Adjunct Professor Jerry Goldfeder wrote an opinion piece for the Brooklyn Eagle about the importance of voting, even and especially amid an atmosphere of violence, and the responsibility of public officials to have plans in place in case of voting day violence.
In 2004, the House of Representatives, by a vote of 419-2, passed a resolution announcing to the world that a presidential election will never be postponed in the event of a terrorist attack. Doing so “would demonstrate weakness … and would be interpreted as a victory for the terrorists.” Indeed, no presidential election has ever been skipped, even during war or economic depression.
Yet, despite a general sense that terrorism should not interfere with elections, almost twenty years after 9/11 there are no contingency plans for actual or attempted disruption of elections. Except for generalized statutes, neither the U.S. Congress, nor the various states have enacted specific guidelines as to how to proceed in the face of such exigencies. Optimism is understandable, but not when it results in ostrich-like inaction.
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Equally important is the determination of the voters. It is no secret that many are notoriously apathetic in “off year” elections, even when the stakes are high. These pipe bombs and shootings, however, are a stark reminder of the fragility of our constitutional democracy. Such threats should not deter voters. On the contrary, voters — in huge numbers — should defiantly march to the polls to cast ballots. After all, voting is the most powerful weapon Americans have.