America votes
November 7, 2006 | By Nathaniel Ward
Voters go to the polls today to decide the makeup of Congress and much more. Out of power since 1994, liberals hope to retake the leadership. It’s unclear at this point which side will prevail, though conventional wisdom holds that the Republicans will lose their majority in the House of Representatives and perhaps in the Senate as well.
It’s not just control of the federal government that’s at stake: 36 states pick their governors, and important issues are on the ballot in many areas. Citizens will vote on ballot initiatives on a variety of issues, such as racial preferences, traditional marriage, the minimum wage and property rights.
No matter the outcome, The Heritage Foundation will continue to make the case for conservative ideas and sound policies both in Washington and around the country. Stay tuned to MyHeritage.org in the coming days for a complete wrap-up of the policy implications of the election results.
Is low turnout the problem? Or is it a symptom of the problem?
The Associated Press has released a new analysis of why American voter turnout is lower than in some other countries. The article points out that measures to make voting more convenient, like early voting or no-excuse absentee ballots, haven’t worked to increase turnout. “We know that it isn't procedure because we’ve constantly made procedure easier and voter turnout has gone down,” says one analyst quoted in the article.
So what is the problem? Click here to find out how the collapse of civil society may be to blame.
The case for voter identification
Some liberal groups are relying on outright fraud to help carry the day in today’s election. As the DC Examiner reports, “a federal grand jury in Kansas City indicted four persons working for the group Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, accusing them of submitting more than 15,000 voter registration forms with fictitious names, phony signatures and bogus addresses.” ACORN, the newspaper explains, has used dubious tactics in Missouri and elsewhere to garner voter registrations and ensure confusion at polling places—and allowing voter fraud.
Ed Feulner proposes mandatory voter identification to counter voter fraud. Click here to read more.
Religion and participation in elections
A new finding from Heritage’s FamilyFacts.org highlights the importance of religion in fostering a strong civil society. Religious practice, the website reports, is correlated with participation in elections.
“Individuals who frequently attended religious services or participated in religious groups,” the website reports, “were more likely to vote in a presidential election than those who did not regularly participate in religious activities. The study examined religious attendance and electoral participation data from 1972 to 1996.”
Sentenced to death
Deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death on Sunday by an Iraqi court, sparking spontaneous celebrations in Iraq. The war crimes conviction will be automatically appealed.
The verdict’s “implications will reverberate far beyond Iraq,” Heritage national security expert Peter Brookes tells National Review Online. He wonders how the world’s other despots must be feeling, “with the full realization that someday they may share his fate in the courtroom and the gallows.”
Meanwhile, The Washington Post interviews some front-line troops and finds that they’re not in favor of cutting and running from Iraq. “Pulling out now would be as bad or worse than going forward with no changes,” one Army captain told the newspaper. “Take us out of that vacuum—and it’s on the edge now—and boom, it would become a free-for-all,” argued a lieutenant colonel.
Unions want unfair elections
“[O]ne of organized labor’s highest priorities has received very little public attention,” Heritage economist James Sherk writes. “Labor officials want Congress to abolish secret ballot elections in union organizing drives.”
The current system of secret worker ballots to decide whether to form a union, he explains, “is designed to ensure that each worker’s vote reflects his or her desires and is not based on outside pressure.” Big labor knows that many people simply don’t want to join a union, so they’re arguing vehemently to abolish the secret ballot, thus allowing organizers to better intimidate workers into supporting the union. “Not surprisingly, organized labor prefers to ‘persuade’ workers to join a union and start paying dues if their votes only count when they are standing face to face with paid union organizers.”
Sherk explains big labor’s intimidation tactics. Click here to read on.
In other news
- A recent blackout across many parts of Europe demonstrated the failure of Europe’s command-and-control economic policies. Government regulation on new energy production and transportation has meant the continent’s energy infrastructure is barely able to meet current demand.
- “Separating anatomy from what it means to be a man or a woman,” The New York Times reports, “New York City is moving forward with a plan to let people alter the sex on their birth certificate even if they have not had sex-change surgery.” When did the facts of someone’s birth become a matter of personal choice?
- A report from Britain’s Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists suggests euthanizing sick infants to prevent emotional and financial stress for parents. “A very disabled child can mean a disabled family,” the organization said.
- Early returns suggest that Daniel Ortega, the former Nicaraguan communist leader, has won election as that country’s president.
- The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has ruled that it violates federal law to have cheerleaders only at boys’ sporting events. As The Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto commented, “Aren’t you glad the folks in Washington have their priorities straight?”
- A Heritage colleague pointed out a fascinating policy at George Washington University. The school will provide health benefits and so forth to unmarried employees who are in a committed relationship—but only if both partners are of the same sex. Opposite-sex partners must be married in order to receive benefits.
Coming up at Heritage
To attend these or any other Heritage Foundation events, RSVP at Heritage’s events website. Or you can watch these events live online at Heritage.org. All times are Eastern.
- On Thursday, November 9 at noon, author Dave R. Palmer will discuss his new book on George Washington and Benedict Arnold.
- On Thursday, November 9 at 2:00 PM, House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) will discuss the need to refocus the Republican Party on conservative principles.
- On Monday, November 13 and Tuesday, November 14, The Heritage Foundation will host the fall President’s Club meeting here in Washington, DC. All members of the President’s Club and Young President’s Club are invited to attend. It’s not too late to RSVP! Contact Emily Sankot at (202) 608-6021 to reserve your place. Speakers include Larry Kudlow, Steve Forbes, Art Laffer, Rep. Dan Lungren (D-CA) and others.
Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation.