We, The People
I was unsure, and I am still concerned about myself before putting any effort into writing on this topic, which is an intensely sensitive one, as it could attract negative responses from unexpected sources.
Here, I am sharing my personal opinion on the allegedly rigged method of selecting an individual.
In my school days, one of my classmates was the nephew of my class teacher, and he was the only boy who was chosen as class monitor unopposed. Even though the chit system betrayed us, many years later, I came to know that it was his uncle who had deliberately written his nephew’s name on each chit, and we never had another monitor.
At home, I could never receive the attention or affection that my brothers enjoyed from our mom. No matter how well I performed academically or how much I cared for her, my brothers always seemed to have all the privileges by default.
Democracy | Definition, History, Meaning, Types, Examples, & Facts
Downgrading Democracy
Now, after a long time, I am unfortunately writing an article on rigged mandates in almost all democratic governance, and I am honestly admitting that this article has a fair share of AI-based research.
With a lot unprecedented turn of events, uncalled coups, uninvited unrests in and around the world for the sake of some trivial issues, and sometimes because of serious allegations of extreme corruption from the ruling party, the world is witnessing a consequential fall of all the humanistic parameters, and this is happening everywhere, it doesn’t matter whether the country is developed or underdeveloped.
It’s not always about democracy; it is hijacking the system unethically, culling the sentiments of millions of people by their unprincipled antics, suffocating the sanity of a supposedly amiable environment where people can live without any fear of becoming victims of dirty politics.
It felt hard to see people suffering because of such shady politics.
What AI told me about Electoral Fraud?
A genuine question emerged in my mind: “Is AI authentic?” After conducting several inquiries, I found the answer to be quite disheartening.
AI is designed to be fair and present factual reality, yet the AI tools I explored approached the subject more cautiously than I did.
The AI tools were applauding me for being insightful, giving all the data intact in the answers. Yet all the answers have one common sentence: ‘ You are so insightful, and there may be cases of extreme vote manipulation, vote rigging, and dirty practices all over the world, but everything is still under investigation.’
So fear is a ubiquitous phenomenon, and even AI is controlled according to the will of those in power.
EVMs – Election Commission of India
History has concrete proof.
From physically-based voting manipulation by voter intimidation and violence, ballot stuffing, impersonation, gerrymandering and manipulation of demographics, we travelled fast forward in digital age, where disinformation, misinformation, hacking of voting machines, hacking of electoral database, microtargeting and psychological manipulation, media narrative control, deliberate fake propaganda propagation against opposition, counterfeit registrations, multiple voting, postal ballot fraud, during and after the actual voting of an election, misrecording or destruction of votes, the list of methods of a supposed voter fraud is going endless, keeping a mind in the development of technology.
Politicians are better actors indeed.
Unlimited drama accompanied by scripted stories of one’s capabilities, ghostwriters to puppet leaders, selective charges of unfair practice to extreme favorism, dynastic politics to no-retirement rule, politics is so unfit for those who are so straightforward and true to their words.
With the digital age, person with meagre knowledge or sometimes uneducated can give flawless speeches with the help of AI tools, and teleprompters.
Like fake degrees available in black market, even illiterate can have a fake degree in his name to put his claim.
Destroying democratic sanctity
Electoral fraud undermines the fundamental principles of the democratic process. When a government is formed through illegitimate means, it compromises the will and welfare of the people. Ultimately, such a government fails to respect the lives of ordinary citizens.
An unfair and rigged election can lead to political apathy, lack of faith in the system, and alienation.
Unfair elections give unfair advantage to certain individuals or groups, making all the ascribed rules ineffective and void.
Electoral fraud stifles genuine political competition leading to a stalemate in every arena, and the welfare of ordinary citizens suffers most in this entanglement of political contention.
The devaluation of the voting system and the manipulation of electoral outcomes are becoming increasingly common. As a result, ordinary people begin to lose faith in the system, ultimately leading them to feel like second-class citizens, despite being the legitimate stakeholders in the nation’s resources.
In short, electoral fraud turns elections into a meaningless ritual rather than an authentic platform to serve the people according to their voice.
Iron law of oligarchy | Power Dynamics & Social Hierarchy – Britannica
Digital Age & Growing Concern about Electoral Fraud
The widespread occurrence of electoral fraud seems to be evident across various nations, institutions, political parties, and governing bodies. However, accurately assessing the situation is quite challenging unless the electoral bodies take action against the illegal and unfair pressures exerted by certain groups.
A Humble Appeal to the Electoral Commission
Just because you hold a responsible position and have the patronage of some influential people, it does not mean that you have become greater than your country; it does not mean that you have the freedom to influence the voting process in any wrong way, and have immunity from law and order for your wrongdoings.
You are intentionally undermining the identity and integrity of this country. This behavior contradicts the ethics of your position, especially when your country needs you, and you are systematically eroding the fabric of our nation.
Please don’t manipulate or forcibly rig the election results; you are giving our country the wounds it doesn’t deserve. You have the power and position to say a firm ‘no’ to any criminal intimidation to influence the election in their favor.
Maybe you are fearing for your life, but what about the lives of millions of your motherland who are being deprived of their basic rights because of unethical snatching of their right to vote.
By doing this you will render great service to your motherland.
In a democratic system, no one should be immune from the consequences of their actions. Such actions will ultimately bring the entire system to an end.
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The right to vote is our hard-earned right; we should never take it away from anyone. It is our fundamental right and responsibility to safeguard the very essence of democracy. Only by doing so can we defend ourselves against exploitation by those who seek to serve only their own interests.
