Reuters
Oct 20 2004
Virtual Vote Lets Non-Americans Pick President
LONDON (Reuters) – Even non-Americans can cast a vote in the upcoming
U.S. presidential election thanks to a Web site tracking world
opinion on the race for the White House.
Surfers clicking on can tick a virtual ballot
for President Bush, Democratic challenger John Kerry, or one of five
other candidates fighting to win the real vote on November 2.
Voters are asked to register which country they’re from, creating a
non-official tally of who the rest of the world would choose to lead
the planet’s most powerful country.
“It’s fun and obviously not constitutionally approved, but it is a
serious vote because the U.S. has power over all our lives and the
election will affect the world,” Ben Carey, one of the site’s
creators, told Reuters on Wednesday.
“The votes are coming in from everywhere, from places like Armenia,
Turkmenistan and Venezuela, and if we have a sizable number we’ll
release the results 48 hours before the real election,” he said.
Besides Bush and Kerry, who are neck and neck according to the latest
Reuters poll, voters can choose one of the other candidates,
including Ralph Nader of the Reform Party and Michael Peroutka of the
Constitution Party.
Carey, a British author, said the London-based Web site is
non-partisan and is not sponsored by any political party.