Dartblog

A sampling of letters from the Dartblog mailbox represent the sentiment of many alumni regarding the current single-candidate elections for Alumni Trustee and the Association of Alumni executive committee:

Salut Joe,

I received my annual alumni ballot in the mail today.

Like you, I despise the idea of “voting” in an “election” with no choices on the “ballot.” I agree with you wholeheartedly that “The cynicism of this procedure is among the more dispiriting things that I have encountered in my life.”

Since Dartmouth adopted a totalitarian state model for its elections of alumni trustees and executive committee members of the Association of Alumni, I have been throwing the ballot in the trash in disgust each year.

However, this year I’m doing something different. However futile it might be to protest this election, I am sending my ballot back. However, I did not mark it. I tore it to pieces and put it in the envelope. I’m not sending the ballot to the pre-addressed destination in Maryland. Whose address is that anyway—can’t the staff in Hanover count votes in a sham election? I crossed out the Maryland address and I’m returning my shredded ballot to the Blunt Alumni Center.

If you want, feel free to share my suggested method of protest with your readers. Maybe you or someone else has other ideas for a protest.

As always, keep up the good work. Reading Dartblog helps lower my blood pressure when it gets raised by some of the crap that the College sends out.

and:

Joe

Still enjoy reading Dartblog consistently. I decided today to just not bother voting in the Soviet-style “election” with one “candidate” per position. The usual amen-chorus of politically correct individuals will sit together and affirm to one another just how truly wonderful they are and how much on the same page they manage to be. No dissenting voices from either the “right” or the “left” will be tolerated. Smug is as smug does as our friend Forrest Gump would say.

and:

FYI, I just “voted” online. I did not check a single box, and the system seemed to accept my blank ballot. I wonder if they’ll report the number of unvoted ballots and understand (or care) that it’s a protest against the lack of choice.

Sad days for the small College and those who love her.