Quote:
Originally Posted by GMA forever  Of course it should be done in secret and behind the curtain, so in principle there is no way for someone to know if you voted for him or not. This is why many people take the money and then vote for the ones they like and not necessarily the one that bribed them.
Many things were done in the past in order to check if the people are voting exactly for the ones that bribed them.
They lie to you:
- They tell you that there are cameras and they will know who you voted for (big lie there are no cameras behind the curtain)
- They forbid you to go behind the curtain (the famous elias murr syndrome which in 2001 appeared, asking people to vote for his sister without going behind the curtain, so he will know who you are voting for). Under normal circumstances, this must be stopped by the responsible for the "alam" but many dont abide by it.
- If it is a small town, they will calculate the votes and and check for differences (here they will know that some got paid and didnt vote for them, but they wont be able to know who exactly it was. Usually they accuse the ones that they doubt the most).
- They use some terrorist methods, like giving you the electoral list to vote, and after you go out from behind the curtain, they ask you to empty your pockets or check if you still have it. (This can be prohibited by hiding the paper in some sensitive places under the clothes or checking for places to throw it without that the mandoubin of the briber be able to find it).
So all in all it is about tricking and being tricked. So each one has his own way and his own tricks.
Very democratic huh!!!! |
You also forgot one great mean that was used during the Syrian occupation. They used to give the voter an envelope, signed by them in which the list in there and the envelope closed, and when the voter goes into the kalam, he gets an envelope from the raiss kalam in which he is supposed to put his paper in, so the voter goes behind the curtain, he puts the raiss kalam envelope in his pocket and actually drops the other envelope in the box. Then outside the voter gives them the raiss kalam envelope and this way they know he dropped their envelope in the box.
Now legally, when the raiss kalam starts the voting process in the morning, each and every envelope given to the voters should have his signature and the signature of one or 2 of the mandoubin. If that is respected, then the other envelopes would be disregarded, however, during the Syrian era, all rakiss kalam and all the ones overlooking the elections were Syrian lackeys as their masters and the ones hiring them (they used to be for their majority government employees) and thus, the law was not followed and all envelopes were accepted.
12th September 2008
