A Politically Sophisticated Election
January 2001
After the electoral farce in Florida, it behooves us to think long and
hard about how we might improve our efforts. Fortunately, another
country provides us with a useful role model in how to conduct a fair
election, and how to respond to unavoidable difficulties.
As in our country, there were two main parties contending for power.
The authorities were determined to insure that everything was handled
on the up and up. In one case, for example, the polling station was
located in a rather dark room whose only light came through the
windows. The voters were suspicious of the arrangement, and the
atmosphere grew ugly. The police showed up, and a police official
looked over the situation and ordered the polling station personnel to
move the ballot boxes out into the sun where they could be seen by all.
The process was assisted by roving reporters who broadcast every
irregularity, forcing authorities to race to the scene to investigate
on the spot.
The results were close; neither of the leading candidates received a
majority. The leading candidate received 49% of the votes while the
second-best got 45%. However, it soon became clear that the candidate
for the NPP would win the run-off election, because the minor party
candidates all pledged to support him. Nevertheless, based on the
closeness of the election, the NPP candidate declared that he would
form a government of national unity (that is, his top-level
appointments would be divided evenly among the two main parties). This
went a long way toward defusing the resentments of the losing voters.
Here we see how an advanced country deals with electoral difficulties:
an atmosphere of complete transparency (even the ballot boxes were
literally transparent, and the voters were encouraged to watch the
counting process); a rapid response to any reported irregularity, with
immediate correction of the problem; and most important of all, a
willingness on the part of the winner to recognize the political
legitimacy of the loser, and translate that willingness into political
reality. The astuteness and political wisdom of this country's system
makes us look like a banana republic.
By the way, the country in question is Ghana. They concluded their
election on December 28th.