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Vote Swapping Ruled Legal

Posted by kdawson on from the third-parties-could-get-some-respect dept.

cayenne8 writes "During the 2000 election, some sites were set up for people across the nation to agree to swap votes, among them voteswap2000.com and votexchange2000.com. They were established mainly to benefit the third-party candidate Ralph Nader without throwing local elections to George Bush. The state of California threatened to prosecute these sites under criminal statues, and many of them shut down. On Monday the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the vote-swap sites were legal (ruling here, PDF). The court held that '...the websites' vote-swapping mechanisms as well as the communication and vote swaps they enabled were constitutionally protected' and California's spurious threats violated the First Amendment. The 9th Circuit also said the threats violated the US Constitution's Commerce Clause.'"

3 of 496 comments (clear)

  1. Seems reasonable... by nebaz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If politicians can shape districts to 'coordinate' votes, why shouldn't the people be able to do the same?

    --
    Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds.There upon the rainbow is the answer to a neverending story
  2. Doesn't matter by Shagg · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Diebold is already swapping everybody's vote for cash from the highest bidder.

    --
    Unix is user friendly, it's just selective about who its friends are.
  3. Re:Just Democrats by xappax · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If I vote Libertarian, what odds will you give me that my vote will throw the election to the Democrats?

    If your vote contributes to throwing the election to Democrats, that's the only way it'll be effective.

    Think about it. The Libertarian candidate isn't going to win no matter what, but the Republicans might. If the Republicans can still win and gain power without your vote, then why should they care about Libertarian issues, or your opinions?

    If you vote Libertarian and the Republicans lose because people like you didn't vote for them, it forces them to take notice. They lost the election because certain people were so disaffected by the party that they deliberately withheld their votes by supporting the Libertarians instead.

    In short, the only way you can get mainstream parties to listen to you isn't by helping them win, it's by making them lose, and doing so in a way that clearly demonstrates the direction you want them to take.