Write-in voters beware

Write-in voters beware
Jenny Brown
November/December 1996

This election I wrote in the Green Party slate, Ralph Nader for president and American Indian activist Winona LaDuke for vice-president. Not because I expected them to win, but because at least they'd have to report that so and so many people voted against the two corporate parties and the billionaire, and for a true alternative. It looked like Clinton was going to win Florida, anyway.

Well, I was right that they didn't win, but I was wrong that they would have to report the votes for Nader. A week after the election I still haven't been able to find out how many votes Nader got statewide or locally, or in states where he was on the ballot, like California and New York. Total whiteout.

Talk about an effective way to discourage writeins and voting for long shots--and what a way to say to people who went the extra yard to say something with their vote: "Your vote really doesn't count."