Why do so many people have to be involved? Why
not let anyone who wants to just put his or her name forward to be put on the
ballot, and let the electorate decide in the privacy of the voting booth?
In principle, there is nothing wrong with this
approach. Cuba's integrated approach, however, gets as many people as possible involved in the electoral
process from the very start--beginning with the public nomination meetings for municipal
deputies, right up to the final vote for the National Assembly. This level of
participation is something to be applauded.
By contrast, in the USA, where there is no such public nomination process, the
role of the public in the electoral process is one of almost total
passivity. The vast majority are actively involved only in the final
vote. And even then, the majority often abstains from even this limited
role!
With the safeguards built into it, the Cuban
system seems to me to be a more democratic alternative. It is certainly
no less democratic. If someone or some faction can't make it past this
process, it can only be that they would not have sufficient public support in any
case.