Poll Finds Iraqis Overwhelmingly Favor Elections

[cato2]

Their could not be a more important election in this countries recent history then the one looming ahead for the Iraqis. This poll shows that the people realize just how important that election really is for them. And what is important is that a sizable percentage believe it will be a fair election. Although smaller in percentage, many feel the country is heading in the right direction. Perhaps the elections will instill a more positive outlook.

Poll Finds Iraqis Overwhelmingly Favor Elections

Poll Finds Iraqis Overwhelmingly Favor Elections
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 19, 2005 – As coalition and Iraqi forces continue to kill and capture insurgents bent on disrupting or preventing Iraq's national assembly election, a new poll shows Iraqis overwhelmingly believe it's important for them to cast their ballots Jan. 30.

According to a public opinion survey in Iraq taken in early January, more than 90 percent of Iraqis believe it is important to vote in the election. A total of 82.9 percent said it was "very important," and 9.4 percent said it was "somewhat important."

The breakdown along religious lines shows 70.1 percent of Sunnis listing very important and 15.9 percent listing somewhat. A total of 86 percent of Sunnis, therefore, believe the election is important to the future of Iraq.

Sunnis make up about 20 percent of Iraq's population. They were the dominant group under the former regime. Some Sunni groups have called for Sunnis to boycott the election, but this poll seems to show that the calls are not effective.

In Shiia communities – the largest in Iraq, with about 60 percent of the population – 91.1 percent believe the election is very important and 5.5 percent say it is somewhat important. Shiia leader Grand Ayatollah Sistani has called on all Shiia to vote in the election. He has a slogan, "Vote or Die" that has struck a chord with the Shiia population.

The survey contacted almost 2,000 Iraqis from all parts of the country. An Iraqi company conducted the poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus three points.

On the all-important question of whether they will vote or not in the election, 87 percent said they were very likely or somewhat likely to vote on Jan. 30. Along religious lines, almost 80 percent of Sunnis said they were likely to vote, and more than 90 percent of Shiias said they would go to the polls. Roughly 10 percent of the sample said they would not vote, and the rest didn't know.

The survey showed that 63.6 percent of Iraqis believe there will be free and fair elections in the country, with 17.8 percent responding they do not believe the elections will be free and fair. The rest listed don't know or not applicable. Overall, more women said they believe the elections would be free and fair than men – 65.1 percent to 62 percent.

Along religious lines, just over half – 50.5 percent – of Iraqis who list themselves as Sunni Muslim believe the elections will be free and fair, with 29.1 percent disagreeing. Among Shiias, 72.1 percent believe the elections will be free and fair, with 11.2 percent disagreeing.

Other interesting facets of the survey show that almost three quarters of Iraqis have at least some confidence in Iraq's interim government. A third of the people have some confidence, 29.5 percent have a lot of confidence and 10.8 percent have a little confidence. Only 15.8 percent have no confidence in the interim government.

Overall, more than 54.1 percent of Iraqis said they believe the country is headed in the right direction, with 28.1 percent saying the opposite. The Sunnis are almost evenly divided, with 42.6 percent 41.3 percent, respectively. Among Shiia Iraqis, the percentages are 61.1 and 21 percent.

[Toome]

What strikes me about this article is how we consistently turn out only about 50% of the vote in our own country. I happened to hear that more Americans vote for the next American idol than they do the next American president. Don't know if it's true or just some publicity stunt to attract viewers; however, I wouldn't be surprised.

[cato2]

Originally Posted by Toome

What strikes me about this article is how we consistently turn out only about 50% of the vote in our own country. I happened to hear that more Americans vote for the next American idol than they do the next American president. Don't know if it's true or just some publicity stunt to attract viewers; however, I wouldn't be surprised.

Toome, perhaps if what was on the line in Iraq were to be the the case here I am sure that the voter turnout would achieve numbers that have not been seen in at least a century.

[Toome]

cato2,

You would think with the close and hotly contested election we had in 2000, and the promise of yet another close and hotly contested election in 2004 that more Americans would have voted. While we did see an increase in participation, it was nothing really dramatic.

I guess the irony here is that the very same Americans who hardly vote, if they do at all, are the first ones to criticize the process taking place in Iraq or characterize them as foreign policy failures if the percentages are as low as 70% (such as what happened in El Salvador back in the early 80's). Even at their lowest, these nations still have a larger turnout than here in the US.

So I'm not so sure I agree with your assessment. I think the recent 2004 election had a series of contentious issues ranging from how to deal with the war in Iraq to the Constitutionality of anti-terrorism laws to strategies for protecting the solvency of social security. These were meaty issues, among many others, that potentially affect the lives of Americans across the entire spectrum, yet we only saw a relatively slight percentage increase in the number of Americans who bothered to vote. We continue to portray our own elections as popularity contests grounded in fundamentalist partisan philosophies (straight line ticket voting) without a true study of each issue and understanding of how each candidate approaches those issues without the doubletalk of political campaign promises, accusatory rhetoric and volleys of "gotcha" politics.

I'm truly not disgruntled nor disillusioned, though my comments may appear that way. I'm just amazed at how we Americans take things for granted while a half a world away a vast majority of a population foreign to democratic prinicples is fully embracing the opportunity for themselves. All I can do at this point is shrug my shoulders and say, "go figure."

[scott.voigt]

I think that what is important is that people have the right to vote, even if they're not smart enough to exercise that right.

I can't see how people protest and at the same time don't vote for representatives who support their views. It's practically the gramatical equivilant to a double negative.

[Snowden]

Originally Posted by scott.voigt

I think that what is important is that people have the right to vote, even if they're not smart enough to exercise that right.

I can't see how people protest and at the same time don't vote for representatives who support their views. It's practically the gramatical equivilant to a double negative.

Having the right is the most essential issue, I agree, Scott. But I also believe one reason many don't vote is because the two parties are currently so similar, and even where the differences are most notable, neither side really is representative of what we want and need for this country.

Passions were running high against both candidates; both were seen as power-seekers and both were seen as immoral. Yes - people considered Bush highly immoral for going into Iraq on the issue of WMD; some considered him immoral for going in at all, and all I heard from some of my liberal family and friends was how many innocent Iraqis were dying because of that.

And Kerry, going six times to vote against the ban on partial birth abortion was seen as less offensive and immoral than the lies he told Congress about Vietnam veterans.

Well, some did vote that hadn't before, but I know of some who voted for secondary candidates because it was so difficult to decide which of those two men was less immoral than the other. This is one reason, I believe, that the percentage of voters wasn't higher. And until the politicians stop looking at things their way and start listening to the people, we will have less and less voting.

I think Toome is right when he says

What strikes me about this article is how we consistently turn out only about 50% of the vote in our own country.

It is most disheartening to hear that.

[scott.voigt]

Agreed, but in the World of politics, abortion is a dangerous topic. The media tends to lean away from it as well.