Of all the democratic socialists who piled into a Manhattan church on Wednesday evening, none had the cachet of the man handed a microphone toward the meeting’s close.
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani offered some pleasantries — “Hello friends, Zohran, he/him, Queens D.S.A.” — before launching into his mission: torpedoing the candidacy of a left-leaning ally, Councilman Chi Ossé, who is attempting to unseat Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the top House Democrat.
The remarkable scene was both a reflection of the tricky political calculuses Mr. Mamdani confronts as he prepares to take office next year and the egalitarian nature of a group that served as the grass-roots organizing machine of his political success.
Sure. That’s a challenge. But so is securing our current elections. I think we need government funded secure vote devices provided to every citizen, with optional voting systems set up at libraries and other government buildings. Smart phone style devices connecting to a secure government network, with no other mixed functionality and tamper resistant.
Not a popular opinion, but I think we need to consider getting rid of anonymous voting to ensure the most auditable voting. But it must be paired with strict laws further outlawing voter intimidation & retaliation.
No way, anonymous ballots are important for a reason. The temptation for those in power to intimidate people is way too strong.
Which is why I said it needs to be paired with strict enforcement to prevent that. The temptation is too strong for those in power to rig elections.