4 ms·

They count on a few things: * you don't hear about all the millions of times this happens * You will still hear about thousands of times that it happens, and

They count on a few things: * you don't hear about all the millions of times this happens * You will still hear about thousands of times that it happens, and it happens so often you feel that can't possibly fight it all * you don't have alternative options to vote for * any alternative option is crushed with voter suppression and/or the massive campaign chests of the incumbents

briandear 7y ago
> any alternative option is crushed with voter suppression With early voting, free or very cheap ID for poor people, mail in ballots, and literally a year or more to confirm one’s voter registration, voter suppression is a ridiculous excuse. If people cared about voting, they would do it. I honestly don’t want people voting that can’t be bothered to take the responsibility seriously enough that they allow themselves to be “suppressed.” More voters isn’t the answer: more voters that care about fiscal responsibility is the answer. Many voters don’t care one bit about waste because those voters aren’t paying very much in the taxes that are getting wasted. They want “someone else” to pay. Many voters vote for the “stuff” they can get for themselves.
- skrtskrt 7y ago
  People waited in line for 3, 4, even 7 hours in black/Latino neighborhoods and on college campuses in Texas and California last night. They close voting sites in these places, sometimes the day of the election: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/02/texas-polling-sites-closures-voting https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/02/texas-pollin... They come up with convoluted ID requirements that only apply to college students, requiring types of ID their colleges don't even issue for them: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/24/us/voting-college-suppression.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/24/us/voting-college-suppres... That doesn't happen in rich white neighborhoods. It's nothing if not voter suppression. That's not even to bring up gerrymandering. I mean look at these voting districts that have been drawn: * https://www.reddit.com/r/VoteBlue/comments/bd77pf/dan_crenshaws_district_in_texas_this_kind_of/ https://www.reddit.com/r/VoteBlue/comments/bd77pf/dan_crensh... * https://www.ranker.com/list/most-gerrymandered-districts-in-america/eric-vega https://www.ranker.com/list/most-gerrymandered-districts-in-...
  - wilg 7y ago
    Totally agree we need to fix these issues with lines and ID requirements. But Texas and California are very different. California has mail-in so I do think something is going on where people don't know about the vote by mail. You can even just get your ballot by mail and drop it off at a polling place or mailbox day of if you want to decide late. And gerrymandering is definitely a huge issue, but not the whole issue. You can't gerrymander the Senate, for example, but it is still Republican-controlled. It does seem like there are still extreme get-out-the-vote issues beyond the (totally unacceptable) vote suppression. Turnout is still unbelievably low.

briandear 7y ago

> any alternative option is crushed with voter suppression With early voting, free or very cheap ID for poor people, mail in ballots, and literally a year or more to confirm one’s voter registration, voter suppression is a ridiculous excuse. If people cared about voting, they would do it. I honestly don’t want people voting that can’t be bothered to take the responsibility seriously enough that they allow themselves to be “suppressed.” More voters isn’t the answer: more voters that care about fiscal responsibility is the answer. Many voters don’t care one bit about waste because those voters aren’t paying very much in the taxes that are getting wasted. They want “someone else” to pay. Many voters vote for the “stuff” they can get for themselves.

skrtskrt 7y ago
People waited in line for 3, 4, even 7 hours in black/Latino neighborhoods and on college campuses in Texas and California last night. They close voting sites in these places, sometimes the day of the election: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/02/texas-polling-sites-closures-voting https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/02/texas-pollin... They come up with convoluted ID requirements that only apply to college students, requiring types of ID their colleges don't even issue for them: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/24/us/voting-college-suppression.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/24/us/voting-college-suppres... That doesn't happen in rich white neighborhoods. It's nothing if not voter suppression. That's not even to bring up gerrymandering. I mean look at these voting districts that have been drawn: * https://www.reddit.com/r/VoteBlue/comments/bd77pf/dan_crenshaws_district_in_texas_this_kind_of/ https://www.reddit.com/r/VoteBlue/comments/bd77pf/dan_crensh... * https://www.ranker.com/list/most-gerrymandered-districts-in-america/eric-vega https://www.ranker.com/list/most-gerrymandered-districts-in-...
- wilg 7y ago
  Totally agree we need to fix these issues with lines and ID requirements. But Texas and California are very different. California has mail-in so I do think something is going on where people don't know about the vote by mail. You can even just get your ballot by mail and drop it off at a polling place or mailbox day of if you want to decide late. And gerrymandering is definitely a huge issue, but not the whole issue. You can't gerrymander the Senate, for example, but it is still Republican-controlled. It does seem like there are still extreme get-out-the-vote issues beyond the (totally unacceptable) vote suppression. Turnout is still unbelievably low.