In Iran, the censorship has been more sophisticated, amounting to an extraordinary cyberduel. It feels at times as if communications within the country are being strained through a sieve, as the government slows down Web access and uses the latest spying technology to pinpoint opponents.
New York Times, June 23, 2009
I voted today, against the recall of Akron mayor Don Plusquellic.
It wasn’t such a big thing. I walked into Grace Lutheran Church, between two small American flags planted into the ground. There was no line. I found my name on a sheaf of papers hanging from the wall by the door, spelled correctly (with both of my middle initials, N and K, a rarity these days), along with my party affiliation: DEM. I found my precinct, 8-R, signed my name in a voting book, then took my ballot in a folder to a nearby privacy table, and neatly filled in the oval registering my preference to keep Plusquellic in office.
“We are having difficulty getting updates to u as so many of our contacts been arrested – life here is v/v/dangerous now”
A reliable Iranian source, writing on Twitter, posted on Huffingtonpost this morning
I slid my ballot into an automated machine, and noticed on the digital window that I was the 105th person to cast my vote in that machine so far today.
“You did your civic duty,” a lovely poll worker named Laura told me. She handed me an “I voted” sticker, with an American flag in a circle. I promptly stuck it on my T-shirt.
There was only one question on the ballot today. For or against the recall. It really wasn’t such a big deal.
“Getting reliable news has become extremely difficult. Most of my sources have been arrested and I think about the few remaining ones and am very worried.”
A reliable Iranian source, writing on Twitter, posted on Huffingtonpost this morning
On my way out, I passed a sign in for pre-K classes. A large poster of a smiling sun on the wall. And a welcome bear blowing a long horn. Inexplicably, on a table in the hallway, a stuffed Pittsburgh Steelers bear sat next to a Pittsburgh Steelers cheerleader bear.
“We voted,” one woman said to another as she passed me, stepped out the door into the sunshine.
I was in and out in less than five minutes. Really, no big deal.
They gathered, the women in black, at Nilofar Square to mourn Neda Agha Soltan, the Iranian student cut down by a single bullet … I sat among the mourners in late afternoon, under the plane trees, as candles burned and a prayer was said …
As the sound of the prayer rose, the regular city police joined in. This was too much for the Basij militia, the regime’s plainclothes shock troops, who arrived on motorbikes and, wielding sticks, broke up the gathering of about 60 people.
Roger Cohen, New York Times, June 23, 2009
When I returned home, I logged on to the “Share Your Experience” voting site, set up by the Voting Rights Institute of Ohio, at www.myvoteohio.com.
I plugged in my name, address, and email. Near the bottom, there is a scroll down list of potential problems I might have encountered, including: “voter intimidation,” “improper behavior by a pollworker,” “disability access problem,” and “problem related to non-English language assistance.”
Seeing no listing for “Pittsburgh Steelers bear on table outside voting booth,” I noted only that I had a pleasant experience, and that Laura had helped me vote. I submitted the comment with a click.
Somewhere today, my vote will be tallied, along with all the rest of them. I have every faith that the counting will be fair and honest. By tonight, the voters will have spoken. Plusquellic will either be recalled, or he won’t be.
Honestly, it’s no big deal.
Tags: Plusquellic
send me a note if you like. i just wanted to compliment you on the smartest, best wrtitten response i’ve read thus far to this ballot issue …
David,
Your response means a lot. Thanks for reading.
Let me know how to contact you, I’d love to be in touch.