American Politics Thread: The Hunt for Blue November

[Itse]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

I think it's just that people have been anticipating the opening of early voting for a while and don't want to have to worry about waiting on election day, when they may not get a chance to vote.

But, no offense, the population here in south Florida alone is more than half of Finland's entire population. Population density matters. Of course it's quicker for you to vote.

A dense population should make things easier, not harder. There's tons of places available, every party has representatives nearby to participate in poll watching, and it's not a big ask to get volunteers to travel to a voting station that's not their own, when that other station is at worst 30 minutes away instead of an hour or two.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Itse

I always wonder how low standards are in the US have when it comes to organizing something this basic.

I once had to wait in line for maybe 15 minutes to vote, and I still remember how annoyed I was.

If we had to wait for 2 hours here to vote, heads might roll.

Except you're voting for about 20 things in the US Elections, from President to Propositions. Cali Panthers Fan, how many questions did you have to answer?

Originally Posted by Itse

A dense population should make things easier, not harder. There's tons of places available, every party has representatives nearby to participate in poll watching, and it's not a big ask to get volunteers to travel to a voting station that's not their own, when that other station is at worst 30 minutes away instead of an hour or two.

In Canada, these are paid positions. I got paid for watching the Advanced Poll the last provincial election.

[Flashpoint]

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/ar...ck-him/616758/
Why Trump voters who hate Trump stick with Trump - Atlantic

Some meaningful number of voters who are clear-eyed about Trump and his manifest failures—even those who think he is plainly doing a bad job—will stick with the president because they believe Democrats are worse and the media aren’t to be trusted. And these aren’t voters who are glued to Fox News and reading Breitbart News. Often they don’t think about politics at all—and they certainly don’t follow the daily machinations of Washington. They’re typically not on Twitter. Instead they swim in a cultural soup of Trumpism, surrounded by friends, family, and social-media acquaintances who do live more exclusively in a right-wing-media ecosystem.

Even if Biden pulls off a landslide victory, that ecosystem will remain. And so will the dislike of Democrats and distrust of the mainstream media. Getting rid of Trump won’t end the opposition’s problems.

Basically I read that as “grievously uninformed”, and comitted to staying that way.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Except you're voting for about 20 things in the US Elections, from President to Propositions. Cali Panthers Fan, how many questions did you have to answer?

Voted today for the following:

President/Vice president
House Representative (congress)
State Senator
County Sheriff
County Clerk
County Tax Collector
County Supervisor of Elections (we have a very, very good one)
Local circuit court judge

Vote to retain a state supreme court justice and 3 state circuit court justices. A "no" vote means they then get replaced with new appointees.

County water, soil, and environment supervisors.

6 different amendments. Some were funded by dark money and are anti-democratic or unnecessary. Fun times!

Edit: needless to say I was doing a lot of extra research on these down ballot races or initiatives this weekend. It would be very easy to be an uninformed voter on some of these items and just vote based on the language.

For instance, one amendment was to require that only citizens can vote in Florida. Well guess what, that's already the ####ing law, so there must be something in the language there to then fight a legal case to exclude voters who are likely immigrants. Who knows, seemed nefarious and unnecessary to me.

Another one was to require 2 votes to pass any future amendments, so basically, if you don't like the vote the last time, you put it out there again and force people to vote to pass it twice. Essentially, some people don't like democracy when it doesn't go their way. Also was funded by dark money.

Double edit: I can't believe I forgot the sheriff! Where else can you vote for the top cop in your region?

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Just checked again and the wait times are down to about 30 minutes everywhere except where I live, where wait times seem to be about an hour. This makes sense because there are lots of old people here who are fanatic about early voting and have nothing else to do right now.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Except you're voting for about 20 things in the US Elections, from President to Propositions. Cali Panthers Fan, how many questions did you have to answer?

That's actually a good point. Two hours is still ridiculous though.

In Canada, these are paid positions. I got paid for watching the Advanced Poll the last provincial election.

Yeah we get paid here too. I donated that money to the party I represented, I think quite a few people do that. At least us leftists often do that, I'm sure the filthy bourgeoisie only think of themselves (100% not serious.)

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Itse

That's actually a good point. Two hours is still ridiculous though.



Yeah we get paid here too. I donated that money to the party I represented, I think quite a few people do that. At least us leftists often do that, I'm sure the filthy bourgeoisie only think of themselves (100% not serious.)

Agreed, but it could be worse. Some counties in Georgia have wait times up to 10 hours.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...rts-in-georgia

Now it should be noted that the wait times were due to glitches in software to access the voter rolls. However, voter suppression is very real in some parts of this country. It's a travesty.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Itse

That's actually a good point. Two hours is still ridiculous though.



Yeah we get paid here too. I donated that money to the party I represented, I think quite a few people do that. At least us leftists often do that, I'm sure the filthy bourgeoisie only think of themselves (100% not serious.)

Donating? That's crazy talk! (also 100% not serious)

[CaptainCrunch]

I'm watching with interest around the madness that's going to erupt on election night, and again when the results are announced.


