Does Blackwell's Election Day Sticker Promote a Religious Message?

[LiberalHeart]

AKRON, Ohio (AP) -- Election officials in a northeast Ohio county are reconsidering the use of a new variation of the "I Voted Today" sticker given to voters at the polls. In 2004, Secretary of State Ken Blackwell changed the sticker to read "Change Our World, Vote Your Conscience."

The Summit County Board of Elections will vote Monday to decide whether voters will receive the stickers during the November election.

"I would prefer to go with just 'I Voted Today,"' said board member Russ Pry, a Democrat, who questioned whether there was a religious agenda behind the change.

More:
http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=5246586

[Fridays Child]

1. "Conscience" is hardly the exclusive property of the religious...

...but that seems to be the underlying message of the critics of that sticker. I'm not a fan of Blackwell, by any means, but I think this argument reveals how some have ceded the perception of good conscience to the fundies.

[LiberalHeart]

2. What struck me was the word "change"...

I think there's a message in that, though I can't imagine why he would have wanted Ohio to change its habit of voting Republican.

[Fridays Child]

6. To me, that's just the GOP playing on their tired old meme that...

...Liberals are destroying this country. You know the drill: liberal media bias, liberal university professors, and yada, yada yada. "Change" is code for let's get rid of the lefties.

[Kailassa]

25. It's not anything in America they want to change.

The Traitors have America where they want it.

Now they want the American people behind them
in their insane efforts to CHANGE the whole world
as they are "changing" Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon.

They want to link whatever destruction they inflict on the rest of the world
to the greed, hatred and callousness
that many now, using 1984 doublespeak,
think of as their "Christian Conscience".

[w4rma]

3. How about a compromise? "Change our world. I voted today." (nt)

[Jack Rabbit]

4. No, why?

Although I agree with Mr. Pry that "I Voted Today" is better.

[Jawja]

20. Or in Ohio,

"I THINK I voted today" may be more accurate. ;-)

[Jack Rabbit]

23. Good point

Maybe "I went to vote today and there no ballots in my precinct."

That's better than Florida's "I went to vote today and they said I was a felon."

[Flirtus]

24. finally, somebody made me laugh out loud

thanks for that, there is some good here in my district where we color in little ovals on a paper ballot!

[Jawja]

30. As it is a

TOTAL Diebold State, I guess my state could use those stickers as well.

[NEOBuckeye]

5. Nothing at all pure about anything Blackwell does or is associated with

He's total slime. I won't wear the sticker just for the reason that I know he's associated with it.

[yardwork]

7. It sounds like code for the Christian fundamentalists to me

I'll bet anything that churches in Ohio were urging their parishioners to "vote your conscience on election day - vote to save the unborn babies!" and things of that nature. Then, the stickers would carry the same message, using the same phrase, "vote your conscience," as a code to remind people to vote Rethuglican.

I'm certain that there is a lot more to it than just the stickers. They were part of a larger campaign message, I'm certain. This is an excellent example of fascist propaganda, by the way. Fascism means "bundling" of ideas across all aspects of life. Rove's campaigns use this technique - they reinforce the simple message over and over, across all media.

[cmd]

8. BINGO

The message is a reminder to the reborns.

[Berry Cool]

10. I'd wear it, only I'd cross out parts of it so that it read

"Change Our State--Vote Against Blackwell." :rofl:

[Overseas]

27. Vote your conscience on this very special provisional ballot...

which we can toss aside. We only count those who have no conscience and toe the party line.

[LiberalHeart]

11. This is what Blackwell says on his website....

Early in our civic education, we learned the meaning of participatory democracy—government “of the people, by the people and for the people.” This self-governance requires time and effort and yet provides immeasurable reward. Sadly today, eligible voters go to the polls in far fewer percentages than before and merely one in three American young people take the initiative to cast their votes on Election Day. The National Association of Secretaries of State Millennium Young Voters Project Report, from 1999, indicates the lack of trust in public officials among young Americans has reached an all-time high. Cyclical political disenchantment, while not unusual, can lead to outright civic disengagement and there is evidence that the abuses of some civic leaders today has triggered an unprecedented epidemic of toxic cynicism and hostility that is tempting many to withdrawal from civic engagement altogether.

