Don't fall into the trap of believing the mainstream media smiley-face blather about how well this latest election went. Jonah Goldman and Tova Wang have written a concise summary of the election problems seen all over the country in 2006, rich with details.
The mainstream media in its instant analysis has proclaimed the election system worked surprisingly well in 2006. While it is true that no single catastrophe of election administration grabbed headlines this year, it is quite dangerous to suggest that the problems voters encountered on Election Day were not serious. As over 25,000 callers from across the country to the 866-OUR-VOTE voter information and protection hotline confirm, these problems led to thousands of eligible Americans being denied the opportunity to cast a ballot. […]While the case should not be overstated, it is critical that as we immediately enter the 2008 presidential election cycle, we undertake a more honest assessment of what happened in this election so we can concentrate on ensuring real, meaningful reform before the next federal election cycle. Only if we understand the problems that voters reported in 2006 can we enact real solutions that will move us toward a more fair and accurate system of elections.
It‘s about time the local, state and national leaders of both major parties recognize that our democracy is more important than partisan advantage. They should take advantage of the opportunity this coming year to make significant advances toward fixing our broken election system in time for 2008.