I am finally going through the TestVot application and posting my results in the Scribd PDF linked below. If unclear, the elections are taking place on Sunday, November 2, 7 am – 9 pm, at the Romanian Consulate in Toronto at 555 Richmond St W, as explained in MEP elections.

As stated the first episode of the Clusterfunk to Cotroceni, I don’t believe in encouraging everybody to vote, because people who don’t feel the need (the need for speed? no, the need to vote) are unlikely to make informed choices. But for those who do vote and who realize that this is only the first step of being a functional citizen, what else is there to do?

1. Ensure that your vote is not stolen – volunteer or apply for a job with the electoral commission; talk to the volunteers or those counting votes and find out more info on the process. Ask if you can be an observer.
2. Get to know the candidates by contacting them and asking them questions. Volunteer for or donate to at least those who you’ll be voting for (most corporations for instance donate equally to the top two).
3. Publicize your choices and / or discuss them with your friends. Personally, I only publish my thoughts on my blog and engage in conversations online as most of my friends are either politically apathetic or unwilling / unable to discuss politics in a detached manner.
4. Run for office or think about running. Start an NGO.

Obviously, there’s no way to go through 1-4 above unless you vote, and voting, by itself, is not enough.

I’m running out of time and can’t comment every answer yet, but you can see my results on scribd.

I keep reading online about “voting fraud” which is pretty much a leitmotiv of Romanian elections (mostly accusations and rural / urban legends, because I don’t think it really happens). If someone would offer me money to vote, I’d gladly take their money and vote with whomever I want (Macovei, in my case). I think it’s a patriotic duty to separate such idiots from their money and one has numerous opportunities to provide whatever “proof” they might require while still voting with your own choice. If they require a photo, you can easily take a photo of the actual vote, then modify it as they wish. If you find that difficult, you can take a photo of a bulletin with the vote they want, invalidate it by stamping more than necessary, then ask the commission for a new bulletin. Note that even such an action might be illegal (in which case you shouldn’t do it) but if it is illegal, it’s still a better idea to get proof of an attempt to buy votes: try recording the person asking you to do so.

However, the fraud in the first round is unlikely to be excessive; the big fight is for the second place, and there Iohannis people might screw Macovei, if she gets too high, as unlikely as that is. As I explained before on numerous occasions, (diaspora, ciutacul, 2009) the low-end fraud is insignificant; the big time fraud is more likely to happen at the top, via the computerized systems or by purposely/seemingly poor organization. If you are concerned, volunteer with the commission or apply for a paid job or as an observer.

Continue with the 3rd instalment, voting in Toronto.

Sources / More info: mae, scribd, gd