Maybe voting matters after all
Assuming that this radical statement is true, consider the widespread voter suppression.
With less than a week until midterm elections, civil rights groups and voting advocacy organisations in several US states have sounded the alarm on what they call voter suppression.Although allegations of voter suppression are often made during elections, the claims are now more widespread than normal.
...
Since 2010, at least 24 US states have introduced new measures that place tight restrictions on voting protocol. Most of those states are controlled by Republicans.
In the last eight years, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, 13 states introduced or tightened restrictive voter ID laws, 11 have laws making it harder for citizens to register, seven cut back on early voting opportunities and three moved to make it more difficult to return voting rights to people with criminal convictions.In most cases, the measures disproportionately affected voters of colour, who are generally considered more likely to vote Democrat than Republican.
If it really didn't matter they wouldn't be bothered to make voting so difficult.
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It matters.
There are many among us who believe that voting is a waste of time. I tend to agree in most instances. There is a high probability that those (humans) we may vote for are likely playing a game of monopoly with them as the winner. But this year is different.
Forget about the players that want your vote. Look at the people who who want your vote instead. I'm talking about ballot initiatives. Michigan has three interesting ballots this year. Hell, there's only three. They all look like a yes to me. I will not be voting for any so-called representative this year.
Come on MIchiganders. We can do this.
https://www.mlive.com/expo/news/erry-2018/10/c906e5e38b2805/a-complete-g...
Prop 1: Legalization of marijuana.
Prop 2: Establish a commission of citizens with exclusive authority to adopt district boundaries for the Michigan Senate, Michigan House of Representations and U.S. Congress, every 10 years.
Prop 3: Authorize automatic and Election Day voter registration, no-reason absentee voting, and straight ticket voting; and add current legal requirements for military and overseas voting and post election audits to the Michigan Constitution.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
I have a question
has there been any advertising on any of these, especially the redistricting one? CA has a history of allowing propositions onto the ballot only if they're so underfunded that the bad guys can come in and swamp the airwaves with blatant lies unopposed. Others. like pot legalization, are trying to be misdirections, leading people to believe that they can get something good by voting.
On to Biden since 1973
Advertising
has been basically nonexistent. A couple of hilarious billboards about the horrors of unregulated THC levels but other than that it's been very quite on all three.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
Actually, I received a Voter Guide
in the mail that contained the language of the propositions along with a description of what a Yes vote would mean. Made me almost homesick for California where I had learned to expect such information (though i do not know if they still do it), but this was a first for me here in Michigan. Of course, I received it the day after I mailed my ballot in.
I read the propositions very carefully to make sure they weren't those strangely worded ones that California liked to put in that were the reverse of what everyone thought they were voting for. Then voted Yes.
Also made sure not to vote for any judges (per Ballotpedia) who had been appointed by a Republican. = )
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass
Yeah they still do that in California
I have three large booklets of information to go through for State elections, County elections and City election. It is nice that the propositions have a lot of information like estimated fiscal impact, arguments for and aganist and rebuttals to arguments for and against each measure. Maybe I've been taking that for granted.
Beware the bullshit factories.
It was a lot of reading but
it was a huge help with learning about the issues without the TV blaring BS every five minutes. I really miss getting that information. In the 12 years I have been in Michigan, this is the first time I have received anything at all close to the kind of information I got in California.
Yes, that fiscal information was also very important in making decisions as well as the non-partisan review. Having a person from each side make a reasonable, civil statement regarding the issues is a privilege that people in most states do not have.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass
I’m in MI
I have the TV on a lot. There have been no ads for legal pot, and it is certain to win. Absentee voting a bit advertising here and there. Redistricting the most. It is working with Holder. Even less anti ads running than pro. None of them are even knee high to the sheer volume of candidate ads that have been on non-stop since early October. Last I heard, all 3 props are headed for a win. Dem candidate for Gov & Stabenow are leading in the polls. GOP Congress critters also have targets on theirs backs. Big push to take out Rogers (R). Wouldn’t miss him a bit, but it will be a huge win given how gerrymandered his District is.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Totally OT: Israel's dark motivation
link
Israel’s chief rabbi won’t call Pittsburgh synagogue a synagogue
because it’s non-Orthodox.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-s-chief-rabbi-refuse...
https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/israeli-chief-rabbi-doesnt-name-pit...
