Glad tey hit a chord -- Too many public interest groups are ignoring the

[pat_k]

Public interest groups and office holders that are fighting for us on other fronts are strangely silent on our broken elections. I think targeting these groups is far more important to the cause than going after "brick wall" people.

See my earlier post for thoughts on this.

We need to get "our side" on board. Getting them on board doesn't let us off the hook, but without them, we often find ourselves to be voices in the wilderness.

It's so strange. When I talk to staff or leaders in the various public interest orgs, they usually express the notion that the fight for trustworthy elections is the purview of the parties. I think this is part of the specific-case focus and the strange notion that the interests of the candidates are foremost. The latter is another notion we need to challenge. Elections are intended to measure the will of the people and it is their interest that is primary. If the people are not satisfied with the conduct of an election, it doesn't matter if a candidate has conceded.

Although many that should know better have a "not our job" mentality, for the most part, they recognize the problem (although they may not have an appropriate sense of the magnitude or the urgency). Tackling people that are essentially on board and goading them to action is a less daunting task than fighting the "not a problem" mentality.