Just a teeny-tiny bit of hyperbole from National Review writer Deroy Murdock.
“Too bad Washington State’s latest election failed Iraqi…standards,” Murdock writes, before calling on officials to “work diligently to guarantee every state a ballot system at least as reliable as Iraq’s.”
I’d be happy to agree with Murdock that more fraud occured during Washington’s election than occured during Iraq’s, if anyone had a clue whether it were true. Unfortunately, the rampant wave of kidnappings, murders, and explosions forced most election observers to stay in Jordan, so we’ll never know whether fraud played a large role in the Iraq vote.
On the other hand, I’m guessing voters in Washington knew where to vote (since the polling stations weren’t under threat of attack), knew who the candidates were (since politicians didn’t have to conceal their names and avoid public appearances in fear of assassination), and had some idea what they were voting for. Because that wasn’t the case with the elections in Iraq.
Truth be told, Murdock may not be the sharpest election specialist. One of this three suggestions to bring the U.S. up to “Iraqi standards” is to (no joke) have American voters dip their fingers in blue ink.