For as long as we have been holding elections there have been rumors. The Internet only serves as an efficient tool to spread the rumors further and faster.
Maybe you remember the old grade school game were someone whispers a story to the classmate behind them. The story has to travel around the room from one person to the next until the last person in the room must stand up and relate the story to the class. If you have a bunch of good kids who all have perfect hearing and can remember every word spoken to repeat it seconds later and the class is extremely small, you might have the same story at the end. Life is not like that and neither are rumors.
You must first contend with the fact that not everyone listens well and they will hear only a portion of the original. Then they may not remember the whole story and must make up for what they cannot remember or didn't hear in the first place. Then the story can only be mangled when it reaches the last person.
Now think about the guy in the middle who would rather create a new story because it sounds better than the original. Maybe he or she wants to get the last person in trouble for saying something bad. Now you will never get the original information but the story inserted in the telling which starts off as fiction.
Rumors are nothing better than the passing of mis-information from one person to the next. On the Internet the stories will be changed to fit non-facts and un-truths (read this as lies).
So please be very careful of accepting the rumors you hear, especially when they are spread with malicious intent.
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George,
October 27, 2008 at 1:43 p.m.No you didn't. Your blog said nothing about the specifics of the rumor. You just told us to be careful about rumors.
That's why we were asking.
Why didn't you just post the correct info in the first place?
I hope I am always fair to voters.
October 27, 2008 at 9:48 a.m.In my job I am able to listen to comments and complaints of many people who stand in line waiting to vote or have voted and want some clarification on something they have heard. I feel I would be remiss in my duties if I ignored incorrect information either in the method that a voter uses or how the voting process works.
Recently an internet report indicated voters in one state, voting a straight party ticket, were not voting for president. The writer wished to warn everlyone across the country of the problem so it would not effect their vote. Toward the end of the article it mentioned that Texas does not have this problem. A lot of people missed the part about Texas so people ask me. I included a warning in my blog because hopefully it would be useful to more people.
I find your blog a tad unethical. You are the head of the elections commitee yes? It is my belief that you should remain publically neutral as far as the candidates are concerned. People of voting age should be able to use their best judgement as far as how they choose their candidates, etc. For you to post this reeks of bias & using your position to sway voters.
October 26, 2008 at 4:34 p.m.Some people use chain e-mail, some use celebrities that can't manage their own lives, others use extreme organizations, some use plain old common sense. Who voters choose to listen to is their own business, whether we like it or not.
Sounds like some of the Dems blogs on late.....don't believe nuthin' about nuthin'.
October 26, 2008 at 6:51 a.m.What a SmarteePantz! Haha, just kidding, couldn't resist. Yeah, Mr. Matthews, what gives? Could you be more specific, or is this just a public notice in general? Inquiring minds want to know.
October 25, 2008 at 7:18 p.m.Well, thanks for the caution, but what rumor are we supposed to be disregarding? Is this just your personal opinion, or is this something election related?
October 25, 2008 at 1:27 p.m.