January 28, 2005
Ringing Freedom's Bell
... except they're not in Iraq.
They're in Australia and Michigan and Nashville and California and Washington.
- The Australian head of the Iraq Out-of-Country Voting Program, Bernie Hogan, said a crowd of people was waiting outside the Fairfield centre when he arrived.
"We had a line-up of probably 60 or 70 people at the front door at seven o'clock," he said.
"They've been slowly but surely being processed and showing their registration certificates and casting their vote."
Voting in Iraq's transitional national assembly elections will continue in Australia until 5pm (AEDT) on Sunday.
Voting inside Iraq is scheduled for Sunday only.
Voters are electing a national assembly that will appoint a provisional government, write a constitution and organise further elections.
....
- Joyful tears and frequent applause marked the start of U.S. voting Friday in Iraq's first independent elections in more than 50 years.
Security was tight at the abandoned store-turned-polling place in this Detroit suburb, with guards checking IDs at the parking lot entrance and using metal detectors at the doors. Inside, an oversized, homemade Iraqi flag hung from the ceiling. One poll worker could be seen weeping.
"We feel happy now. This is like America, this voting," said Zoha Yess, 64. "We want fair, good government."
Here's where you'll disagree with me.
I'm all for letting Iraq's freedom bell ring, but I'm not sure we should be ringing it from here or Australia, or anywhere else other than Iraq.
The 26,000 expatriates fled Iraq for better, greener pastures. American or Australian pastures. They're Americans now. They're Australians now. They're not recent Iraqis. No matter how much of a connection to the people they may have, they're not there.
Let the people in Iraq vote for their leaders.
Let the Iraqis vote for their Constitutional Congress, not Americans. The Iraqi people have an opportunity to turns things around for the better. The people on the ground know what they want. Let them vote. And only them.
The same idea applies for Poles who voted in Chicago a few years back during one of their elections.
Give them the bell, let them ring it.
Freedom on the March Posted by AlexC at January 28, 2005 3:09 PM
I see your point. I have two reasons, however, to be glad that ex-pat Iraqis are voting.
First, they fled Tyranny. Unlike someone moving to Canada from the States or here from the UK, these people can keep their homeland and still choose to leave it.
Second is a pragmatic desire to have those who have seen functioning democracies in Australia, UK, and the USA contribute to the process. They might be metaphorical big brothers who can show the others how it is done (Iraqis from Washington State do not apply and should be disenfranchised).
Posted by: jk at January 28, 2005 5:07 PMUm, just in King county Washington, JK. The non-urban remainder of the state is red, and only votes once per living registered individual.
Third, a great number of these expats would like to return to their homeland one day, either permanently or just to visit. This is another reason why they have a rational self-interest in the future of Iraq's government.
I think I understand your stance on this Alex. I too would prefer to see American expats in Europe barred from voting for ABB, but this is one of the drawbacks of our current democratic system where citizenship and enfranchisement is a birthright. It's one more reason why restricting citizenship to those who've earned it (military vets is the best measure I've yet seen) would be an improvement.
Posted by: johngalt at January 29, 2005 11:08 AMOkay, but the State of Washington certified the fraudulent election and has therefore earned my opprobrium.
Posted by: jk at January 30, 2005 6:14 PM | What do you think? [3]