Is this cheating? It feels wrong to me, but I'm old-fashioned, I value the privacy of the voting booth as much as the vote cast. Auctioning one's vote may be a slippery slope to loss of individual franchise. How about if a lot of us signed up and didn't swap? (hint, hint, wink, wink)
I'm waiting for the Democrat whinge over this.
U.S. Jews in Israel wooed for votesJERUSALEM — Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jewish Americans who have lived in Israel for decades without casting a U.S. ballot say they are planning to vote in November's presidential election.
Their newfound enthusiasm is the fruit of a first voting drive among the strictly devout, or Haredi, community in Israel, and local Republicans are delighted.
After the 2000 presidential election was decided by a few hundred Floridians, Republicans and Democrats are working harder than ever for the votes of about 7 million Americans living abroad. Israel's 250,000 Americans — many of them holding dual Israeli citizenship — make up the third-largest collection of such expatriates outside of North America, and a large proportion of them are ultra-Orthodox.
[...]
Kory Bardash, chairman of the Israeli chapter of Republicans Abroad, immediately saw an opportunity.
Although American Jews historically have voted for the Democrats in overwhelming numbers, Orthodox Jews are more likely to vote for Republicans because of the party's socially conservative platform and support for privately funded religious schools, Mr. Bardash said.
President Bush's unwavering backing of Israel's aggressive war against Palestinian militancy is expected to boost his standing among Jewish voters who make Israel their top issue.
"We couldn't be happier," said Mr. Bardash, who has provided booklets on how to register and vote. "The people-of-faith vote goes with the Republican ticket."
Where is the ethical line? When does voter education/registration become manipulation/corruption or was that Rubicon crossed in 2000?
Posted by feste at September 23, 2004 07:48 PM | TrackBack