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Mark Kinsler| Special to the Eagle-Gazette

On Election Day, continued the letter from the Fairfield County Board of Elections, You shall appear at the assigned polling place promptly at 5:00 AM to serve as a FLOATER PEO of such election. You shall take and subscribe to an oath to discharge your duties to the best of your ability. [Note: a PEO is a Precinct Election Official, which sounds grander than it is.]

How do we get into these situations? I wearily asked Natalie, whod received an identical letter.

Its your fault, she answered. You wanted to do your civic duty, so here we are.

Yup, there we were, at the AMVETS headquarters on Maple Street, standing in a circle of ten or so yawning oath-takers at five a.m. on a rainy Tuesday morning. Wed helped unload the election truck, one of 15 or 20 loaded and dispatched from the Board of Elections building hours earlier. Each contained fold-up voting booths, eight Dominion voting machines and their printers, a ton or so of extension cords, paper ballots, I voted stickers, many rolls of tape, American flags of assorted sizes, and four inexplicably heavy orange traffic cones.

All of which is to say that running a free and fair election is an enormous task, and our election ladies somehow do it with calm efficiency.

Weve been election roustabouts previously but were really still rookies. Everyone else was a ten-year member of the Sunrise Election Club, and all of them knew each other except, as usual, us.

Natalie was assigned to watch the voting booths and assist voters who had trouble with the voting machines. She worked with a lady who was, by regulation, a member of the opposite party, as the instructions put it. Thats because the law states that officials of both parties have to be present when a voter has a question.Its tedious, but like the other regulations makes perfect sense because it prevents anyone from fast-talking a voter.

I was assigned one of the voter registration machines: each voter would present some form of identification and, if I did it right and didnt put their drivers license in upside down, theyd be handed a coded voting-permission card to be inserted into the voting machine itself.

There are also paper ballots, provisional ballots, drive-up voter ballots, and probably others. The filled-out ballots are sealed and kept secret by several means, and I can assure anyone and everyone that an Ohio election cannot be thrown.

At one point Natalie and I swapped jobs, but I kept falling asleep and both of our elderly carcasses (carci?) grew painfully creaky from sitting so long. We worked until 8:00 P.M. and dont expect to recover for perhaps a week.

But the work was fun and worthwhile. And they pay us.

Mark Kinsler, kinsler33@gmail.com, is currently recovering with Natalie at our home-based field hospital in Lancaster. Two nurse cats are in attendance.

Read more from the original source:
Kinsler: We invade the Arsenal of Democracy - Lancaster Eagle Gazette

Rani Derasary has been a resident of Moab since 1999, and a member of the Moab City Council since 2016. She can be reached at rderasary@moabcity.org, 435-210-1647. Any opinions expressed here are hers alone and not intended to speak for other councilmembers.

After college, I worked for an international non-governmental organization (NGO) addressing negative economic, social, and environmental impacts of large-scale water projects (dams, channelization schemes). We worked in collaboration with regional NGOs around the world. A huge challenge for local communities was/is an inability to have a say in what happens to the water resources they depend on.

This is often due to authoritarian but sometimes democratic governments working with large funders (e.g. the World Bank/International Monetary Fund) to advance projects that forcibly resettle large numbers of people, promising to maintain their standard of living, and to provide water and/or power.

Time and again, this has proven a false promise; people forced from their homes are thrown into poverty; currencies are devalued, economies undermined; ecosystems people depended on for livelihood such as fisheries are destroyed; and promised water and/or power is often never delivered.

Central to our work was fighting for local peoples rights to have a voice about their communitys water resources, making sure there was democratic public participation. My colleagues were engineers, economists, journalists, academics, scientists, linguists, and policy experts.

I mention this to offer insight into my concerns about how water discussions at the City of Moab are occurring. Protecting water resources was part of my election platform in 2015 and 2019. Ive been taught that: water is in the public trust; a central responsibility of cities is to deliver culinary water; elected officials such as City Councilmembers should play a role in decision-making about water; and, to do this well, electeds should be as informed as possible on policy, technical and legal aspects, history and data garnering these from a combination of staff and scientists, academics and residents knowledgeable about the local watershed.

Im writing to tell you that my ability to make informed water decisions is being hindered by a decrease in the engagement and education of Councilmembers, and to invite you to be part of the solution.

