internal Democrat meetings leading up to the 2007 primary during which White and Party Elders discussed the lack of inspectors, and where White was sent away with instructions not to worry since the problems would occur in GOP-leaning areas. White then fell on her sword, but refused to resign.

The other possibility was that Beth White, who ran on a campaign based on her experience as an elections expert the National Dems called in anytime they executed their "recount any election that breathes" strategy, was a complete incompetent hack. This theory is advanced by the fact that White has spent every subsequent election lowering expectations to the point where during the special election, inspectors locking keys inside buildings, showing up at the wrong places, and more than a handful of locations not opening until after rush hour, and all considered "resounding successes."

We should never lower our standards for our voting rights. We hold them precious because they were denied for so long: by monarchs, by bigotry, by malfeasance. It is still unimaginable that 231 years after the Declaration of Independence, people were prevented from voting by the arrogance of Beth White and local Democrats who purport to be the party of the working man.

So this primary day, take a moment to remember, and a moment to look forward to a primary two years from know when we will select a candidate to replace the unforgivable incompetence of Marion County Clerk Beth White.

Comments

[Sir Hailstone]

We need to remember and repeat this constantly until 2010 when we can vote Beth White out of office and support the GOP SoS candidate and GET THOSE INSPECTORS BACK!!

[eclecticvibe]

Hope the Republicans will help the Greens gain ballot access in the 2010 Secretary of State Race. By your logic, Greens can cancel out the Libertarian vote, and make it an even match for the 2 main parties.