Not much interested in the...
more-of-the-same candidates being offered here, but I will be voting against the neo-fascist asshole who wants to be attorney general. A definite scumbag who needs to go no further.
Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.
Are you
talking about schuette? Of course you are.
I dont believe whitmer is all that hot either so none of the above.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
Anyone is better than Betsy’s pal Schuette
If he’s suing, it’s against gays, clean water in Flint, relief for UI recipients falsely accused of major amounts of unemployment fraud by a f*cked state automated computer system. Schuette is Sessions evil twin and spawn of DeVos. Damn right I’m voting for Whitmer. I’d vote for anyone to keep that self-righteous @sshole Schuette out of office. He’s Snyder high on Jesus. He makes Whitmer look like one of the nuns on the bus.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
It may matter
To the politicians which party wins but does it really matter which party controls us. I guess it might matter for some that want to play the LOTE game and probably easier to fix elections with less people voting.
In this midterm, yes, it does.
Losing will put Trump one step (maybe many more) closer to going over the edge. He is already so very close to that one bridge too far, that it will not take too much more to get him to self-destruct.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass
Warren is losing her popularity
But for the wrong reasons in my opinion. She comes across for me as a fake progressive. Sure she came on to the scene and gave fiery speeches against the banks, but when it came time for her to show who she really is she failed. When Israel was bombing Gaza in 2014 they ran out of bombs and had to petition congress for more. The vote was overwhelming in favor including Warren. She railed against Hillary's vote for the bankruptcy bill and some others, but again when it came time for her to show where she stood during the primary she just sat there and didn't declare for Hillary until after Bernie folded. Is this why people don't think that she's the cat's meow? Nope. It's because of her DNA test that showed that she has some Native American blood.
Elizabeth Warren’s political path faces roadblocks
Scientists are concerned that conspiracy theories may die out if they keep coming true at the current alarming rate.
Warren missed her bus.
I would vote for her over Biden, but I wouldn’t have high hopes.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Warren is a “progressive” the Dems could love.
Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.
Voting sure matters to Kemp
Here in Georgia the Sec of State is the Republican running for governor. Oddly enough he has already been blocked from trying to remove polling stations in African-American rural areas. Conversely, where I live they make sure early voting is done. Big signs for the voting location. Of course this early voting location is on Ronald Reagan Drive.
I have never had to wait to vote. My mother-in-law lives in different district that is more African-American. She routinely waits hours to vote.
It is one of the reasons I don't see the U.S. promoting Democracy abroad. We have so many tricks to rig an election at home. The gerrymandering is ridiculous. They look at who is running in the districts then redraw the map to make sure the Republicans make use of every vote. I'm sure the Dems do the same where they are in charge. The leaders are afraid of Democracy. Hillary even said about the Palestinian vote that had she known who was going to win, she wouldn't have allowed it. Some Democracy.
That kind of gives me a little hope in the system
If the voting process was seriously rigged, Kemp and the rest of them wouldn't put so much effort into supressing the vote. All people have to do is come together and face our common enemies instead of each other, despite the billions spent to get us fighting each other, and then we'll win. Labor leader Nicolas Klein said in a quote that's been mangled and falsely attributed to Ghandi:
Maybe that quote isn't so relevant but I found it interesting that the Ghandi quote came from that.
Beware the bullshit factories.
Voting doesn't mean shit in Flawer'Duh.
Between the Gusano and the pig-Dem faking left for the sake of his own career, in addition to the senate race clusterfuck, there's nothing to vote FOR. Locally is much worse considering the far-right has a stranglehold on Brevard County. The amendments and referendums were useless...well, most of them.
Modern education is little more than toeing the line for the capitalist pigs.
Guerrilla Liberalism won't liberate the US or the world from the iron fist of capital.