America right now is just like an enormous puss filled infection of hatred and anger and division, and its eventually going to have to be lanced or explode.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Tripling Down on a Losing Strategy: The Donald Trump Story

https://twitter.com/user/status/1318210817184202752

[Cali Panthers Fan]

^That's quite the vivid image there Cap. Yuck.

I honestly don't see it that way. Sure, there are some people who are fanatical on both extremes, but the core of this country wants to live in peace and happiness and just want a chance to make some money. That's why they're voting for Biden this time around. They want a normal president who handles his business calmly and rationally and doesn't cause massive disruption to the economy by mishandling things like a pandemic. Trump may have won if the economy hadn't gone in the crapper with little hope of significant recovery due to the extended period of time fighting COVID.

China's economy has pretty much recovered locally at this point, and it's because they managed to control the virus (of course, they are doing things that no western nation would do in terms of strict lockdowns and actively testing an incomplete vaccine on their population, but hey...at least their economy is back, right?).

Honestly, most people would be happy to ignore politics, but Trump forced it into their lives, and for that, they hate him. That's essentially what this election is all about.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Tripling Down on a Losing Strategy: The Donald Trump Story

https://twitter.com/user/status/1318210817184202752

He has never for a single moment actually wanted to be the President of the United States.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

^That's quite the vivid image there Cap. Yuck.

I honestly don't see it that way. Sure, there are some people who are fanatical on both extremes, but the core of this country wants to live in peace and happiness and just want a chance to make some money.

Problem is, many seriously believe the biggest threat to stability and prosperity is the liberals, those fanatics who would turn the United States into a socialist dystopia if they could.

People live in complete different realities.

[SportsJunky]

I roll my eyes at much of what Trump says and does but his statements on the kidnapping plot of the Michigan Governor are so vile.

When asked about the plot to kidnap her, he talks about what a bad Governor she is. The deplorables chant "lock her up, lock her up!" WTF? All the while he sneers and grins.

You are a bad person Donald.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Itse

Problem is, many seriously believe the biggest threat to stability and prosperity is the liberals, those fanatics who would turn the United States into a socialist dystopia if they could.

People live in complete different realities.

Sure people live in their little bubbles, for example the anti-mask protests are just insane, just wear a mask.

However, to Cali's point, people just want to get away from politics and make money. For example, some people are upset about the lockdowns, the inability to open business, work and make money. But on the flipside you've got people really worried about being forced to send their kids back to school too early.

Some people hate Trump but like his policies. Some people like Biden but hate his policies. So it's really a situation unique to each voter.

[starseed]

Last federal election I didn't have anyone in front of me when I walked in to vote in Toronto center.

Before that, it would have been less than 10 minutes maybe?

Waiting more than 30 minutes should be considered a failure to plan correctly.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by SportsJunky

I roll my eyes at much of what Trump says and does but his statements on the kidnapping plot of the Michigan Governor are so vile.

When asked about the plot to kidnap her, he talks about what a bad Governor she is. The deplorables chant "lock her up, lock her up!" WTF? All the while he sneers and grins.

You are a bad person Donald.

In fact, he says; "Lock them up. Lock them all up", when referring to Michigan's state government.

He is literally supporting and enabling domestic terrorism.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by starseed

Last federal election I didn't have anyone in front of me when I walked in to vote in Toronto center.

Before that, it would have been less than 10 minutes maybe?

Waiting more than 30 minutes should be considered a failure to plan correctly.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

Again, we vote on one thing, we mark one X. In the Municipal election I voted on 2 questions and that was hard! Cali just posted all the things he voted on.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

Voted today for the following:

President/Vice president
House Representative (congress)
State Senator
County Clerk
County Tax Collector
County Supervisor of Elections (we have a very, very good one)
Local circuit court judge

Vote to retain a state supreme court justice and 3 state circuit court justices. A "no" vote means they then get replaced with new appointees.

County water, soil, and environment supervisors.

6 different amendments. Some were funded by dark money and are anti-democratic or unnecessary. Fun times!

Edit: needless to say I was doing a lot of extra research on these down ballot races or initiatives this weekend. It would be very easy to be an uninformed voter on some of these items and just vote based on the language.

For instance, one amendment was to require that only citizens can vote in Florida. Well guess what, that's already the ####ing law, so there must be something in the language there to then fight a legal case to exclude voters who are likely immigrants. Who knows, seemed nefarious and unnecessary to me.

Another one was to require 2 votes to pass any future amendments, so basically, if you don't like the vote the last time, you put it out there again and force people to vote to pass it twice. Essentially, some people don't like democracy when it doesn't go their way. Also was funded by dark money.

When I read stuff like this you could have told me this was “the process here on Mars” and it would seem less surprising.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

When I read stuff like this you could have told me this was “the process here on Mars” and it would seem less surprising.

I mean, I like the fact that I have an active say in so much, but it also requires a lot of investment of my time, and I'm a well-educated person who can suss out the details and make a good choice. I get concerned that so many voters don't have the wherewithal to do the same and that's why we have bad outcomes sometimes with voting.

A well-educated population is the key to a healthy democracy. It's no secret as to why American democracy has languished over the past couple of decades. Education, especially civics education, is very uneven or downright poor in this country.