4 ms·

While this is definitely an issue, it doesn’t change the fact that third party candidates still end up as spoilers in most cases due to candidates not being req

While this is definitely an issue, it doesn’t change the fact that third party candidates still end up as spoilers in most cases due to candidates not being required to gain > 50% of the vote (which ranked choice and approval voting both do). Also, it would be great if we could make voting easy enough for people to do it every election. Focusing on just the presidency means that we have fewer candidates representing the will of the People in the off years.

matthewdgreen 4y ago
Would be nice if we could make election day into a Federal holiday. We could move Veteran's day a week earlier, and maybe shift election day to a Monday which would also give a more sensible three-day weekend. It is absolutely stunning to me that we don't have unanimous agreement on this simple change.
- jesterpm 4y ago
  I would actually expect worst outcomes if you turned it into a three day weekend. Why stay in town and vote when you could use the three day weekend for something more fun? With typical work weeks in mind, midweek makes more sense to avoid conflicting with weekends. (and here's why we don't have unanimous agreement—it's always the little details that hang people up)
  - bluejekyll 4y ago
    In most places you can vote before the election for varying degree of times (like 1-2 weeks). We don’t need a holiday for voting. What we need is the ability for people to get their ballot easily, return it when they want. Where I live, I get my ballot for every election in the mail, I fill out at home. I then walk it down to a secure ballot drop box a few blocks away. Everyone should have this experience.
    - matthewdgreen 4y ago
      I take it you haven't been paying attention to US politics around early voting and vote-by-mail this last couple of years. :( PS: the disadvantage of fixing vote-by-mail is that voting is run by 50 states, with wildly different standards in each (and some run by politicians that are opposed to the entire concept.) Whereas a Federal election-day holiday is at least just one vote by Congress.
      - bluejekyll 4y ago
        I have absolutely been paying attention. And I find it sad and frustrating that a party is using its loose grip on power to ensure anti-democratic policies are in place based on misleading information and fear. I agree on the holiday. It’s fine if they want to do it, I’m not against it. I just think it’s not the thing we need to be demanding.

matthewdgreen 4y ago

Would be nice if we could make election day into a Federal holiday. We could move Veteran's day a week earlier, and maybe shift election day to a Monday which would also give a more sensible three-day weekend. It is absolutely stunning to me that we don't have unanimous agreement on this simple change.

jesterpm 4y ago
I would actually expect worst outcomes if you turned it into a three day weekend. Why stay in town and vote when you could use the three day weekend for something more fun? With typical work weeks in mind, midweek makes more sense to avoid conflicting with weekends. (and here's why we don't have unanimous agreement—it's always the little details that hang people up)
- bluejekyll 4y ago
  In most places you can vote before the election for varying degree of times (like 1-2 weeks). We don’t need a holiday for voting. What we need is the ability for people to get their ballot easily, return it when they want. Where I live, I get my ballot for every election in the mail, I fill out at home. I then walk it down to a secure ballot drop box a few blocks away. Everyone should have this experience.
  - matthewdgreen 4y ago
    I take it you haven't been paying attention to US politics around early voting and vote-by-mail this last couple of years. :( PS: the disadvantage of fixing vote-by-mail is that voting is run by 50 states, with wildly different standards in each (and some run by politicians that are opposed to the entire concept.) Whereas a Federal election-day holiday is at least just one vote by Congress.
    - bluejekyll 4y ago
      I have absolutely been paying attention. And I find it sad and frustrating that a party is using its loose grip on power to ensure anti-democratic policies are in place based on misleading information and fear. I agree on the holiday. It’s fine if they want to do it, I’m not against it. I just think it’s not the thing we need to be demanding.