Iran's Election

It is difficult to pick between 7 identical candidates, especially when you hoped to pick one of the thousand disqualified by Iran's clergy. As a result, many have decided to not pick a candidate at all – by not voting – in order to drive down voter turnout.
The Iranian media is showing video from last year's election and Iranian officials are forcing or bribing people to vote in the few locations that the western media is allowed to cover – every reporter is followed by a thug who ensures that the journalist, like the Iranian people, is thoroughly intimidated. To make up for dismal turnout, Iran has likely printed millions of pre-filled ballots. And, the winners were announced before the election ended – even though all ballot boxes were locked and exit polls most likely didn't exist because voters would say whatever they were told to say by Iran's thugs.
No matter who wins, the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will still control Iran. Khatami, the outgoing president, saw his reforms crushed by the Council of Guardians, a hardline group of unelected religious leaders, and Khamenei. It is the knowledge of the fallacy of Iranian democracy and the exploitation of the turnout last election that has largely prevented voters from leaving their homes this time.

Unelected Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, among the first to vote, told Iranians they would be endorsing not just their chosen candidate, but their country’s Islamic system.
“Whoever you vote for among those seven candidates, it’s a vote for him, the Islamic republic and the constitution,” he said after using a special ballot box at his official residence.

For this reason, most are avoiding the election (hattip to Publius Punbdit).

The leaders in credible coverage are, naturally, blogs: Regime Change Iran, Publius Pundit, and Willisms. The later two cover polling stations placed in the US, another of Iran's efforts to make the election appear more credible. A .pdf of the 40 polling stations in the US is here. Willisms has photos and the story of how he almost got arrested by the thugs around one ballot box stationed in the US. Personally, I am awaiting responses from the two hotels that hosted sites in Ohio. The Word Unheard also has notable comments. Update: Willisms has his video here and Publius Pundit does a wonderful job describing his interview of an election monitor

Turnout at the US-based locations is dismally low, just as it is low in Iran – at least in the voting stations that are not surrounded by western reporters. An account of what Iranians are seeing of elections is here. Iran has claimed 65% turnout, which is a blatant lie. President Bush's attack on the election as undemocratic appears well in line with the thoughts of the many Iranians who refused to vote.