“Change Our World – Vote Your Conscience” challenges Ohio voters, to resist this urge to disengage and to fulfill our civic duty, to protect the enduring promise of self-governance, by voting our conscience no matter what. The Secretary of State’s staff is here to assist you in becoming an eligible voter, as well as help educate you on how, when and where to vote.

Whatever your opinions or positions, your conscionable expression of these is critical to your own peace of mind, not to mention the implications your example has on others. Government leaders at all levels have the responsibility to listen and there is literally no better way to get their attention than to vote. Your civic participation can indeed change the course of history. You are empowered: Change Our World – Vote Your Conscience!

What is “Change Our World?”

“Change Our World” is a reminder to Ohioans that we are empowered to make a difference in our world. We are each called to become civically engaged in positive community-building efforts. Indeed, we have the opportunity and civic duty to positively impact our families, as well as our communities, state, country and the world. A strong democracy requires active citizenship. “Change Our World” challenges us to accept the power and responsibility afforded to us in our United States and Ohio Constitutions.

[knitter4democracy]

16. They said that when we were in college at the Naz.

We were there through both of Clinton's elections, and the preachers in chapel always said that we needed to pray about it and vote our conscience (and then preached about how bad abortion was). Trust me--it's code.

[yardwork]

17. Yep! i'm from the same part of the country. We recognize the code.

How are you, knitter4democracy? :hi:

[knitter4democracy]

31. I'm tired. How are you?

:hi:

I phonebanked last night to get out the vote and have more to do tonight, but I'm sooo tired. How are you doing?

[Minstrel Boy]

9. Not a religious message, but "conscience" seems to have become

a buzzword in the States for the single-issue, "family values" songbook. "Vote Your Conscience" seems a subtle appeal to anti-abortionists.

[nashville_brook]

12. jesus h christ on a crutch

that's all i have to say.

but...

anyone know what the H stands for. i always wondered that....

[JanusAscending]

15. Answer........"Holy"

n/t

[jwirr]

13. Conscience is a code word for vote for Christian values rw style.

[jwirr]

14. Conscience is a code word for vote for Christian values rw style.

[radfringe]

18. how about

I voted because I've had enough.

[laheina]

19. I wonder how he framed the supposed need for a change.

Why change the original sticker at all? "I voted today" is direct, clear, and short, and it works for the rest of the country.

It seems that there would be no need to change the stickers, unless he was trying to pull something.

[ecoalex]

21. From Blackwell's webpage, what B.S.

“Change Our World – Vote Your Conscience” challenges Ohio voters, to resist this urge to disengage and to fulfill our civic duty, to protect the enduring promise of self-governance, by voting our conscience no matter what. The Secretary of State’s staff is here to assist you in becoming an eligible voter, as well as help educate you on how, when and where to vote.

>Too bad he means it only for his repug voters.Disengenuine asshole.


Making people stand in line in the rain, and being taken off a voters list is not increasing voting.

[Flirtus]

22. Of course there's a religious agenda - see New Yorker article

I'm way behind on my reading and can't tell you the issue, but the New Yorker has a great story on the religious conservatives in Ohio deliberately taking over the (R) Party and most of the state offices.

My church repeatedly requests that we not engage in politicking on church property because it would put our tax exempt status in jeopardy, but these rules seem to not exist in Ohio.

[alfredo]

26. I voted for change, but Diebold changed my vote.

[krkaufman]

28. "honoring authority" ??

Blackwell's govt-funded website says "honoring authority" is one's civic duty? I'm thinking "question authority" is a more democratic civic responsibility. Let's leave the honoring of authority to country clubs and authoritarian regimes.

[OnionPatch]

29. I vote my conscience every time I vote

and I've never voted for a Republican in my life. :)