Since January 2022:

promised meetings educating Councilmembers on water scarcity have not come into fruition, despite continuous pleas for them in public meetings, emails, and conversations.

meetings related to the Water Utility Resource Management Plan (WURMP intended to guide our valleys resilient water resource management for the next 100 years) have not been public, save one online meeting.

the Citys Water Conservation and Drought Management Advisory Board (WAB)a volunteer citizen advisory group created in 2016 to inform Council of policies and practices to ensure quality water supply for current and future residentshas effectively been disbanded.

repeated requests to have scientists and academics such as Dr Lachmarwhom many of you heard at the January 23 Moab Area Watershed Partnership (MAWP) meetingcome present to the Council have been met with dismissal, and: the City has all the water expertise it needs in the City Manager and City Engineer. I say this not to disparage those individuals, who certainly bring expertise to the table, but so you know of this consistent resistance.

the 4-25-23 City water workshop was attributed to my meeting requests, though I was neither consulted in its content planning or scheduling. I say that not to be petty, but to demonstrate Councilmembers are not at the table.

conflicting reports come to me about key officials engagement with MAWP, from: were actively engaged, to: were not interested in attending, or even aware of what MAWP does. (MAWP is a collaboration of diverse stakeholders sharing knowledge, developing, and facilitating implementation of a holistic watershed plan, which conserves and enhances water quality and quantity in the Mill and Castle Creek watersheds and their tributaries.)

At the 2-21-23 Grand County Commission meeting, Utah Division of Water Rights Regional Engineer Mark Stilson explained: its the communitys responsibilitynot the Statesto avoid getting into a situation where were mining our aquifers. Im asking: how can todays City Council look residents in the eye and tell you were doing everything possible to protect and make informed decisions about your watershed if we cant have regular conversations about water, or hear from the locals most familiar with our watershed? I consider this issue too important for the Council not to be investing more time in it.

Please join me in calling for these patterns to change. People around the world face prison and sometimes assassination for discussing their communitys water resources. Were fortunate in this valley to still have the right to demand its discussed openly in ours.

Related

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Opinion: Democracy in an era of water scarcity - Moab Sun News

These lobbyists were part of a network of climate sceptics dubbed the that effectively hindered direct climate action by Australia for decades. They provide a stark illustration of how lobbying, in the words of the OECD, can result in and steer public policy away from the public interest.

The sponsored passes can be issued to anyone as long as the applicant agrees to a security check and is approved by a member of parliament. Supplied

Of course, as the NSW ICAC has , lobbying is a central and legitimate activity for the functioning of a democratic system.

Regulation of how and by whom lobbying is conducted are, however, critical for it to serve its democratic purposes.

At the federal level, lobbying practices and regulation have undermined democracy in three ways. There is, firstly, the secrecy shrouding federal lobbying.

The makes a tepid gesture towards transparency. While it reveals some information about commercial lobbyists (lobbyists who act on behalf of third parties), it fails to fully disclose who is engaging in lobbying, particularly through its exclusion of in-house lobbyists (of companies, trade unions and other non-government organisations). It also fails to disclose who is being lobbied; the subject matter of lobbying; and the timing of the lobbying.

Second, there is the risk of corruption and misconduct. This invariably comes with secrecy and is compounded when lobbyists and lobbying organisations have made political contributions to the parties in power, as research by the detailed this week.

Illustration by Simon Letch

The risk of corruption and misconduct also grows in proportion to the number of former ministers and senior public servants who are employed in the private sector after leaving public sector employment (known by the technical term, post-separation employment). As Grattan Institute analysis , this is now a well-established pathway with more than a quarter of former ministers and assistant ministers taking up roles in peak organisations, large corporations, lobbying and consulting firms since 1990.

As the NSW ICAC has observed, conflicts of interest are at the centre of many of the post-separation employment problems. Public officials, including ministers, may modify their conduct, by going soft on their responsibilities or, generally, making decisions favourable to prospective private sector employers, in order to improve their post-separation employment prospects. When public officials are lobbied by former colleagues or superiors, prior (and possibly ongoing) associations can compromise impartial decision-making.

The third failure of federal lobbying practices and regulation is unfair access and influence. Secret lobbying, by its nature, involves such unfairness. When lobbying or the details of the lobbying are unknown at the time when the law or policy is being made, those engaged in that lobbying are able to put arguments to decision-makers that other interested parties are not in a position to counter simply because they are not aware that those arguments have been made.

Senator David Pocock is among those concerned about the lack of transparency regarding lobbyists in Parliament House. Alex Ellinghausen

Even without secrecy, unfair access and influence can result from lobbying through the creation of insiders and outsiders to the political process. The former consists of a tightly circumscribed group that includes commercial lobbyists and in-house lobbyists of companies, trade unions and non-government organisations. The latter is the rest of us. Not all are equal, of course, within the group of insiders and here the privileged position of business speaks with a .

Here again political contributions have a toxic effect. As the Grattan Institute has found, .

How can this parlous situation be remedied? We need to move away from what the auditor-general has characterised as a of federal regulation.

The Centre for Public Integrity has made five recommendations to strengthen federal lobbying regulation. First, a lobbying code of conduct should be legislated. This would bring the federal regulation in line with Canada, United Kingdom and most of the states.

The definition of lobbying should be expanded to capture all forms of influence, and lobbyist be expanded to capture in-house lobbyists. This adopts for the federal level a made by NSW ICAC which was by the previous (Coalition) state government.

