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From: jdb@qubix.UUCP (Jeff Bulf)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: electoral comparison
Message-ID: <1511@qubix.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 4-Nov-84 23:41:49 EST
Article-I.D.: qubix.1511
Posted: Sun Nov  4 23:41:49 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 6-Nov-84 04:55:58 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: Qubix Graphic Systems, San Jose, CA
Lines: 59

Well, well. Election day in Nicaragua. Depth covrage won't be available for
a while, but this evening's KPFA news told enough to offer a _preliminary_
comparison of electoral procedures in Nicaragua and El Salvador.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source for El Salvador: NACLA Report On the Americas, mar-apr/82
			More details on request.
			(or copies, if not too many ask) More info welcome.
			[This article dealt with the March 1982 elections.
			I understand from KPFA news (the only place I've heard
			the issue discussed) that the 1984 elections followed
			the same procedures.]

Source for Nicaragua:	KPFA evening news, 4/Nov/84.
			only source available at time of writing.

note: El Salvador's clear plastic ballot boxes may not be as openly
      hypocritical as they sound at first. They say it is to prevent
      pre-stuffing of the boxes. Nicaragua prevented pre-stuffing by allowing
      all parties to have observers at all polling places, and to examine
      the ballot boxes before polling began.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
feature			Country A		Country B
-------			---------		---------
voting privacy		Full-size booth.	No booth.
			Ankle-length	       	Wall on three sides of top of
			blue curtains.	        ballot bax (~1-ft high) to hide
						hands from view. Box in sight
						of govt. observers.
			             		

ballot boxes		Solid plywood.		Clear lucite plastic.
			Interior not		Ink visible thru once-folded
			visible.		ballot.

ballots			?			Numbered, matching number
						opposite voter's signature in
						sign-in book.

procdure        	Show voter id.		Validate personal id.
						Needed to:
             		No impact on other	  Cash paycheck.
			activities.		  Get medical attention.
						  Pass checkpoints of the
						  security forces.

participation		7 opposition parties	6 right-to-far-right parties
			(4 left, 3 right?)	on ballot. All opposition
			on ballot. Reagan-	leaders on army death list,
			backed candidate	published in major newspapers 
			boycotted, asking	in the capital. They boycotted.
			postponement until	
			his chances of winning
			improved. No death squads.  No death threats. One
			candidate kidnapped by CIA-backed mercenaries,
			present status unknown.
-- 
	Dr Memory
	...{amd,ucbvax,ihnp4}!qubix!jdb