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Sorry, it’s not clear if this is meant in sarcasm—- maybe I’m misinterpreting, but how exactly is legislation passed if not by majority vote?

by bnj 6y ago

cam_l 6y ago
Not OP, but at least in oz we live in a representative democracy. That means that though 51% may support the current government, any one piece of legislation only needs to have the support of the majority in parliament. It could have zero support in the community. It happens often enough when people are polled on the legislation itself, rather than party preferences, people overwhelmingly support positions which may even be antithetical to both sides of parliament. Climate change legislation has enjoyed overwhlming support in oz for years, even amongst a slim majority on the right. People overwhelming support environmental protections. But our parliament this week, under cover of covid, pushed through a massive regression in environemntal protections without even letting their own party discuss the legislation, let alone the opposition or the media.
ekianjo 6y ago
Representatives are not always representative.
- devin 6y ago
  See: Wisconsin. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/wisconsin-e2-80-99s-governor-called-a-special-session-on-police-reform-republicans-stopped-it-after-30-seconds/ar-BB18AMSW https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/wisconsin-e2-80-99s-... > The maps have exceeded their designers high expectations all decade long. In 2018, for example, Wisconsin voters re-elected a Democratic U.S. senator, backed Evers for governor over two-term Republican incumbent Scott Walker, placed Democrats in every elected statewide office, and preferred Democratic assembly candidates by a margin of 190,000 votes. Republicans held the chamber, 64-35. They won 64 percent of the seats, with 46 percent of the votes. It would be difficult to call Wisconsin a democracy with a straight face at this point.
  - ekianjo 6y ago
    > It would be difficult to call Wisconsin a democracy with a straight face at this point. I think you don't understand how things are working. Senators are elected by the people, at the seat level. You can see what's happening here in this post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/12/04/several-layers-republican-power-grabbing-wisconsin/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/12/04/several-l... > [in 2018] They [Democrats] won 53 percent of the vote and only 36 percent of the seats. However, that can be explained in part by the fact that Democrats had far more seats in which they weren’t running against a Republican opponent. Nearly half of the votes the Democrats earned were in districts where their candidates didn’t face significant opposition. In contested races, Republicans won more votes than Democrats. If you get 90% of votes for one seat where there is virtually no opposition, that has no bearing to the other seat where you lost 48% to 52%. That's actual democracy, and even direct democracy. This is also confirmed by the 17th Amendment: https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-17/ https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-17/ > The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years

Sorry, it’s not clear if this is meant in sarcasm—- maybe I’m misinterpreting, but how exactly is legislation passed if not by majority vote?

by bnj 6y ago

Sorry, it’s not clear if this is meant in sarcasm—- maybe I’m misinterpreting, but how exactly is legislation passed if not by majority vote?

cam_l 6y ago

Not OP, but at least in oz we live in a representative democracy. That means that though 51% may support the current government, any one piece of legislation only needs to have the support of the majority in parliament. It could have zero support in the community. It happens often enough when people are polled on the legislation itself, rather than party preferences, people overwhelmingly support positions which may even be antithetical to both sides of parliament. Climate change legislation has enjoyed overwhlming support in oz for years, even amongst a slim majority on the right. People overwhelming support environmental protections. But our parliament this week, under cover of covid, pushed through a massive regression in environemntal protections without even letting their own party discuss the legislation, let alone the opposition or the media.

ekianjo 6y ago

Representatives are not always representative.

devin 6y ago
See: Wisconsin. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/wisconsin-e2-80-99s-governor-called-a-special-session-on-police-reform-republicans-stopped-it-after-30-seconds/ar-BB18AMSW https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/wisconsin-e2-80-99s-... > The maps have exceeded their designers high expectations all decade long. In 2018, for example, Wisconsin voters re-elected a Democratic U.S. senator, backed Evers for governor over two-term Republican incumbent Scott Walker, placed Democrats in every elected statewide office, and preferred Democratic assembly candidates by a margin of 190,000 votes. Republicans held the chamber, 64-35. They won 64 percent of the seats, with 46 percent of the votes. It would be difficult to call Wisconsin a democracy with a straight face at this point.
- ekianjo 6y ago
  > It would be difficult to call Wisconsin a democracy with a straight face at this point. I think you don't understand how things are working. Senators are elected by the people, at the seat level. You can see what's happening here in this post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/12/04/several-layers-republican-power-grabbing-wisconsin/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/12/04/several-l... > [in 2018] They [Democrats] won 53 percent of the vote and only 36 percent of the seats. However, that can be explained in part by the fact that Democrats had far more seats in which they weren’t running against a Republican opponent. Nearly half of the votes the Democrats earned were in districts where their candidates didn’t face significant opposition. In contested races, Republicans won more votes than Democrats. If you get 90% of votes for one seat where there is virtually no opposition, that has no bearing to the other seat where you lost 48% to 52%. That's actual democracy, and even direct democracy. This is also confirmed by the 17th Amendment: https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-17/ https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-17/ > The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years