Third, transparency should be promoted via proactive publication of ministerial diaries with additional details required in respect of meetings with registered lobbyists. Such arrangements are already in place in NSW, Queensland and the ACT.

Four, the regime should be overseen by a well-resourced regulator, with sanctions expanded to include fines, criminal sanctions and potential barring from government contracts for serious breaches. This recommendation draws from the sanctions available under lobbying regulation in Canada, United Kingdom, South Australia and Western Australia.

And finally, the post-employment separation period should be expanded to five years as in Canada and include all members of parliament rather than just ministers and ministerial staff

Robust regulation is essential for democratic lobbying. Without it, Australians will continue to be unable to trust that public power is being exercised in the public interest.

The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. .

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Canberra lobbying must be reined in. Heres how we can protect our democracy - Sydney Morning Herald

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, May 7: JKPCC working president Raman Bhalla today said that recognition and protection of peoples rights and dignity as well as speedy justice is imperative for functioning of a healthy democracy.Addressing series of public meetings as a part of mass contact programmes from booth level to mobilize public opinion against wrong policies of BJP Govt in Gandhi Nagar constituency, Bhalla said, For the functioning of a healthy democracy, it is imperative that the people feel that their rights and dignity are protected and recognized. He said similar programmes will be organized through J&K to rejuvenate cadre for the various challenges ahead in J&K.Bhalla said expeditious adjudication of disputes is the hallmark of a healthy democracy. He said denial of justice would result in anarchy and destabilization of the judicial institution as people would seek a solution to their grievances through extrajudicial mechanisms. Peace shall only prevail, when peoples dignity and rights are recognized and protected, he said.Asserting that people want restoration of their honour and dignity, Bhalla demanded holding of much delayed Assembly Elections in Jammu and Kashmir for the empowerment of people.The people across J&K are feeling disempowered with the bureaucratic regime. On the other, the unnecessary delay in holding assembly elections has given rise to the feeling of alienation among the people which needs to be addressed at the earliest, Bhalla added.He said that basic needs of the people whether electricity, clean drinking water, road, basic infrastructure for hospitals, and educational institutions are quite irregular due to the poor response from Government. As the civil administration has completely collapsed, it is ample time to restore the confidence of the people who are feeling sidelined with no elected representative or Govt in place. The people in both the regions have similar demand to restore statehood and hold Assembly elections in J&K without delay, he said, and questioned that If elections can be held in Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat and others states and UTs in the country, why they are delayed in J&K.Bhalla said that the people want their honour and dignity to be restored with the restoration of statehood and holding Assembly elections.

The Leading Daily of Jammu and Kashmir , India

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Protection of people's rights key to healthy democracy: Bhalla - Daily Excelsior

Israel is still a democracy, US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides declared on Wednesday, even as the Biden administration has expressed concerns about the governments judicial reform plan.

Democracy is alive and well in the State of Israel, the ambassador emphasized.

Citing the fairly complicated time Israel has faced in recent months, Nides said people say to him Oh my God, things are on fire.

I say What are you talking about? Listen, the reality of this is, this is a living, breathing democracy in Israel, he said at an event at the Israeli Embassy in Washington promoting foreign investment in the US.

Nides remarks came after repeated comments from administration officials opposing the governments plan to change how Supreme Justices are selected and limit judicial review.

In February, the ambassador called on Netanyahu to "pump the brakes, slow down, try to get a consensus" on the judicial plan.

US President Joe Biden himself said he is very concerned, that Israel cannot continue down this road and said, in that context, that he will not invite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House.

Earlier this week, Justice Minister Yariv Levin accused Washington of working in cooperation with [protesters against judicial reform], as you can see from the things said by the people in the government there, though he added that he thinks the opposition to the plan is genuine and not a conspiracy.

A State Department spokesman called the accusation "completely and demonstrably false," though US government officials have, in fact, voiced opposition to the reform.

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen pushed back against claims within his ministry that judicial reform hurts Israel on the global stage.

Cohen does not accept the evaluation presented in a professional report prepared in the Foreign Ministry, the ministry's spokesman said.

"The assessment in the report does not express the agreed-upon stance of all factors in the ministry and does not reflect the real situation," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat said. "The report only reflects the opinion of the person who wrote it.

"From the minister's and senior ministry officials' many international contacts, we see a picture that is totally different from what is presented in the report," he added.

The secret report was compiled by the heads of the Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic Research Center and Diplomatic Planning Department, to assess the projected diplomatic fallout of the judicial reform, following messages diplomats received from abroad criticizing the plan.

The document, first reported by Walla! News, says that Israel's international standing has deteriorated in light of the debate on the judiciary and the makeup of its current governing coalition, because shared democratic values and a willingness to negotiate with the Palestinians are important for Israel in the West. It also recommends terminology for diplomats to use when discussing these issues.

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US ambassador: Israeli democracy alive and well - The Jerusalem Post