The Charter Commission Just Did......
Exactly what the Marxist State String-Pullers Told Them to Do. (It's so hard not to be cynical.)
…And did I mention they made ‘accessibility’ the excuse. Just like was done for mail ballots.
My Public Comment:
I’d like to describe a interaction that involves a bet between two parties. Because Public Comment is not designed to be interactive, I will do my best to narrate the exchange.
Let’s say I approach you and propose a small bet. I tell you that I am thinking of a number between one and three, inclusive. You must identify my number in one guess. You think that sounds like pretty good odds, so you accept the bet and place your wager on the table. You make a guess at my chosen number, I reply that you have guessed incorrectly and proceed to pick up the winnings.
“Hey- wait a minute” you say, “how do I know you are being honest.” I acknowledge your concern, and propose a solution. “How about” I say, “we let this ride and wager again, but this time, I’ll write down my chosen number in advance on a piece of paper.” You agree to the new terms and I proceed to mark something down on a small piece of paper, and place it in my pocket. I then request your guess. You make your guess and again I tell you that you have guessed incorrectly. You ask to see the paper in my pocket, and I tell you that you cannot see the piece of paper, because it’s private. I then pick up all the wagers and off I go.
This is essentially the scenario that we Rhode Islanders are faced with vis-a-vis our elections, and in our interactions with the state’s Board of Elections and the Secretary of State’s Office. There is no transparency in anything they do. They program our election tabulators- programming which determines what prints out on the tapes at the end of the election. Title 17, the court precedents that are in place, and- when necessary- claims of “privacy”, allow the state to ensure that citizens are unable to get answers to questions of irregularity, or to verify anything to do with our elections- ANYTHING. Candidates have a scant more rights than citizens to question things, but nothing that would help to expose corruption.
So while, yes, the state has all of the data, and every piece of physical evidence of their manipulations- including video surveillance, under lock and key, the laying of a groundwork so thoroughly opaque, for a process in which they are supposedly playing only a custodial role, is a clear indication of an intent to deceive at will- there is no other way to interpret it.
The last bastion of True democratic control for us here in Barrington, is our in-person -voted Financial Town Meeting. Here, transparency and democratic control rein. We can see that all who are voting, are our neighbors, and we can see them vote. And that is why, I believe, the rhetoric for changing the FTM has come in from every bureaucratic angle and has come with reinforcements from those eager to amplify the will of the state- whether that be the Barrington Times, or state representatives from other towns who have already ushered their constituencies away from the in-person, far-less-riggable, hand-vote of their own FTMs.
I have been leery of the charging statements given to members of this commission because it has been my suspicion that the intention all along was to inject the same non-transparent and non-verifiable tabulator programming into our FTM that currently dictate the results of our Primaries and General elections.
I have attended or watched every minute of the meetings of this commission and am requesting an update on when the decision was made, as mentioned in the last meeting, that this group would recommend to the Town Council, an all-day referendum for votes of the Financial Town Meeting going forward. Because I don’t remember any such decision being made.