Next time you vote...

In the States many of us take for granted the right that we have to vote. In fact a small percentage of those who are eligible to vote actually do. I remember the first time I voted, in the Baptist church in Northfield, Minnesota during the Clinton election. I registered and then voted… and then vouched for someone else that I knew could vote. It felt a lot like the first time I gave blood to the Red Cross in my highschool’s wrestling room… fulfilling some sort of civic duty, exercising freedom…

Last week in the communities, members were talking about voting here in Guatemala. Many who suffered under the policies of the FRG… the Scorched Earth program of Rios Montt for example which lead to the massacre of thousands and the fleeing into the mountains, into the City or into Mexico of many more… vote for the FRG and even voted for Rios Montt after he had the constitution changed to allow someone who staged a coup to run for President of Guatemala.

They vote… many out of fear, some out of ignorance, and some… well I do not understand why. The FRG, the members of the community told us, give out T-Shirts during their campaigns telling people that if they take the T-Shirt that they have to vote for the FRG. Many take the T-Shirts, after all it will most likely be their only T-Shirt for the year. Then they vote for the FRG, once again some out of fear. Many are told that there are cameras in the voting booths and the FRG will know if they do not vote as they promised. Lack of education is a problem as well. They believe, as the FRG told them, that since they took the T-Shirt they are obligated to vote.

Another technique is misinformation. People who are against the FRG are told to mark FRG on the ballot with an X so they do not win… when in fact this would be voting for the FRG. We thought that hanging and dimpled chads were frustrating!